THE CHAIR A novel by Sheila Willar Copyright 2016 Sheila Willar
ISBN 978-0-9867101-4-8
October 04, 2013
(revised September 29, 2017)
CHAPTER 5 ............................ TURKEY IS THE KEY
Erin and Michael stood on the bow of the boat as it approached Turkey. In the early morning hours, rays of daylight rose behind them and the mist along the shoreline lifted to reveal wide crescent beaches and snow capped mountains on the horizon. When the ship docked, the metal ramp rattled as they drove their vehicle onto dry ground, and almost immediately they entered a road block where armed soldiers searched vehicles and conducted interviews. When they reached the checkpoint it became perfectly clear that they were the target of the inspections.
The guards asked them to stand on the side of the road as the two shipping containers from Ireland were removed. Then as fast as they came, the guards left and Erin glanced around to see if it was safe to move.
“Did you see that?” gasped Erin.
“See what?” asked Michael.
“Mrs. Mancinni! She watched the whole thing!” Erin was sure that she saw Astor in the distance looking straight at her from the back seat of a limousine.
“Are you sure it was her?”
“No. But if not it was someone just as intense.”
They were shaken by the event, but fortunately Amanda had convinced them to prepare for it. They made their way to the train station where Amanda’s youngest brother gave them two passes and a baggage claim ticket for the Irish Blue stone chair that he had already loaded onto the train. The tickets read “Van” and the next part of their journey would take them into the heart of Turkey. The stone that the guards had stolen was rock from a roadside in Cyprus.
The train clattered and wove its way up into the hills far away from the heat and humidity of the Mediterranean, and into the lowlands of some of the most beautiful and breathtaking mountain ranges in the world. They tried to make themselves comfortable for the five hour ride, but they could not. They continuously scanned the compartment for people who may have followed them, people who knew that they still had the stone chair.
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Inspector Declan had grown up fishing with his father in Ireland, and he had earned his sea legs while riding out storms on the North Atlantic, but Aiden was not weathering the ferry ride so well. He looked a little green and was more than appreciative when the boat reached the dock in Turkey.
“Thanks be to God!” was all that Aiden could say as he tucked his shaky legs into the tiny rental car.
“And may God help us find our catch t’day,” agreed Declan.
“So where do we go from here?” wondered Aiden.
“All we need is a sign.”
“My stomach’s giv’n me a sign. Perhaps we should have a bite to eat first”
“Ay.”
They drove through the busy port that was bursting with tiny shops and soon they found a street vendor selling Simit and tea.
“That will be perfect,” sighed Aiden.
“Uhmmm!” purred Declan. “The next best thing to a scone.”
Aiden held out his money to pay the woman who served them. It sat in the palm of his right hand as he tried to balance a cup of tea with the other.
However the old woman was holding a fresh Simit in one hand and her kitten in the other, and she was not about to let go of either one. The kitten had different coloured eyes, one amber-green and one blue.
She or Aiden had to relent and in an effort to help, Aiden set down his tea and reached for the kitten so that she would have a free hand to extract his change, but as he did, the woman screamed because she thought that he was trying to steal the priceless feline.
The old lady looked at him with a broiling rage as she pulled the kitten back and took the money he owed her from his hands.
Aiden was chagrinned by the woman’s anger and waved as if to say, “Sorry, I meant no harm.”
The woman hid the tiny kitten underneath her cloak and she chastised him loudly so that all in hearing distance would take notice.
Both the inspectors backed away from the caravan, only to bump into the crowd that had gathered to survey the conflict.
“I don’t understand. Do I owe her more money?” Aiden asked.
“She thinks you want to steal her cat,” explained a bystander.
“She what?”
“Expensive cats they are. Prized for their look and powers.”
“I don’t want a cat. God knows I have enough at home.”
“I can get you one. Cheap.”
“I don’t want a cat.”
“If you want the best you’ll want a Van cat.”
“I don’t want a cat."
“No Van cat!” argued a bystander. “I have a better one.”
“I don’t want a cat!” protested Aiden.
The crowd grew more boisterous as the local police arrived. The theft of cats was a serious offence and tourists often caused trouble when they tried to buy or steal Turkish cats.
“We should go,” urged Declan as the crowd grew bigger and people pointed fingers at them. They tried to find a way out but were blocked when the police moved in.
“Follow me Mr.,” offered a young boy who tugged at Declan’s sleeve.
Instinctively Aiden and Declan followed the young boy as they ducked the crowd and made their way back to the main thoroughfare where they found their car.
“No car! No car! Train!” insisted the boy. “Hurry!”
“Supas! Zor supas! Thank you very much!” said Declan as he tried to thank the boy and convince him to leave.
“I take you to Van on train,” offered the boy who kept looking back to see if the police had followed them.
“We need to get out of here. Quick!” urged Aiden.
After some debate they abandoned the car and followed the boy on a whirlwind tour through side streets, as they made their way to the train station. Soon their faces were pressed against the window of the locomotive on the way to Van.
The young boy who had helped them was eager to show them his town and his family, and to show them the large statue of a mother cat and her kitten that stood at the entrance to it. The cats had uniquely coloured eyes, one amber-green and one blue.
Aiden and Declan were relieved to have escaped the police but they still had no idea where Erin and Michael had gone. They decided that once they reached Van they would contact the Sergeant and regroup.
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Mrs. Mancinni nearly split a tooth when she realized that the stones she had taken from Erin and Michael were fakes. She squinted hers eyes and made a low hissing sound, and swore an oath to return the stone chair to Ireland regardless of the cost. She vowed to make sure that Erin and Michael had no place to hide.
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Ewin Clancy was on his honeymoon but he was not on vacation. He knew that Amanda had helped Erin and Michael take the Irish Blue chair to Turkey, but it would be his network of merchants and archaeologists that would help him recover the treasure. Wherever Erin and Michael surfaced in Turkey, his people would know about it, and when the time was right, he would quietly retrieve it for himself. He believed that he alone would be able to keep the Irish Blue safe from devilish hands.
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Erin and Michael stepped off the train in Van and inhaled the cool, clear mountain air. They were only a hundred miles from the famed Mount Ararat where Noah ran aground in the ark. The blanket of snow on the mountain peaks was a pale violet blue against an even paler blue sky. Reflected in the stillness of Lake Van, the surrounding mountains spread out before them like a mirror to the heavens. In the distance Erin could see an island, and felt that she had to take the chair to it.
It was evening and Michael and Erin were tired. They entered the town in clandestine fashion as Michael walked ahead towing a small cart. Erin followed quietly a few steps behind until they found a hotel where they could rest for the night.
The next morning they arranged for a private boat to take them to Akdamar Island, as secretly as possible. They wanted to avoid the official tourist boats as they didn’t want to attract any attention. It was a popular destination for thousands of religious trekkers each year, because it was home to a famous tenth century Armenian chapel that had a long history of conflict and a wide range of notorious residents, ranging from a wealthy Armenian king, to a cloister of reclusive monks.
It was a stunningly beautiful morning on Lake Van, crisp and clear and with not a cloud in sight. They had left early so as to avoid undue attention, but the good weather seemed to have attracted a bee hive of activity, and very soon there were little boats and cruise ships darting everywhere. The fishing boat that they had chartered provided them with a peaceful trip to the island where they pulled up alongside a pinstripe wooden dock. They were surprised that there were so many people there already, and that most of them were congregated at the main wharf.
When Erin and Michael picked up the stone chair to unload it they gasped with fear, because the stones seemed to have lost most of their weight. What had been unmanageably heavy before, Erin could easily lift on her own. At first she thought that they had been double-crossed and that someone had switched the stones for replicas, but upon inspection there was no mistaking that it was the original Irish Blue Stone Chair.
Erin and Michael ascended the banks of the island with the stones in their arms. As they approached the chapel, they were deeply impressed by its decorations and embellishments. There were relief carvings of Adam and Eve, Jonah and the whale, Daniel and the lion’s den, and beautiful flowers and references to many other Christian Bible stories.
They entered the chapel and mingled among the tourists. Everyone spoke softly and with respect. At one end of the vaulted room was a simple altar where candles burned with delicate whispers of flames. They were thrilled to be there in the aura of holiness and they tread carefully upon the dusty floor. Erin motioned to Michael to follow her lead. She approached the altar and set her stone down in front of it. Then she stepped back to allow Michael to do the same. She held her breath and hoped that no one would protest. She and Michael’s nerves were frayed. They moved slowly and kept their heads down so as not to attract too much attention. They held their breath and hoped that no one would alert the authorities, but just when they thought they had gone unnoticed, they heard a deafening scream.
“They’re here! They’re here!” yelled a woman who briefly shoved her head in the doorway to make the announcement.
Erin and Michael froze as the others ran out of the chapel in a mad dash.
“What was that about?” asked Erin.
“I don’t know,” sighed Michael. “As long as they aren’t interested in us, I’m happy.”
“We should hurry before they make us leave,” encouraged Erin as she removed the cloth from the stones. The chair rocked and settled in place like a cat looking for just the right spot to rest. She wanted to provide the chair a point of contact with the chapel. Somehow she knew it was important.
The solitude of the moment did not last and suddenly a throng of people flooded into the chapel and lined the walls with their bodies, each pressed tight against the other like sardines in a tin can. They kept pouring into the hallowed space like gushing water from a pipe, until there was no room left, except for a narrow isle that they had purposely formed in the middle. They had left an empty corridor to the altar, where Erin and Michael stood perfectly still.
There was a sudden collective gasp followed by a resolute hush, as the “ancient ones” entered the chapel from the North entrance. They seemed to float along the designated pathway which led them straight to the altar. They were the direct descendants of Noah who had come down from the mountains to visit the chapel. They were each hundreds of years old, and only came to the island every century or so to worship. There were five of them, two older pairs, and a young girl, and they did not look to the left or to the right, only straight ahead, as if they were the only ones in the room.
The “ancient ones” had not been seen in Van for several generations. Their visits to the valleys were so far apart that anyone who saw them would only see them once in a life time, which was just long enough for the stories of their existence to become legend and fable. Over the years, people had tried to follow them back to their home in the mountains, which was rumoured to be spectacular, but most of those who followed them never returned to the valley.
Noah’s people were very distinct and their presence was powerful. Even though their long cloaks covered their bodies and their hoods covered their heads, their forms exuded strength. Erin and Michael were overcome with trepidation as the “ancient ones” stopped in front of the altar. In unison they removed their hoods and Michael drew a deep breath when he saw their eyes. They each had one amber-green and one blue. Their faces were hard and beautiful at the same time, cut deep with lines of wisdom and compassion.
Next, the young girl looked skyward and began to sing in a language that Erin did not understand, except that it was beautiful. The onlookers were enthralled and their hearts melted. Gone were the trappings of celebrity worship as each person entered a more heavenly realm of the spirit. Then, one of the patriarchs turned and sat in the Irish Blue Chair and the others laid their hands on him. He closed his eyes, mouthed a few words and a sharp beam of light shot through an upper window and seemed to pierce his heart. He gasped and fell off the chair and the others helped him to his feet. They seemed satisfied that they had done what they came to do.
The worship lasted for a few minutes longer while the Oath of Noah settled into the chair. For a hundred miles around its effect could be felt as humans and animals stopped and looked towards heaven.
No one moved until the visitors from Ararat left the chapel, but as soon as they did, the crowds followed them to the dock. In one giant wave the island was almost emptied of people, as throngs of admirers filled the boats and followed the five saints back across the lake. The throng tried to cling to them like sticky candy but by the time the boats emptied onto the land, the ancient visitors had disappeared. Somewhere high up on a narrow ledge they were once again blanketed by snow and mysterious clouds, that welcomed them back into the secret parts of the highest peaks.
Erin and Michael looked at each and admitted that it was time to go, but as soon as they picked up the stones, they saw Mrs. Mancinni and her armed guards in the main entrance.
"Run!" yelled Erin. With feet as light as a deer they escaped through a side door and ran down to the small fishing boat that had brought them to the island. The astute fisherman started the engine before they arrived and began to back away from the splinter of a dock. Erin and Michael jumped aboard just before the guards with their heavy boots, nearly broke the dock into pieces.
Mrs. Mancinni watched from the top of the hill and then hurried to return to her boat. The captain who had watched the chase, feigned to start the engine so that Erin and Michael could escape. He claimed that the motor was finicky and that it was probably broken. The unruly guards eventually pushed him aside and rocked the hull hard enough to make it splash in the briny water. The guards swore as they tried to fix the engine but Mrs. Mancinni remained silent. She examined her glossy, manicured nails and vowed to call in a higher authority to help retrieve the chair.
Erin and Michael escaped. They reached the other side of the lake and made their way to the train station. As much as Michael wanted to return to the Mediterranean, Erin convinced him that they needed to go further inland. Even with the civil war and political unrest everywhere, they secured a passage for themselves to Northern Iran. They would circumnavigate Jerusalem via the rivers of Eden, and via the tribal trails of Abraham.
As they boarded the train, Michael couldn’t help but notice the brewing storm on the horizon. It was going to rain hard and he felt a cold shiver go down his spine.
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Aiden and Declan could hardly believe their good fortune. Just as they stepped off the train, they saw Erin and Michael board another. Quickly they purchased tickets for Iran and bid their young talisman good-bye and gave him a generous donation to reward him for being so helpful. The boy was sad that he could not help them buy a Van Cat, but he was delighted to have helped them find their friends.