Beloved - Emrys
The car rolls down the road smoothly and quickly. It’s been 10 years since I’ve been in a car and all the memories are coming back to me. Of course, back then I was too short to see out the windows, so now I have my nose glued to the window in the back seat watching as the trees fade away and buildings lining the sweets zip by.
Craig and Melina sit in the front seat, Melina occasionally looks back at me in the mirror. “Hey, don’t smear the window. This is a company car.” I pull my face an inch from the window without moving my eyes.
“It’s just so fascinating! I don’t remember what anything looks like! Everything seems so, busy! There's so many people and so many cars!” I stare at the signs moving too fast to sound out and am just amazed at everything.
It seems like forever until we pull off the road and into a lot with a bunch of other cars all lined up neatly. Craig gets out of the car and opens the door for me, motioning for me to follow.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“Well, you need a little trim,” he points to a blue red and white spinning thingy next to a glass window. I stare at the sign painted on the glass, “Ba-r-berrr.” I sound it out. “What’s that for?”
“Your hair silly.” He smiles and leads me inside. A man with a bushy mustache wearing a grey apron greets us from a chair. There sits another man with half a beard.
“Welcome to thee old barber shop. What can I do ya for?”
“My young friend here would like a trim. Been awhile since he had a nice do.”
“Sure thing lad. Take a seat over ther’ and I’ll be right over.”
Craig motions for me to take a seat. I curiously watch the man getting his beard removed. I unconsciously touch my own stubble. “Does it itch?” I ask him.
He looks sideways at me and grins slightly. “Does it ever!” he grunts.
15 minutes later I leave the shop with a long haired trim and a clean face. Soon we’re back in the car and heading for the airport. We come to a large building with many complicated looking roads. There, we parked the car and we went inside.
The building was huge inside, like a large open space and there were so many people walking about in groups or alone, all with bags and cases and chatting loudly. I’m immediately overwhelmed with how many people there are. Craig taps me on the shoulder.
“Hey, stick close. We don’t want you getting lost, ok?” I nod. I follow him to a counter where he shows some papers to a lady in a striped suit and she directs us to a line labeled check in. Melina handles all the paperwork. I just stare around in wonder. Soon enough, I notice Merigold trotting up to me.
“Hey! How’d you find us?”
“You know faeries can follow anything right? I have my ways,” she winks.
“Hey, Emrys,” I look back at Craig. “Umm, just keep in mind, the others don’t see or hear what you do,” I look at the man at the counter and notice he’s looking at me kind of funny. I feel my cheeks go red.
“Sorry …” I grumble and flick a glare at Merigold.
“What?! Don’t blame me! It wasn’t I who did this to you, doesn’t mean I can’t talk.” She floats onto my shoulder and begins talking my ear off, telling me about the airport and commenting on the people in line behind us.
After what seems like forever, we finally get through a security check and are boarding a plane bound for London England.
“I’ve never been to England before! What’s it like?”
“Usually wet. Lots of people, lots of bars,” Craig says.
“Bars?”
“He’s doesn’t know what a bar is silly. A place where people drink,” Merigold adds.
“Drink? Like when your thirsty?”
“No, hard drinks like whiskey and beer. But you probably shouldn’t go there yet, considering your experience.”
“Right… I’d like to see one though. One day,” I smile, and Merigold laughs.
“Sure. I can see you in a bar Emrys. It would be right hilarious.”
“What? Why?” I ask her.
“‘Cause, it probably wouldn’t take much to get you drunk.”
“Drunk?”
“Yea, when you drink at a bar people get drunk. Sometimes they’re silly, sometimes they’re angry and sometimes they’re sick. You’d probably be silly,” ,she snickers.
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been drunk.”
“Anyway, we won’t be in London long. We’re taking you to our Stonehenge location. There you’ll meet the witch in charge of your training. She’s a smart cookie from Canada so you’ll probably get along great. Do you like cats?”
“Cats?” Merigold sniffs next to me.
“As long as they don’t have bells I’ll be fine,” she looks up at me and smiles, her red freckled cheeks glowing. “You haven’t seen a cat have you?”
I look at the window beside me, thinking. “I think I know what a cat is. Has a long tail, and triangle ears yes?” she nodds. “Then I have.”
“Well, her cat is her companion. Knows a thing or two himself. Like your faerie friend here.”
“Merigold. Can you see her?”
“No, but that's probably because she’s hiding from me.”
She stands up, placing her hands firmly on her hips. “I don’t need to hide from you!” she smirks. Craigs' face morphs into one of surprise and I can tell he can see her now.
“Wow! She’s a pretty faerie! And she’s got spunk,” he winks.
Merigold seems to like the attention and for the rest of the flight speaks to Craig while I gaze out the window of the plane watching Ireland disappear beneath us and London replace the view. I imagine I won’t much miss Ireland, as it never really had been home to me. Nowhere had.
