Irish Mist - Sean's Story (Mary O'Reilly Short Story) Read Free Page A

guided him back through the forest, taking most of his weight on her. 
    He was still in a fog, but he understood he was going back…going home.  As he moved forward, he realized that he was dizzier than he thought because it seemed that the vegetation opened up to them as they passed, branches lifted and bushed bowed so they could walk through undisturbed.  “They’re getting out of our way…” he whispered.
    “Aye, you’re half-daft,” she whispered, although he could hear the smile in her voice. “Trees and plants cannot move as we bid.”
    In only a few minutes, they arrived at the edge of the woods.  He tried to quicken his pace, but she held him back.
    “Just a moment,” she said. “I need to be sure the way is clear.”
    “I’ll be fine,” he mumbled, his voice stronger than before.
    “Aye, you will be,” she said. “But I need to be sure for meself. Your people react a little strangely when they see folks like me.”
     She left him, leaning against a large tree, as she surveyed the clearing ahead of them.  “There’s a car heading this way,” she reported to him, calling back to him over her shoulder. “They should arrive here within a few minutes.”
    “Mary must have gotten ma and da,” he replied. “They’re probably worried.”
    “Well, that’s nice you have parents who care,” she said wistfully.
    She hurried back and helped him the remaining steps to the clearing, guiding him along the lower side of a rise, so she was hidden from view.  Stopping at a large boulder, she helped him rest against it.  Placing her hand on his brow, she waited for a moment and then smiled. “You’re going to be fine, Sean the brave,” she said. “I wish you good health and a blessed life.”
    Sean had so many questions, but he barely had the strength to keep his eyes open. He rested his head against the rock. “But…” he murmured, not able to finish the question.
    She bent down and placed a quick kiss on his forehead. “Thank you, Sean,” she whispered. “I owe you and I won’t be forgetting.”
    He watched her hurry back into the shelter of the woods and then she just disappeared.  That was the last thing he remembered for a long time.

Chapter Five
     
    The lights were low when he finally woke up.  Sean didn’t know if it was early in the morning or late at night.  He looked around slowly and realized he was sleeping on the couch in the front parlor of the cottage and a banked fire glowed in the fireplace.  Why am I sleeping on the couch? he wondered. I don’t remember being sick.
    ` Then, in the far corner of his mind, almost out of reach, he remembered entering the woods. “The woods!” he exclaimed aloud.
    “Sean, you’re awake,” his father said, jumping up from the nearby recliner and hurrying to his son’s side.
    His father, usually the epitome of good grooming and tidy dressing, looked awful.  His hair was disheveled, his face was covered with stubble and his clothes looked like he had slept in them for several days.  He pushed his hair out of his face and laid his hand on Sean’s forehead. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
    Sean did a quick self-assessment. “Um, thirsty and hungry, really hungry,” he said, the woods pushed from his mind by his dad’s unkempt appearance. “Dad, are you okay?  You kind of look like a mess.”
    His dad laughed and nodded. “I’m fine, Sean, just fine,” he said, “and feeling much better now that you’re awake and hungry.  What would you like to eat?  Some broth?  A bit of oatmeal?”
    Scrunching up his nose at those suggestions, he shook his head. “Can’t I have a burger or some cookies?” he asked.
    Timothy leaned forward and rubbed his son’s hair, “Yes. Yes, you can have whatever you’d like,” he said. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll whip you up a burger and some cookies.”
    “And a shake?” Sean asked, deciding to take advantage of the situation.
    “Sure, why not?” Timothy replied as he