When The Bard Came Visiting

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When The Bard Came Visiting - book excerpt

A Tale Upon The Bard's Arrival

Once, there was a man whose tongue carried magic in every cell. It could weave webs from the simplest words and craft portraits straight from his imagination. But he had not always been a master of his powers.

            You see, in his youth, his elders had thought his speech affected, and assigned him tutors and doctors to improve his diction and enouncement. Such was his level of study that his grasp of language rivalled that of most scholars. Yet what had caused this difficulty of speech was not an abnormal mouth nor laziness of wit, but the magic of his tongue itching to break free.

            Years passed, and still his power was not allowed the freedom it sought, as the man had been told many times that his words, however clever, meant nothing. In their eyes, he was worthless. And without confidence to break its lock, his magic stayed trapped inside.

            Then it happened that one day, when he'd all but given up hope that anyone could truly understand him, he met a woman who also possessed magic. Unlike him, she had already discovered her gift. It was quite different to his, for she could only express her magic through written words.

            The man was fascinated by the woman's writings, enthralled by the wonder they brought forth. He itched to speak with her, and so, forgetting the hurt he'd been dealt by others, approached with a puzzle box containing a precious, rare ink. Twisting and turning it in the right combinations, he opened the box before her, presenting its prize.

            With delight, she accepted his gift and together they spent a day talking of secrets neither thought they'd ever share with another person.

            So at peace were they that the man's tongue finally allowed itself to free his magic. It spilled forth, vivid and beautiful, adding rainbows of colour to the surroundings and the fine ink within the pot.

            The woman gave a joyful laugh. Seizing her quill, she dipped it into the pot and then wrote:

            Sir, your words colour the landscape and make me warm. I feared the winters long chasing me had forever turned me to ice, but you have disproven that. How might I repay you?

            The words shimmered as the ink dried, and grew into intricate flowers no bigger than a thumb.

            The man smiled, plucking a flower and placing it in her hair, saying, 'Let me befriend you so we may always be close. You've given me permission to be my truest self. No other has ever done so. You have aided me.'

            Both knew they complemented each other, and though there were times when they had to travel apart, their hearts and minds were always one, and so it was that they worked together to keep wonder present in the world.

The Shades

Molly jumped out of her doze, disorientated for a moment by the shrill ring of the doorbell. It rang again, and this time she realised what it was. She glared at the grandmother clock on the wall. Five o’clock. Who the devil is it? I’m not expecting anyone.

She picked up her cane and heaved herself out of the armchair, managing to hobble over to the door. As she passed the window, she saw that a heavy gale was blowing and the snow had gotten deeper since last she’d looked. It was almost up to the wheel arches on her car.

She unlocked the door but, just as she turned the handle, the wind tore it open and knocked her backwards. It sent her sprawling to the floor, her cane rolling out of reach. Before she could get up, two figures darted through the doorway. One of them forced the door shut again and then knelt beside her, gently shaking her shoulder.

‘Are you alright?’       

Molly looked up. The voice was a woman’s, and it was very familiar. ‘Is it really you, Samantha?’

The figure removed her chequered scarf. ‘Yes, Mother, it’s me.’

Molly reached out a hand to touch her daughter’s face, but recoiled at the last moment. ‘Well, it’s about time you showed up. My chimney is in dire need of sweeping.’

She took hold of the cupboard she was slumped against, and tried to ease herself up. Samantha grabbed her, taking most of her weight, but Molly shrugged her off and managed to pull herself upright. She stood breathing deeply and focused on the other figure in the room.

‘Who on earth is that?’

‘Calm down, Mother. This is Annie, and she is the reason I’ve come to see you.’

Molly looked at the girl huddled in the corner. She was so wrapped up in clothing that only her eyes were showing. They stared back at Molly, unblinking. There is something wrong with this child.

‘How old are you, girl?’ she asked. There was no reply, not even an acknowledgement that someone had spoken. Molly met her daughter's gaze. ‘Well, you have my attention. I’ll go and put the kettle on, and you can tell me all about it. Sit the child down in the lounge, it’s much warmer in there.’

Molly and Samantha seated themselves around the wooden table in the kitchen, nursing cups of tea. Molly wrinkled her nose at the strong smell of polish. As always, she had used too much.

‘Alright then, who is she? Where did you find her?’ she asked crisply.

‘She’s an orphan. Her parents died in a fire about a year ago while she was on a school trip. She had no next of kin, but her neighbour kindly asked the court if she could look after her, and they agreed. The thing is, Annie hasn’t spoken a word since then. I've been told she was a lively, bubbly girl who made friends easily and loved to paint and draw, but that's all fallen away now.’

‘I was right not to have taken her silence personally, then,’ Molly grunted, wrapping her thick woollen cardigan more tightly about her. ‘How did you get involved?’

‘I'm her neighbour’s hairdresser. I do mobile work on the weekends, and so when I went there eight months ago, I met Annie. Each time Mrs Roberts had an appointment with me, she used to say she'd had someone round to try and get Annie to talk or take an interest in her hobbies again, but they were never successful.’

‘So you brought her to me?’

‘So I brought her to you.’

Molly took a long drink of tea, absently fingering a dent on the table. ’Well,’ she said, putting the cup down, ‘I don’t think that this is a case of simply not wanting to talk, Samantha. I’ve seen that many times before, and this is different.’

‘Different how?’ Samantha asked.

‘It seems to me that she’s shut away her mind. She can follow simple commands, as I’m sure you know, but there is no emotional response. She’s a robot, or at least she might as well be.’

Samantha’s eyes grew troubled. ‘Is there nothing you can do?’

‘I’m not sure. If I can draw out her consciousness, then yes, but if my suspicions are correct, it will take more than my power to do so. She is an unusual child.’ Molly drained her cup and picked up her cane again. ‘Stay here, I need to talk to her alone.’

She got up and hobbled into the lounge where Annie was waiting. The girl was sitting close to the fire, staring into the flames. She had taken off her hat and coat, revealing long dark hair that fell down her back. Just like mine when I was her age.

‘You’ll burn your toes if you put them much closer,’ Molly said, with a cluck of her tongue. There was no reaction. She sighed and sat back down in her chair, resting her cane back on the floor. Now what? Perhaps …

‘I’m going to tell you a story, girl. You should listen,’ she continued. ‘Let’s see now … where should I start? Back before civilisation began, on the vast barren plains of the continent, lived a small tribe. They had no home and no name, and wandered endlessly in search of food and water. For them, every day was a struggle, and often led to starvation and disease.

‘Yet one day, a particularly violent storm hit the area, and with it came a fierce earthquake that split the ground in two. From the chasm that formed, a green vapour spilled out and encompassed the tribe. It put them into a deep slumber for many days, and some of the elders died through lack of nourishment, but when the tribe finally awoke, they found that the vapour had solidified into shards of emerald crystal. As soon as they touched it, every one of their senses became heightened. They could hear the thoughts of those around them, and conversed telepathically. Their lives now had a new meaning, and a new purpose. Using their powers, they gathered information from the other tribes around them on where to find sources of food and water. No longer did they have to wander desperately on the brink of starvation.

‘For many years they prospered, and their abilities continued to develop. Soon they could even shut off part of a person’s mind to prevent them from remembering the tribe’s location or spread rumours of their powers, and it was found that children born to the tribe from then on also had those abilities. Even so, they could not keep themselves a secret from the other tribes forever. They became known as Shades—evil spirits—and the other tribes feared that not only would they leach every food source from them, but their very lives as well. They decided to take action against the Shades, and so joined forces to mount an attack. Hundreds were killed, but a handful of children managed to escape. Those children were my ancestors, Annie, and I too have the same powers as they, though mine are far weaker.’

Annie hadn’t moved throughout the story, but Molly knew it had reached her. She had been projecting images into the girl’s mind as she was speaking, and there had been little resistance.

‘Turn around, child.’

Annie turned as Molly knew she would. Her eyes were still unfocused, but there was something—a glimmer of hope, perhaps? I can feel her mind. It’s almost as though it’s encased in a shell. If I can break that, then surely I can return her to normal.

‘Another child would question that tale and say that it isn’t possible for a mind to gain so much power at the touch of a crystal. They would say that it is the content of fairy tales, not real life. You, however, do not question. Like the Shades discovered, you know that it is possible to close the mind, and you dare to hope that it can be awakened once again.’

Annie blinked. Molly fought hard not to smile. It was only a small response, but it was a response none-the-less. Her mind is stirring, but not enough. She is too strong for me to release her. There is only one way.

Yet it was late now, and the effort had drained much of Molly’s strength. She was sure Annie needed rest, too. She got up once again and hobbled out into the kitchen where Samantha was waiting. As she left, she saw Annie turn back to the fire, moving her toes away ever so slightly.

‘The girl needs sleep. Show her to the guestroom.’

Samantha, who had just opened her mouth to speak, shut it again hastily and obliged without question. The stairs creaked as she and Annie made their way to the bedroom.

Molly had seen many people drawn in by their grief, but not to the extent that Annie was. But no one else had that kind of strength, and there’s only one reason for a girl her age to possess it.

The stairs creaked again, and Samantha returned. She looked worn and stretched, as though she hadn’t had much rest lately herself. ‘Did you get her to speak?’ she asked.

‘No. It is beyond my own abilities to help her,’ Molly replied.

‘So there’s no hope?’ Samantha said despondently. ‘I thought for sure—'

‘I didn’t say that. It’s true I can’t do it myself, but there is a way.’

For a moment, Samantha was confused. Then her eyes widened. ‘You … you mean to use the shard?’

‘Yes.’

‘But that could kill her!’

‘Indeed it could, but I strongly suspect it won’t. If she were a normal child then I wouldn’t dare use it, but then if she were a normal child I wouldn’t have to. You must have felt it, just as I did. I suspect that’s what drew you to her in the first place.’

‘Perhaps I felt something, yes, but what are you suggesting?’

‘That she is Shade, just as we are.’

‘Shade? Are you sure?’

‘Of course I’m sure,’ Molly snapped. ‘That is why only the shard can draw her out again. However, once it is done, she will be a fully awakened Shade, just as the first ones were. She will need guidance and proper training. We'll have no choice but to keep her here.’

'But Mrs Roberts—'

'Will have to give up custody of her. You've always had a way with people, I'm sure you can convince her, and the courts too, if necessary.'

It was early, but Molly was already up and fully clothed. Heading down to the kitchen and out the back door, she made her way to the stone shed at the bottom of the garden. She didn’t bother waking Samantha; it would do her good to lie in.

The snow was still deep and the wind seemed to eat away at Molly's bones. Thankfully, the lock on the shed door wasn’t frozen and opened easily. She slipped inside, glad of the slight warmth. The light flickered as she pulled the switch, finally settling into a dull glow, just enough to see by.

There was a cupboard in the middle of the floor, and Molly cursed when she saw it. You old fool, how could you have forgotten that was there? Putting down her cane, she took the sides of the cupboard and pushed with what little strength she had.

The cupboard moved, but slowly. Molly’s tired limbs were not what they once were, and she had to stop after each push to catch her breath. Eventually, she eased it off the loose floorboard she was after and, with much grunting, lowered herself to the floor. She lifted up the floorboard, revealing a hole where an old chest lay, covered in dust. Producing a polished brass key from her pocket, she opened it.

Inside was a bundle of wrapped silk. She picked it up, making sure the silk was still firmly bound around the object inside. Her body tingled as energy radiated out of it to replenish her stamina, and refreshed, she made her way back to the house.

When she opened the kitchen door, Annie was sitting at the table. She didn’t look up as Molly walked in, but shifted slightly in her seat. Can she sense the shard’s power?

Samantha appeared from the hall in her dressing gown, looking very apprehensive. She stared at the silk bundle Molly still held, and her lip trembled.

‘Is that …?’ she asked.

‘Yes,’ Molly said, setting it down on the table. ‘Is she well rested?’

‘Yes, she didn’t wake until I called on her five minutes ago.’

‘Good. It’s time,’ Molly said. She turned to Annie. ‘Do you remember the story I told you last night, child? About the tribe who touched the crystal shards and had their minds awakened?’

Annie looked up from her tea cup, and slowly shifted her gaze to the silk bundle.

‘Inside that bundle is one of those very shards. It will help you if you touch it.’

This time Annie moved her hand forward slightly in the direction of the bundle. It was all Molly needed to be sure. She found the knot on the silk and undid it, carefully unwinding the cloth until the slim green shard was visible. She daren’t touch the bare crystal herself, to expose her aged body to such a jolt of power would damage her mind beyond repair.

Samantha took hold of one of Annie’s hands and laid it flat on the table. Ever so gently, Molly let the shard touch it. Annie gave a shudder and fainted. Molly quickly took the shard away and wrapped it up once more.

‘Do you think it worked?’ Samantha whispered.

‘Yes. We must take her to her room and let her recover.’

An urgent knocking woke Molly from her sleep.

‘What is it?’ she shouted, fumbling with the covers.

‘She’s awake, mother, she’s awake!’

Molly stumbled over to the door, ignoring her aching back, and opened it. Samantha was standing before her, her hair tumbling haphazardly across her face. ‘Well, of course she’s awake,’ Molly said curtly. ‘Has she spoken yet?’

‘No, not yet.’

‘Take me to her, then.’

When they arrived in Annie’s room, she was sitting at the head of the bed with her knees tucked up against her chin. Her eyes were wild, as though she’d just woken from a nightmare. Molly could feel her mind writhing, trying to make sense of what it now felt.

‘Tell me your name, child,’ she said, pushing past her daughter and sitting on the end of the bed.

            ‘A … An … Annie.’

            Behind Molly, Samantha gasped. ‘It worked! It really worked.’

‘Samantha, be quiet. We need to keep her calm,’ Molly shushed.

‘Where … where am I?’ Annie asked.

‘This is Shady Lake House, child. It has been my home for many years, and now it will be your home, too. I’m sure you have many questions that I will gladly answer, but first I think you could do with a nice strong cup of tea.’

Annie put her knees down and turned to sit with her legs dangling off the bed. She looked at Molly. ‘Do you have any biscuits?’

Molly chuckled, a cackling, boiling-pot of a laugh that made Annie draw back. ‘Yes, child, we have plenty of biscuits.’