Overcomer - The Journey, Judy Colella [book reader for pc txt] 📗

she added, her smile turning into an un-angel-like grin, “my beloved heathen, you must go and see to your well and your wife.”

      Niall cleared his throat, twisting the rope around his waist in a self-conscious gesture. “Er, yes I must, Celesta. Thank ye for rememberin’ me.”

      “As if I could forget when you’re standing right here?”

      “W – uh – I mean, no! Of course, not, but – ”

      She broke into peals of glorious laughter, its sound like a shower of glass bells. “Keeper,” she said, her voice infused with amusement, “please take your leave of this wonderful, magnificent old man so he can go home.”

      “Of course, Celesta,” he said through a smile. “Niall, old friend, I thank you for all of your help this day. Your Door awaits.” He swept one hand toward a pathway running straight back from the hill.

      With a bow that included the other three, Niall picked up his bucket, threw back his shoulders, took a deep breath, and made his way down the back of the hill with a great show of dignity.

      “Fare thee well, Donal Kelly,” the angel said when the Breslin was gone. “I may or may not see you again while you yet breathe, but I will see you again, and may, with my Lord’s permission, visit your mind from time to time with something to bless you. And Keeper, dear Keeper, you I shall see soon.”

      To seal her dismissal, she began running her fingers along the strings of the harp, a soft smile shaping her lips, and bowed her head to bring her ear closer to the sounds.

      At first, Donal couldn’t move, and the Keeper had to elbow him in the side to get his attention. But then, sighing, he looked at the Keeper, nodded, and they turned and went down the hill.

 

*******

 

“What a day this turned out to be!” Eileen exclaimed as they entered the kitchen. “Anyone want some hot cocoa?”

“You might want to wait until Mr. Kelly gets back,” Cian suggested, looking at the clock over the sink.

“Why?”

“So you’ll know how much to make – he and the Croghan may want some, too.” He shrugged.

Celeste frowned. “What aren’t you telling us?”

“Hm?”

“Mom can always put more milk on to heat when they get back, so why would you think – and why are you staring at that clock?”

He held up an index finger and said, “Wait.”

Celeste and Katie looked at each other, and Eileen leaned back against the counter, arms crossed, curious.

Cian lowered his hand, turned to face the doorway leading back to the front hall, and smiled as the door opened.

“We’re back,” called Donal, sounding unreasonably happy.

Eileen, Celeste and Katie whirled around to stare up at the clock before rushing past Cian into the front hall.

Eileen threw herself at her husband and gave him a huge hug. “You’ve only been gone five minutes!”

“Have you forgotten whom I was with and where we were going?” he asked.

“Don’t be a wise-guy.” She grinned and kissed him quickly on the cheek. “And by the way, the only reason I believe you went anywhere in such a short amount of time is because you look... I don’t know, different.”

“I’ve seen an angel, Eileen, and she wants to meet you, too.”

“A real one?”

“No, she was a life-sized cardboard cut-out of Jennifer Lopez – of course she was real! I’ve never experienced anything like this! And that Hub – that’s real, too! My God, what a place! And the things she told me! Our Celeste will be safe, love. All will be well. This – this Hub is…”

As he continued talking, Croghan helped Donal to remove his coat and hung it in the closet for him.

“ – and then she said she wanted to meet you, too!” he finished, eyes glowing.

Eileen shook her head. “I hardly know what to say. You – you’re behaving like a little boy who just sat on Santa’s lap for the first time.”

Donal laughed and turned to Cian, his grin fading. “Son, I believe I owe you an apology.”

“For what?”

“I was very upset with you at first. I mean, you showed up on my doorstep asking for my sixteen-year-old daughter on a Saturday morning, a time when most decent families are home minding their own business; then you somehow knew our new harp teacher, and the two of you started talking about my Celeste in some strange code, or so it seemed, and I have to tell you, I wasn’t at all happy. Meanwhile, you look like – huh. Now that I think of it, you look like Celesta could’ve been your mother or something.”

Cian uttered a short laugh. “Not even close. But I do believe my real mother was quite pretty.”

“Well, then the Keeper here began a tale about time and Druids and such, and I thought the two of you had concocted some sort of hoax, but I couldn’t figure out why, and it was making me nervous as hell, to say the least. But when you started talking about your life in that ghastly foster-family, especially after seeing your extreme reaction to my reference to an electrical wire, I began to admit that even if the rest of it were nonsense, that part was most certainly real.

“And now, having actually seen... what I saw, I can’t deny any of it, and must admit I was wrong about both of you. So please accept my apology – you’re a special young man, I think, and now that I know what you’ve survived, I’m proud to know you.” He extended his hand, smiling, and Cian, speechless, took it.

“You-you’re so kind,” he said. “But you needn’t apologize; I think anyone would have felt the same at the outset – any good father, I mean. And ours is, to those who know nothing of who we are, a wild tale indeed.”

“So what now?” asked Eileen, stifling a yawn.

“Now,” said Gerald Croghan, “I think I should escort Mr. MacDara home and explain his tardiness to his social worker, Joel Geller, who must be more than a wee bit miffed about it. I could take him to the Hub and bring him home earlier, but quite honestly, I don’t feel like going all the way back to Mystic right now.”

Donal looked at his watch. “Ten thirty. That’s means… hm. Twenty minutes here… well, now! We did indeed get back only five minutes after we left! How does that work, anyway? Ha!”

“Guess we’ll see you at school on Monday?” Katie asked Cian.

Mr. Croghan answered. “You shall, but tomorrow afternoon I’ll be back to take Celeste to the Hub for her real harp lesson, and if she learns as quickly as I think she will, you’ll have nothing to worry about, Mrs. Kelly. I’ll make sure they’re returned in time, Katie first so her mother doesn’t know she’s been gone, then Celeste, so they’re all able to get a good night’s sleep.” He opened the door. “Cian, are you ready?”

He nodded, starting to leave.

“Wait,” said Donal. “You’re not going out into that cold night air without a coat, young man!” He took out the one he’d loaned the boy earlier in the day. “Do you have one of your own?”

“Yes, sir, but I left it at work in my rush to get here.”

“All right, then. You can bring this one back the next time you’re here, okay?”

“Thank you, Mr. Kelly. I will.”

Cian and The Croghan went out, followed by the sound of friendly goodbyes, and headed for the car.

Donal shut the door behind them, and Katie and Celeste, who had been whispering rapidly by the door to the family room, came up to him, looking exhausted but determined.

“Dad, may Katie spend the night? Mom?”

Eileen looked at husband, sharing a similar shrug. “I don’t see why not. Donal?”

“If it’s okay with Katie’s mom, I’ve no – hang on. What about Tara? Has anyone bothered to call Nadine’s poor mother to arrange for her to come home?”

Horrified, Eileen gasped, whirled around, and ran into the kitchen where she grabbed the phone and punched in Nadine’s home number. “Susan!” she exclaimed a few seconds later. “Oh, honey, I am so sorry I didn’t call you sooner! Please don’t be angry... what? She... really? Oh... well, sure! I mean, if it’s no bother… no, I will. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow, but it wasn’t all that, um, interesting, just, er, necessary... sure… uh-huh. Yup… uh-huh… okay, uh-huh… thanks again, Susan – you’re a saint! Talk to you in the morning.” She hung up and sagged against the counter, blowing out a long breath of relief.

“What happened?” asked Donal, who had followed her into the kitchen.

“Oh, not much. The girls fell asleep over an hour ago, so Susan said Tara could spend the night as long as I promised to tell her what was going on here today.”

“And are you?”

Eileen put the palm of her hand to her husband’s forehead. “Are you feeling well? I mean, do you honestly think I’m going to tell her some guy from the Hub of Time showed up here disguised as a harp teacher, then – POOF! – produced some mad-looking, beard-chomping Irishman with a water bucket right in our family room, not to mention a kid who looks like God Himself had nothing better to do one day, so decided to make the most perfect-looking human being ever, and – ”

“All right! All right!” Donal put his hands up in surrender, laughing. “I admit that was a dumb question.”

“Thank you. Katie, call your mother, please.”

The girls had entered the kitchen a moment before, and had been staring, open-mouthed at her and Donal. Celeste started to giggle as Katie took out her cell phone, giving a snort of laughter.

Mrs. Grandol, Katie reported, had no objections to her daughter spending the night, as long as she checked in with her by ten o-clock the next morning. “She asked if I was going to go to church with you guys in the morning. I told her yes, just in case. I mean, I’m not Catholic, but it might be cool.”

Eileen nodded. “We’ll probably go to the eleven o’clock Mass.”

“We’d better get to bed, then,” suggested Celeste, giving Katie a look.

“Yup. Good night! See you in the morning!”

They took off up the stairs. “Like a pair of slightly impaired gazelles,” Eileen muttered, turning to her husband and returning the grin he was giving her. “I do believe the family room is now blissfully free of teenagers, outrageously handsome boys, Keepers, Brehons and water buckets.” She took her husband’s arm. “Let’s go unwind, shall we?”

As they headed for the sofa, however, she suddenly stopped, put her hands on her hips, and gave Donal a look of disbelief. “Hold on,” she said. “Jennifer Lopez?!”

TWENTY-SEVEN

 

“I’m worried.” Celeste closed the door and leaned back on it. “Now that Cian has remembered everything, he’s going to have to fight that demon thing, and after everything he’s been through, he might not be able to win.”

“You have a point.” Katie flopped down on the floor in her usual spot by the side of the bed. “But I don’t get why he’d be expected to do this if he’s in real danger.”

“Yeah, but I mean, hasn’t he been hurt