May 15th thats when everything changed, not once before that day did I think I was anytyhing but normal 10 year old , I never even considered that I was diffrent or special. At least not with him leaning over my shoulder. Every time I closed my eyes I saw him and that was enough to banish any concept of extraodinary abilites.
I grew up in a gealtach in Ireland with my father. I kept to myself mostly, had little to no friends for nearly all my life before then. Now when I think about my old life I don't feel angry or hurt, just sad that I never stood up of myself. May 15th 2008 wasn't just any day it was my birthday, more importantly it was my 11th birthday.
When I was five my mother disapeared ,to this day I have no idea what happend to her. I woke up in the middle of the night to banging, yelling and other strange nosies that I know now was the sounds of spells being cast. I got out of bed as quickly as could. I didn't grab any thing on my way. I followed the sounds out into my back garden and down the small stone path to the shed. When I reached the door I stopped dead in my tracks, panting. The windows were so foggy I couldn't see through them, but I could hear muffled screams, but I wasn't sure whose they were. I remember slowly turning the doorhandle and going inside . . . . . . . . . but nothing after that .
After that night I everything changed, I never saw my mother again and my father drank his memories away. I had to grow up fast every morning I would get myself up, dressed I made my own lunch got myself to school and home again. Most days when I was lucky I would find my dad incoherently drunk in the sitting room. But other days I wasn't so lucky and the day before my 11th brithday was one of those days.
I had walked home from school like most days, when I got in the door I couldn't find my father I presumed he had gone to the pub. He usually bulnderd in about eleven or twelve and chrashed on the couch so I didn't worry. I did my homework in my room then went down into the kitchen to watch tv and find something to eat. Time must have slipped by me because next thing I know it was ten o'clock at night. I heard fumbling at the door and my dad cursed under his breath because he dropped his keys. I scrambled out from the kitchen and tried to make it up the stair but next thing I know the door is chrashing open and my dads rough grip is pulling me back and sending me tumbling.
I was sitting alone in my bedroom clutching bloody tissues to my face when I heard screach from my window. I looked up tears were clouding my vision but as I blinked them away I saw to my astonishment a brown owl, perched proudly on my window ledge. It was balancing on one leg, the other way stretched out towards me and tied neatly on the end of his leg was a letter. Written in green ink it said.
Una Blake
4 St . Johns Road
Connemara
Co. Galway
Ireland
I looked up at the clock 12:01. "Happy Birthay" I muttered to myself.