The Legends (15 page)

“As difficult to believe as my reincarnation?” Margaret asked.

“You can be the judge of that,” Evelyn said with a smile.

“In that case, perhaps I will have a small sherry as well.”

Margaret poured the two glasses while Evelyn tucked a blanket around the baby. When the old woman regained her seat she raised her glass to her young visitor and toasted, “To strange stories.”

Evelyn clicked her glass against Margaret’s and sat for a moment thinking about what she was going to say. Ultimately, she decided to get the hard bit out of the way quickly. “I guess I have been less than completely honest with you Margaret,” she began. “Only three people in the world know about this and you would be the fourth. Well, technically Brian and Molly are also in on the secret but anyway, here goes. While I accept that young Brian is, without question, my child, he was not born to me.”

Margaret did not appear particularly shocked by this revelation but she listened quietly as Evelyn continued.

“In fact,” she continued pointing out the kitchen window, “I found him in the middle of that field a couple of weeks ago when Cathal and I were walking along. Well actually Molly found him and Cathal and I accepted responsibility for him. What was completely remarkable was that it appeared that he had been placed in the field minutes before his discovery. He was clean and well fed and despite the heat of the morning sun he did not have even the slightest touch of sunburn. Even more strange, there was no indication that anyone walked through the long grasses for at least several hours before we arrived.”

Margaret nodded her head understanding what was said, “I do seem to remember seeing you and himself walking along below with Molly one sunny day a few weeks back, but it must have been before you came upon the child,” she stated.

“Well it doesn’t exactly end there,” Evelyn continued. “You see, in addition to Brian we discovered a bundle of what appeared at the time to be excellent gold reproductions of Celtic jewelry as well as a replica of a great sword from the same era. We took everything home and, of course, immediately contacted the Police Department.”

“Yes, yes – the police,” Margaret said obviously agreeing with her decision.

“Well, actually it was my brother Paddy Rice who is an inspector at the Drogheda station,” Evelyn admitted sheepishly. “He is the only other person who knows about this. His immediate reaction was to call in the social welfare people but I convinced him that the child was undoubtedly traumatized by his experience so perhaps it was better to let him rest a bit before moving him again. I suppose, being a good big brother Paddy was used to agreeing with my suggestions so he and Cathal and Molly, of course, returned to the hillside to inspect the scene of the crime, as it were.”

“So anyway,” Evelyn continued, “I settled the baby and the two of them went off. By that time it was mid-afternoon but since very few people are likely to tramp those hills, neither Paddy nor Cathal thought that the site would have been disturbed. As it turned out they were correct. Oh, yes… I forgot to mention. The one thing that we didn’t bring off the hillside was a massive granite rock that had been carved out in the middle. This rock was lined with feathers and cloth, a little mattress almost, and that was where the baby was lying when we found him. Anyway, this crib was too heavy for even two or three people to carry any distance so we left it down there marking the spot.”

“Paddy reported that they had no difficulty following our tracks, which were clearly visible in the long grass. Molly seemed to know exactly where they were headed and lead the way directly to the hawthorn bushes where the baby was found. Of course, the granite crib remained just where it had been earlier in the morning. Paddy carefully inspected the area for at least fifty feet in each direction but could detect no trace of anyone. He also asked Cathal to take more pictures confirming his investigation.”

“Although he was a bit cynical when we first told him our story, Paddy undoubtedly had a change of heart after examining the place where the child was found. Cathal told me that it was not necessary for him to say anything to my brother because Paddy was even more baffled than we were. He is, after all, a professional dealing with all measure of mysteries and even though Cathal might fancy himself a modern day Sherlock Holmes, he is not a trained police officer.”

Margaret sat on the edge of her chair, completely absorbed by the story. “When you told me your story was even stranger than mine,” she said, “I had my doubts, but while mine was all in my head, you have a child to show for yours.”

“Anyway,” Evelyn continued, “it gets better. Out of pure frustration, Paddy took the little mattress from the crib and called Molly over. Holding her collar, he put the mattress under her nose so that she could fully inhale its scent. Then he let go of the collar and ordered Molly to fetch.”

“Now, according to Cathal, Molly, who is a bright dog as you know, looked for a moment at Paddy like he was a bit crazy. But then she apparently began to move, nose down, in concentric circles around the area stopping only where our path to and from the site crossed the circles. Eventually she moved closer to the crib and began to sniff in the immediate vicinity. Apparently she caught a scent right in the thicket of hawthorn bushes and began to growl and push her nose in and among the bushes. They were too thick for her to penetrate so Paddy and Cathal bent down to take a closer look. All they could see was a pile of old rocks around which the bushes had grown so Molly was called off.”

Evelyn concluded, “It was then that Paddy told Cathal, apparently in jest, that the mystery was solved. Undoubtedly the hawthorn bushed guarded the entrance to an old fairy fort. The little people had placed the child on the hillside and then returned to their underground world. The two boys had a good laugh over that, but then Paddy agreed, however ridiculous that explanation may sound, he had no other ideas.”

Molly, who apparently was listening intently when she heard her name being mentioned, stood up, stretched her long frame and wandered over to accept the accolades of the two women for her role in solving the mystery. When she was properly thanked, and checked the baby to be sure he was safe, she returned to her spot under the table.

“So what happened then?” Margaret asked eager to hear the rest of the story.

Evelyn continued, “Well, the boys returned and made their report laughing, of course, at the bit about the leprechauns. They brought the feather mattress along with them but obviously left the granite crib to mark the spot. After some discussion Paddy decided, that rather than immediately reporting the incident and turning the child over to the authorities, he would make some discreet inquiries to determine if any children had gone missing. Alternatively, perhaps some young one had a child in the past several weeks… you know how that might go. Paddy said that he could just imagine what the boys down at the station house would say if he tried to explain how we had happened upon the abandoned infant.”

“Anyway, the long and the short of it was that Paddy found that there were no reports of missing children. He could find no record of any child having been born in the last two months, anywhere in the country or the north for that matter, that was not fully accounted for. Of course, Paddy admitted that it was possible that someone in a rural area, like myself for example, could have a child without notifying the authorities or medical professionals. He told us that although it was not as common as it was twenty or thirty years ago that sort of thing did still happen.”

“So at the end of the day, we all decided that Cathal and I would mind the baby unless and until someone came forward with a plausible explanation for the baby’s sudden appearance in the middle of a field. Although we all agreed that if, somehow, someone abandoned the infant in such unlikely circumstances, they were hardly likely to admit the crime. If, in fact, no one came forward, we would be the couple who, to anyone who might inquire, delivered a child without notifying the authorities or medical professionals.”

“And so that is what has happened,” Margaret concluded.

“Yes, you could say that,” Evelyn replied, “although we might have been a little premature in going public. As you would know, Cathal and I don’t do a great deal of socializing and as I am not exactly petite so it was easy enough to intimate that I had been pregnant but we were keeping it a secret… except for experts like yourself. Anyway with buying cribs, diapers, formula and clothing no matter what we did, the word was going to get out more quickly than we would have hoped. This community is just too small for no one to take notice.”

“What a story!” Margaret marveled. “If it wasn’t the little people, perhaps it was a miracle that the good Lord granted your wish for a child. A little peculiar way of going about it I must say.”

Evelyn smiled, “Well there is one other little bit. You know the gold Celtic jewelry that came with the package?”

“Don’t tell me,” Margaret said, “it was real.”

“I’m afraid so,” Evelyn said. “Cathal took a small ring with a bit of the woolen cloth in which it was wrapped. He had the ring analyzed and the woolen cloth carbon dated. He told the staff at the university that he found the ring, wrapped in the bit of wool, on a hillside overlooking the Boyne, which as you know is the complete truth. He just got the report back and it has been authenticated. The most perfect specimen of Celtic or even pre-Celtic jewelry ever discovered – at least three thousand years old. Although metal can’t be carbon dated, the bit of wool could and it helped to confirm the age of the ring. Of course he turned it over to the national museum and apparently there is going to be some major publicity on the find in the next week or so. I’m afraid the hillside might be overrun with people and their metal detectors although in fairness Cathal didn’t say exactly which hillside.”

“And what of the other gold and the sword?” Margaret inquired.

“We can only assume that they are also authentic, but we have not told anyone, except Paddy and yourself about it. You see, it may not be ours to give away.”

“Of course it is yours. You found it on publicly owned land didn’t you?” she asked.

“We did,” Evelyn replied, “but it came with Brian so perhaps it belongs to him. You see Margaret, that is the reason your dreams and visions had such an impact on me. I know that this makes absolutely no sense at least in terms of common sense. Were I to share this story with nearly anyone, I would be the one certified as senile but I, and Cathal and Paddy for that matter, have no other explanation. What you told me is just another thread in the fabric of this story.”

“And how is that?” Margaret asked, a puzzled look on her face.

Evelyn replied slowly, “Suppose, just suppose that there was an infant in Celtic times who was in some way related to a great king. And suppose, again I know how this sounds, but after all, it is your story as well as mine… suppose you, in a former life were responsible for that child. Now, for background purposes, Cathal can tell you all about the Celtic myths and legends, particularly how it was that many of the Tuatha Dé Danann, when faced with the invasion of the Milesians, abandoned the earth and retreated into a land under the ground where they became immortal and are sometimes known as leprechauns or little people.”

“Suppose that this infant for some reason, his own protection for example, was spirited into the underworld, where time stands still, with these treasures where he became immortal as an infant just as the Tuatha Dé Danann were immortal. But now, three thousand years later, for some reason he is being returned to the mortal world with all the treasures that belong to him.”

“What an incredible, amazing story,” Margaret exclaimed. “I can certainly see how anyone might say that it is preposterous. Best kept to ourselves, obviously… but then… infants lying in granite cribs don’t just appear in perfect health in the middle of a meadow accompanied by perfectly preserved Celtic artifacts that are three thousand years old now do they? Isn’t that just as amazing?”

“You understand perfectly, don’t you?” Evelyn asked and Margaret smiled and nodded her head. “I have no way of knowing how any of this is going to turn out, but whatever else, we have this beautiful baby boy who, God willing, we will raise as our son and I hope that you, dear Margaret, will help us take care of the child just as you did three thousand years ago…perhaps.”

“You know,” Margaret replied, “a few weeks ago I was morbidly considering the end of my life on earth and looking forward to joining my Brendan in the next… not that I would mind that of course… But I must admit that the future of this little fellow, whoever he might be, is far more interesting. Of course I will help to take care of our young Brian.”

She looked down at the little fellow who awakened from his slumber and was looking at the older woman. “You would like that, wouldn’t you?” she asked.

The little fellow smiled brightly and wiggled his head and shoulders as if nothing could make him happier.

Extract from the Academic Press:

Journal of Natural History:
What has been described as among the most significant finds in the twentieth century was publicly displayed for the first time at the National Museum. A perfectly preserved gold ring from the early Celtic era was discovered in the Boyne Valley by Dr. Cathal O’Sullivan, professor of Celtic Studies at University College Dublin.

Dr. O’Sullivan explained that he was out walking with his wife in the fields overlooking the Boyne, when he came upon something wrapped in a rough cloth. A closer examination revealed the ring, which O’Sullivan assumed was a reproduction that someone lost. When he returned home and had an opportunity to examine his find more closely he was so impressed by the detail that he decided to have the ring studied at the university. After a comprehensive examination the experts determined that the ring was around three thousand years old. Remarkably, carbon dating the cloth in which the ring was wrapped confirmed their conclusion.

The find adds another chapter to the mysteries surrounding these discoveries. How, for example, did a piece of cloth survive intact for three thousand years? Dr. O’Sullivan had no answers but suggested that since the cloth was found among rocks, perhaps it had been embedded for all these years. Wind, rain or a careless step might have ultimately cracked open its resting place.