The Great Fury (3 page)

Oengus ducked, but then realized John was not aiming at him.

John swiveled having pushed Oengus out of his way, and turning he brought the rock down hard on the stone at the entrance portal.

“Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! The entrance stone said, changing color and sprouting legs and a head. A head with a bump on it.

John shouted,

“To enter the Otherworld

We say a magic word

shin a bhuil!”

At least that was the last thing Oengus heard as he fell. It seemed like the floor had opened into a well. He hoped it was a well as he fell, followed by his uncle down a dark perpendicular tunnel, because there'd be water at the end of a well.

But it wasn't a well. He hit some sort of soft turf mound and bounced. He rolled immediately, conscious that his large uncle was just behind him. John landed with a grunt and the rock that he had hit landed on Oengus's head.

“Sorry,” the rock said as Oengus lost consciousness.

Chapter Three

Oengus awoke with a headache. He was in a bed. Briefly as he awoke he'd a moment where he thought he was at home in his own bed, but he swiftly realized that he was not. He touched and discovered that he had a bandage around his head. He sat up. His head throbbed.

He looked around to see there were four beds in the room.

“He's awake!” someone said in a soft excited female voice.

“Is this a hospital?” Oengus asked.

The woman who came to his bed was not dressed as a nurse. She wore a green tunic and moved so smoothly she seemed to float rather than walk. She smiled and had warm brown eyes.

“Hi!” a masculine voice to his right said in squeaky tones.

Oengus turned his head and winced in pain. Then he tried not to make a face. There was a very ugly little man sitting up in the bed to his right.

“Hi, I'm called Puca Beag,” the little man continued in his squeaky voice. “My friends call me Puca.”

“Hi,” Oengus said without enthusiasm.

Opposite he could see an empty bed. In the corner opposite there was the fourth bed with screens around it. He could see the legs of the bed had wheels but little else.

“You're uncle took bad,” Beag said, indicating with a long finger to the bed surrounded by screens.

“Quiet Beag!” the woman in green instructed. She shone a torch into Oengus's eyes, each in turn.

“You'll do,” she said in Gaelic.

“Gura mile maith agat,” Oengus replied, a thousand thanks.

“Hungry?” she asked with a smile.

“Are you a nurse?”

“For you yes,” she said, and added, “Are you hungry?”

Oengus frowned as it hurt to nod his head.

“Still sore, it was a nasty knock,” the nurse said with a reproachful look towards Beag.

“It wasn't my fault,” Beag protested. “His uncle hit me with a rock and opened the portal. We all fell down. And Oengus got a knock on the head. It was a pure accident.”

Oengus wondered who had given his name to the ugly little man. And the man's name was Beag, which is the Gaelic for small. Oengus let his eyes twinkle. At least the name was appropriate.

“Why does he believe you think it was his fault?” Oengus asked the nurse.

“Puca's can shape shift to any shape,” she said. As she spoke she turned to Beag.

“Beag why did you not shape shift into a feather?”

“Didn't think of that,” Beag admitted.

The nurse inspected Beag's head. He had a large bruise. She shone her torch into his eyes.

“Out!” she said, “You're faking it Beag.”

“Can't I have breakfast?” Beag pleaded. As he spoke the bruise vanished.

“After breakfast you are out of here Beag,” the nurse said agreeably.

“What time is it?” Oengus asked realizing they were talking of breakfast.

“About midnight,” the nurse replied. “Oengus would you like breakfast, dinner or tea?”

“Sure, but I'm not hungry we had chicken sandwiches just a while ago.”

“Full Irish,” Beag asked, adding, “Bacon, Boxty bread, black and white pudding and mushrooms with two fried eggs and tea and toast with butter and jam and porridge with honey and milk to start.”

“Sounds good,” Oengus said. “I'll go with that. Breakfast for me.”

“Or salmon freshly caught?” the nurse offered, feeling obliged to give a healthy choice.

“Full Irish is fine please, nurse,” Oengus replied.

“Me too,” Beag added.

Another nurse came out from behind the screens at the fourth bed.

“How is my uncle?” Oengus asked.

“He'll live. Better make it three breakfasts,” she added to the first nurse.

“When the spell kicks in he'll be starving,” she added.

“Spell?” Oengus asked.

“Medicine,” the first nurse said with a glance at the second.

“He favors coffee,” Oengus added.

“No problem,” the second nurse said and both nurses left the room.

“Strange type of nurse's uniform?” Oengus commented.

“They are elves. They wear elfin clothes,” Beag explained. “But don't let that fool you, medically speaking they know their onions,” Beag added reassuringly.

Oengus shook his head in disbelief and then regretted it as the pain hit. He looked at Beag. Such a dwarfish man and probably a nut case? He wondered.

There was a groan from behind the screens.

Then Oengus heard John's voice call, “Nurse!”

The nurse arrived in practically an instant. Over her arm she had a long white hospital shirt. She went in behind the screens.

“Breakfasts,” the first nurse said arriving with a trolley containing three trays.

“He wants to talk to Danu,” the nurse said coming out from behind the screens. “I told him to put something on.”

As she spoke she pulled back the screens. John was sitting up in bed struggling into the long hospital shirt while maintaining his modesty with the blankets. He gave Oengus a smile but not until after he'd scowled at Beag.

“After breakfast,” the first nurse said.

Both nurses distributed the trays with breakfast.

“You must drink the juice first,” the first nurse instructed. “It's a pick me up and very good for your injuries.”

The nurse then departed.

“You beat me again,” Beag said to John, “I'll give you that.”

John just grunted and drank his juice.

As Oengus sipped his juice he felt he'd burst with questions. Where was he and why and how did they get here and when could they go home? But he held his peace and ate his breakfast.

It was good and he immediately began to feel well. By the time he was finished he was ready to jump out of bed.

“I don't know what they put in the juice but it sure gives a lift,” Beag said.

“You betcha,” John said, sliding out of bed. The white hospital shirt reached down to his ankles.

Oengus realized that he himself was stark naked in the bed. He blushed.

The first nurse came in, presumably detecting John's movement.

“John, please take a shower and get dressed. Your clothes are washed and ready.”

“Right,” John said heading into the en-suite bathroom. The second nurse followed him in carrying his clean clothes on her arm.

“Puca Beag!” the first nurse said sharply. “Shape shift into a fully dressed male adult this minute!”

“All buttons closed,” the nurse added as an afterthought.

Startled by the sharpness of the tone of instruction, Beag did as he was told straight away and then slid out of the bed.

“Now back on duty,” the nurse added, indicating to the door.

Oengus watched in amazement. Beag now resembled the fishermen he would see on the dock in Dunquin, but maybe a little less tall.

“See you,” Beag said as he departed.

“Sure,” Oengus replied with uncertainty.

The nurse stripped Beag's bed and disappeared with the linen.

Left alone Oengus just sat still. He wondered where his clothes were. The pain in his head had disappeared and he felt fit and ready to go. But he'd need his clothes.

The second nurse came out of the bathroom with John fully dressed on one arm and the hospital shirt on the other.

“Your uncle will be in the day room,” she said and led John away.

“My clothes?” Oengus managed.

“We'll be back shortly and then the other nurse and I will get you ready,” she said as she went out and left Oengus alone again.

“I'm Eifa and my colleague is Nilas,” the first nurse said as they came back into the room. Oengus had lain back down and was just chilling and waiting for something to happen.

“Feeling fit?' Eifa asked and began to unwind the bandage around Oengus's head.

“Very good,” Nilas said leaning in as Eifa finished. “Sit up please.”

“My clothes?” Oengus asked.

Eifa smiled. “ Nilas, he says he wants clothes,” she said.

“Pity,” Nilas said with a grin.

“Are you sure? It's nice and warm in the hospital,” Eifa teased.

Oengus could feel his face get red. “Please,” he said.

Eifa went into the en-suite and came out with a large white towel.

“We'll have your clothes ready after your shower. We need to measure you,” she explained.

Puzzled, Oengus took the towel and well wrapped he went into take a shower.

When he looked in the mirror he was surprised to find that there was no mark on his head and it didn't hurt anymore.

When he emerged they were waiting for him. Nilas was holding a measuring tape. They smiled and this unnerved Oengus.

“What?” he asked.

“We have very good tailors here,” Eifa said.

They started by measuring his back and shoulders and then his waist. Nilas measured and Eifa took notes.

“Inside leg?” Nilas asked.

“No way,” Oengus replied.

“Then you'll have to wear a dress.”

“I'll hold the top of the tape,” Oengus agreed reluctantly.

“It won't take long,” Nilas said. They left him standing in his towel so he went and sat on a chair. Already they had stripped the linen from the beds and he didn't feel he should sit back on the bed.

When they returned he realized that he was sure of one thing and that was that there was no way he could go home in the clothes they provided. He took them into the en-suite while they waited for him to re-emerge.

The pants and shirt were of green silk and golden edged in medieval style along with a ‘robin hood' style of cloak and a pointy hat with a feather. That plus green pointed leather shoes with golden buckles. Even the stockings were of green silk with matching golden rim.

In the absence of anything else he put them on and was surprised that not only were they a good fit but they were comfortable also. But ‘cool' they were not.

“Cool,” Eifa said when he re-emerged. Nilas just smiled.

“I'm not wearing these,” Oengus protested.

“Perfect,” Nilas said.

“I want my own clothes back.”

“Oengus they were damaged and soiled when you crashed in, but they will be ready in time for your return to Dunquin, should you decide to leave,” Eifa said in no argument tones.

“But first you have an interview with the Goddess Danu. She is most insistent on seeing you and instructed that you be properly dressed,” Nilas added.

“I have to meet a woman who thinks she is a God and I have to be dressed like this?”

“Everybody thinks she is a Goddess. She is the Goddess of the Thuaithe de Danann.”

“Is she nuts? Are you all nuts? Who is she exactly and why does she want to see me?”

“Too many questions. Do come along,” Eifa said and turning she led the way while Nilas took up the rear. Reluctantly Oengus decided to go along with things. That is until he could escape.

As Oengus followed Eifa he discovered that it wasn't a hospital after all. It was a palace. His head was swimming.

“How can this be?” he asked but Eifa and Nilas ignored him and strode purposefully on.

“I was on Great Blasket Island,” Oengus said.

“We know but Oengus just listen and learn. You are safe but you are in a different world,” Nilas said.

“But am I mad? I fell in the Clochan and woke up here?” Oengus checked.

“Listen Oengus, the Clochan is the portal that connects Otherworld and Earth. Beag was the sentinel. But I expect he fell asleep. He always does that when he is a rock. This is the second time your Uncle has bested him,” Eifa explained.

They had reached a central corridor. Everywhere there was marble and gold and all the colors of the rainbow. But there was nobody about.

“Where is this?” Oengus asked.

“This is the green and gold room of the palace of the Faerie Queen. Danu is her guest and has been given this wing.”

“Why is there nobody about, it feels empty?”

“Danu said she needs a very confidential conversation with you and your uncle. So everyone is banished from this area until the three of you are finished. We will come back and collect you.”

“Collect me?”

“We will be in the yellow wing. It goes best with our uniforms.”

“Please what do you mean by Otherworld, where is it?” Oengus asked, alarmed that they were about to leave him in an empty hall.

“Otherworld is a huge place,” Nilas said.

“How huge?”

“Nobody knows but it is vast and includes the Faerie Kingdom and the Underworld and of course Tir na Nogh where Danu normally resides. You are very honored that she has deigned to come to see you.”

“I am? I don't think so. This is gross. I'm not going a step further,” Oengus insisted.

“Just go with the flow,” Eifa urged with a warm smile.

“Like, I'm a teenager. I like TV and the Internet. I don't do faerie palaces,” Oengus added.

“But Oengus here you are. You are in this reality and you have to live it,” Nilas pointed out kindly.

Oengus stared at her. She had a beautiful honest open face without any trace of guile. He wondered would he cry or scream. He really felt he'd like to talk to his Mom. She was well grounded. Instead here he was dressed as a prat.

“Go on,” Nilas urged, meeting his eyes in a friendly way.

“After the meeting you can ask to go home,” Eifa suggested.

“Where is the meeting?” Oengus asked.

“Go through that door with the diamond and sapphire handle. Follow the corridor and it will lead to Danu.”

“Can you come?” Oengus asked.

“Sorry but no one may be in the presence of a God without an invitation. It's just you and your uncle John and Danu.”

If asked Oengus would have guessed Danu to be in her thirties. She was an attractive woman with clear blue eyes and dark black hair that was long but bound back by a golden clasp.

Her dress was long and although low at the neck it showed no cleavage, but she had in Oengus's opinion, a lithe full figure with just the right amount of curves, the figure of a Goddess.