IRISH BLUE 2 THE SONG OF THE STONES A novel by Sheila Willar Copyright 2016 Sheila Willar ISBN 978-0-9867101-4-8 You are living stones, being built up into a spiritual house … 1 Peter 2:5
CHAPTER 1 ............................ THE SONG
Erin returned to the University of Dublin for the Fall semester but found it difficult to concentrate on her studies. In class she could barely hear a word that the professors said, and at home in the evenings, she could not stay focused enough to work on assignments. The root of the problem was a song that played over and over again in her head.
It wasn’t as if there was a catchy tune stuck in her mind. Rather, there was a very distracting string of notes that continuously floated on the air in front of her, and through her, making her heart and breath draw fast and short. Each note was alive and tried to catch her gaze. Each one wanted her to know that it knew who she was and what she had to do.
The notes and their message was clear. She understood them perfectly, but the knowing of it didn't make it any less scary. The whole thing was such an out of the ordinary experience that at first she hoped it would just go away, but when it persisted, she knew what had to be done.
Erin watched the clock to make sure that it was a respectable hour in New York City, and then picked up her phone, took a deep breath, pressed the numbers and waited for an answer.
“Mrs. Mancinni’s office. May I ask who’s calling?”
Erin almost hung up.
“My name is Erin McBride. May I speak with Mrs. Mancinni please?”
Within seconds, Mrs. Mancinni’s voice could be heard stretched thin across the Atlantic ocean.
“Erin my darling. How are you? It’s been too long. How is school? Are you coming back with us next term?”
Erin didn’t have time for small talk. She had to get right to the point.
“I’ve been thinking about the chapel. The one you were married in.”
“Yes?”
Erin began to perspire and her throat tightened. She wondered if she had gone completely mad.
“I know this will sound strange but you have to return it to Ireland.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone because Astor understood the request all too well. She had been unable to sleep and her dreams bore unsettling images of the ancient stone chapel being lost in the stormy Atlantic.
“You know don’t you?” inquired Erin.
“Yes.”
“Then you’ll do it?”
“Yes.”
“There’s not much time. It’ll be winter soon.”
“I know,” quipped Mrs. Mancinni. “I will take care of the details but you have to come back for it.”
“I can’t I’m in school.”
“It’s a deal beaker dear. You come or it stays.”
Erin could hear the notes that were the cries of the missing chapel, and she did not want to endure them anymore.
“How long will it take?”
“We can start right away and have it packed within a couple of weeks. My husband John will be furious and he’ll not let it go without seeing to it himself. Just make sure you’re here as soon as possible.”
Erin sighed deeply because the thought of missing classes and making up the difference was a gruelling prospect, but the call of the chapel had to be answered.
“O.K. I’ll be there.”
“I’ll send you a ticket so get packing.”
Erin put her phone down on the table and hoped that the song from the chapel would subside, but instead it grew more intense, and had a sense of urgency to it. She didn’t understand why the timing was so crucial, but she could see that the notes were pained to hurry things up. She had the sense that the chapel had to be returned to Ireland in order to restore a peace that had long been lost.