Brighid of Byrness

"I've never seen such an elaborate buffet!" Brighid effused. After months of surviving on meager sustenance, she was overwhelmed by the quantity and variety of the foods spread out before her. Most of the dishes were foreign and much richer than her usual fare. The exotic foods were accompanied by several creamy sauces served in ornate silver bowls. Brighid felt her stomach rumble and realized just how famished she was. "I don't know where to start! I've never heard tell of a chupacabra before; if such a beast roams the northern forest then I've never seen one. I think I will try a little bit of everything...and a spoonful of every sauce!" It pleased Zool to see how appreciative Brighid was of all the Boaz Room had to offer. For too long the room had been closed up tight and void of any life. He began to hope that the Keep might become as vital as it once was. All of a sudden the quartet stopped playing and a troupe of gnomish performers bounded onto center stage. One of the tiny men balanced on top of a spinning golden sphere, juggling balls of garnet and emerald. Two female gnomes deftly rode unicycles in concentric circles, brightly-colored ribbons streaming behind them. All the diners laughed out loud when a gnome dressed in a pig suit was carried in on a carving platter, emitting squeals of mock distress while a bevy of comedic “cooks” tried repeatedly to stab him with their rubber knives. Zool and Brighid joined in on the laughter whole-heartedly. “I haven’t had this much fun in a very long time, Zool” Brighid said as she helped herself to another helping of the hydra fois gras. “This stuff is delicious! Would you like some more?” Zool started to reply but his answer was stopped dead in his throat before he could articulate it. Brighid saw his eyes widen and his mouth gape open in surprise as he stared beyond her left shoulder. Almost simultaneously the lights dimmed dramatically and a pink-tinged spotlight illuminated the main entrance. A hush fell over the dining room. Brighid turned around in her chair, straining to see who or what was responsible for causing such a reaction in her dining companion.

Fall -- my favorite season of the year! Travel: Book a package tour or head off on your own?

Where -- if I knew that, I could probably intuit the when! Summer or winter?

Which power metal bands do you like? I like a lot of prog metal. There are so many sub-genres of metal that I'm not sure if I've heard any of what you're talking about. Post a video of one of your favorite songs...please:)

Manual...automatic isn't really driving Oak tree or willow?

Large dog (I currently have a cat, and when he has moved on I haven't decided if my next dog is going to be a lab or some sort, which is the kind of dog I've always had, or a small dog like a Cavachon) Drive the car or be driven?

Surf (most of the time) Dog lover or cat lover?

Ooops...I forgot to ask a question (no dumb blonde jokes!) Night person or morning person?

I'm now "Deviant3" because I like the color

You can't help but feel good while listening to ELO

Well, I kind of meant, "Would you rather sight-see outside or inside?" Blonde or brunette for my hair or another's? I'm choosing somewhere in the middle -- golden, caramel brown

Another rainy afternoon grading papers. On the turntable: Jaga Jazzist Live with Britten Sinfonia. Here's my "favorite" song from the album, though this version isn't with the orchestra:

Brighid stared at the portrait, a slight smile turning up the corners of her lips. "Ah, I see you're no fool; you've discovered the crux of the situation in just a few seconds where as it took me several days into my journey before I realized that the stranger may or may not have actually died. At first I was in shock at finding my lover gone, and I was overcome by guilt from betraying my position as Keeper of the Hearth. It didn't occur to me that my dream vision might not have been real. I didn't think; I felt compelled to run. The first few days I didn't even stop to sleep, but rested only briefly to eat a bit of food and drink some water. Finally, after three days of this, I stumbled upon a small cave, and knowing that I could not go on in this way forever, I curled up inside, lit a small fire, and fell into a deep sleep. I did not dream that night, but I woke with a clear head, and that's when I understood that there is much about the situation that I do not understand." Brighid took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She suddenly felt weary with the fullness of pain her heart contained.Thankfully, the waiters appeared at the table bearing trays of covered silver dishes. "Just in time," she exclaimed delightedly, "I'm starving! And curious what the 'Boaz Room Specialty' consists of." Temporarily pushing the distressing thoughts aside, Brighid smiled at Zool with merriment as the waiters started to place the serving dishes on the table in front of them. A string quartet commenced playing in the corner of the bustling dining room, and the two new friends were enveloped with a spirit of celebration.

I can't choose today?! If not, it's tomorrow...always enjoying new experiences! Sightseeing: Hike the Grand Canyon or visit a museum?

Same with me (reaction to coffee)...though I will drink iced coffee on long road trips. Soup...especially in the fall and winter. Vegetarian or Omnivore?

“I have no idea what to order, Zool! There is such a variety to choose from and I’m used to much simpler fare. I didn’t realize until this moment that I’m absolutely famished! Please order for us both,” Brighid said enthusiastically. Zool puffed up at the thought of showing off in front of the hostess and waiters after their earlier condescending snub. “Garcon!” he yelled as he snapped his fingers in the direction of the closest waiter. “Bring us the Boaz Room’s specialty for two. I assume you have resurrected the entire secret menu for special guests now that you’ve reopened. And bring us a bottle of Boaz’s reserved red wine. I have shared many bottles with that old rascal in the past and happen to know that there are many more in the wine cellar. Go dust off a bottle post haste; my lady and I are ready for a feast!” The waiter scampered off to do Zool’s bidding. “As we wait for our repast, why don’t you tell me how you happened to be outside our keep this afternoon? Unless you think I am being too presumptuous. I do not mean to pry,” Zool added hastily. “No, I do owe you an explanation. You have been so kind and hospitable. I’m sure it’s not every day you find a bedraggled young woman traveling alone and wandering outside your home. I must warn you though; my story is rather long and does not turn out well.” Zool leaned back into his chair and nodded encouragingly. He said nothing to the waiter as he approached the table and filled the glasses with a rich, ruby-colored wine. Brighid took one appreciative sip and then proceeded to tell her tale. “My mother was a month away from delivering me when a goddess visited her in a dream. She appeared next to my parent’s bed: hair, skin and cloak of burnished gold. The woman laid her hands on either side of my mother’s swollen belly and proclaimed that the child she carried was to be the next Keeper of the Hearth for the People of the North. It is an exceptional honor and one my mother had been taught to respect, but she knew it also came with certain restrictions and high expectations.” Zool leaned forward eagerly, waiting for Brighid to carry on with her story. A glass of red wine had miraculously showed up within his frame and he was holding it to his lips. “I was born at sunrise on the morning of Imbolc as all Keepers are. At the age of two, after I was weaned from my mother’s breast, I went to live in the home of the previous Keeper. For many years she taught me the ancient knowledge and skills I would need in order to serve my people. Those years were happy for me. I studied the properties of medicinal plants and how to compose songs of healing. I learned the words which spark a fire where there is none and keep a fire burning long after it should have died out. I mastered the art of walking with one foot outside the boundary of this world in order to receive prophesy and guidance from my namesake, the Goddess Brighid.” Brighid paused to take another sip of the delicious wine before continuing. Zool got the feeling she was fortifying herself against the next part of her story. “On the morning of my twelfth birthday, just as the sun’s first rays crept into the horizon, my mentor, the woman who had become like a second mother to me, climbed upon a pyre built in honor of the occasion. Without a word she laid herself upon the bier which was covered in a tapestry of rich greens and golds. With as much majesty as I could muster, for inwardly my young heart was full of grief, I managed to speak the words of the fire-sparking spell.” Brighid stopped her story and looked somberly into the eyes of Zool. She wasn’t sure how someone outside of her people would react to such a selfless and voluntary act, but Zool only gave his head a slight nod. “After the previous Keeper left this world, I lived alone in the cottage we had shared for ten years. Even though I was permitted to visit my family and I was often the guest in the homes of my people, especially when I was there to attend a birthing, I lived a solitary life. The Keeper of the Hearth does not take a lover or husband. Only when she is close to the end of her mortal life does a child come to be hers in the form of the next Keeper. For twelve more years I lived in this manner, serving my people willingly. One day, while I was working in my herb garden, a young boy came running up to my cottage, breathlessly yelling my name. A foreign man had been found washed upon the shores of Lake Penrith. The stranger was suffering from an abdominal wound and was barely clinging to life. I grabbed my healing bag and ran in the direction of the lake.” Brighid stopped and took another quaff of the rich wine. “Should I go on, Zool, or have you heard enough?” “No, do go on my lady, unless, of course, you’re not ready to share your entire story.” Brighid regarded the painted man earnestly. His affable demeanor and friendly smile made it easy for her to trust him. Plus, she realized, it felt good to lighten her burden by sharing her story with another. It had been too long since she had spoken to another…um…human. “His wounds were festering; the deep gashes he suffered had punctured his intestine and he was dying from internal poisoning.” Brighid stopped speaking momentarily, hoping that her dining companion wasn’t put off by such a distasteful description, but Zool was battle-hardened and didn’t even make a grimace. “Several of the villagers laid the man on a litter and carried him to my cottage. They placed him in front of my fireplace which was illumed with flames never extinguished since the Goddess herself had lit it within. I was not accustomed to ministering to a sick person within the walls of my home, but this man was not from our village so he had no place of his own, and he was so gravely ill that he would need 24 hour care from me if he was to survive. It took a long time for him to regain consciousness. I had begun to think that I was not skillful enough to save him when he finally opened his eyes, eyes that were the warmest shade of golden brown flecked with blackest coal. Slowly he regained his strength. For several days I prepared for him a nourishing broth which he allowed me to spoon feed to him. I couldn’t help but notice how pleasantly curved his lips were. We spent the hours talking of our pasts. He was from the mountains far north of us and had journeyed into our lands all alone. He had left his home after a family dispute which he was reluctant to speak about. He received his near-fatal wounds after being gored by a wild boar.” The waiter, noticing that both Brighid and Zool had drained their cups of wine, came by and filled them up again. As soon as he left, Brighid resumed her story. “One morning the man was strong enough to move from his cot to a chair by the fire. That afternoon we carried on our usual conversation while I stood at a wooden table, my back to him, preparing some herbs for his tea. Suddenly, I felt his presence behind me, and as I turned around he pulled me into his arms and kissed me.” Brighid lingered a moment upon the memory, looking into Zool’s eyes but staring far off into another time. Slowly she lowered her eyes and whispered, “And I kissed him back.” “That night we slept together, limbs entwined. I knew what I had done was against all I had been taught and that there would be consequences. My hope was that he would return to his homeland and none would be the wiser. I fell asleep for the first time in many years listening to the heartbeat of another. The next thing I knew I was walking in that dream-like space between this world and the next. I carried the man effortlessly within my arms as he slept. We walked the forest path toward Penrith, and illuminated by the full moon I could see the white-tipped waves moving across the grey lake. I stood for several moments upon the shore, breathing in the otherworldly-scented air; I was still not sure if this was a dream or a walk within the dream world. Suddenly, with a sob of anguish, I stepped into the lake, kissed the man one last time upon his lips, and viciously tore open the wound I had so lovingly closed up. He died somewhere between leaving my arms and descending beneath the water. At no time did he make a move to stop me.” Tears glittered upon the tips of Brighid’s lashes, but she continued on. “I stumbled and fell into the water myself; choking, I crawled up onto the bank, curled into a ball, and cried until there was nothing left for me to cry out. I came to – for that is the only way I can describe it –at some point an hour or two before sunrise. I was indeed lying in the cold, damp grass next to the lake, and I knew with certainty that my dream had not merely been a dream. I ran desperately to my cottage, still clinging to a sliver of hope that I would find my lover sleeping peacefully within my bed, but he was gone. I did not think; I just reacted. I packed a traveling bag full of supplies, grabbed my cloak, and ran from my home. I have been running since…until now.”

Nice one! In honor of the third rainy day in a row: Grey skies, insistent. Dreary days stretch tirelessly -- Muted mood and hue.

She is new to me. Isn't it wild to think how many musicians there are in the world and then realize you have only heard the tip of the iceberg? I went to see Jeremy Pelt at Bohemian Caverns two weekends ago. I had never heard him of before but ended up being amazed and thoroughly entertained.

Nice! (Much nicer than Tommy Garrett!) Have you listened to Bebo Valdes? He is another artist I like listening to while cleaning on Saturday mornings

What's on my turntable right now? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkMFKn9OJiM Just settling in to grade papers.

Heliotropic hearts were the first to scream the daydream.

Don't think too hard, Zool, because then I'll have to start putting thought and effort into mine! I just like the option of expressing my thoughts and actions of the moment in the form of a haiku! It's all about the fun and joy for me And the fire was a very small one, but brightened my spirits immensely. I always look forward to fall and winter so I can sit contentedly next to the fire.

First fire of autumn fill my hearth and home with warmth. burn till spring returns. (First fire in the fireplace tonight...small but welcomed)

I loved dancing to this song at dances (or in my bedroom)...but I only had the 45 ha ha! The singer went on to form Crowded House.

Ah, the 80's....I remember them well! I lost my original vinyl collection when it was in storage, so the last few years I've been trying to collect the albums I had "way back when" and mostly adding new stuff. I did find one of my favorite "feel good" albums from the 80's at a flea market -- Crowded House -- which I often crank on Saturday mornings while I'm cleaning the house. Lifts my spirits and makes me smile