Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters nor hold rights to any one Enya's songs and I am not making any profit from writing this.


I watched May go. She had called me, my friend. I had a friend. Friendship was a concept I didn't understand. It was like an emotional alliance or link, but without written expectations or appeasements. In a sense you could abuse it, but why would you want to? I enjoyed May's company, but not when she was angry or upset with me, like she had been when I had first woken up.

I knew that she was troubled by what Camru had to say, and I wondered what it was about. But as she said, if it was that important Camru would have told her then, I wouldn't be able to fully understand what they were saying anyway. I should stop worrying, I told myself, May can look after herself - she has done for thousands of years.

I wondered what to do for a while. I knew the Aelfen probably wouldn't allow me to help with preparations anymore. I slowly wandered down the tunnel in the direction May had taken only a few minutes ago.

Refuge was a different place now that the Aelfen were around. Torches were lit and maintained everywhere, filling all of the caves with light. I found myself staring across the lake at the small waterfall. For a moment I wondered how deep the water was. I wondered at things a lot more since my evolution. Everything was the same but new, changed. Having a different perception is good, I concluded.

'Hallo Sec.' I turned to see Essylt walking to my side.

'Hallo.'

'Wie geht es Ihnen?' How are you?

'Gut.' I'm good, I replied. 'Wie geht es Ihnen?' I asked.

'Ich ist gut.'

I frowned at the terminology. 'I think you mean Ich bin gut, I am good as opposed to Ich ist gut I is good.'

Essylt frowned at me. I then remembered that Essylt didn't speak English. 'Ich bin gut nicht Ich ist gut.' I explained. She nodded. I didn't know if that meant she understood or if she just wanted the conversation to move on.

'Woher kommen sie?'(Where do you come from?) I asked.

'Ich kommer aus Pullhiem.'

I nodded, that was near Cologne, Germany's 4th biggest city.

'Und sie?'

'Ich kommer aus Skaro.' I said it automatically, forgetting that the name of my planet meant nothing to her.

'Wo ist Skaro?'

Where is Skaro? How do I explain that to her? I knew I could answer it, but I also knew that she wouldn't understand a word I said. 'Weit weg.' Far away, I told her.

'Wie geht es May?' How is May?

I frowned again at her terminology but decided to ignore it. 'May es geht, Ich denke.' May is fine, I think.

I noticed her looking around. I knew that, like May, she had work to do. 'Jetzt muss ich gehen.' I must go now. She said.

I nodded. 'Auf Wiedersehen.'

'Auf Wiedersehen.'

I didn't hear her leave. Her steps, like the rest of the Aelfen's, were as silent as May's. The question was had the Aelfen learnt that from May or had May learnt it from them? I recalled May's words; It's a mystery and a good one.

I took May's advice and did little that day. I woke on the morning of the 25th upon hearing the noise of the Aelfen. I could hear different devices being used to create sound, voice included. Each sound seemed to follow a pattern, a rapid pattern.

I walked into the main cavern to see what was going on. The sound got louder as I got nearer, but not unbearably so. I saw the cavern fully lit, but the torches cast different colours across the room. The Aelfen were divided into two main groups. The smaller group emitting the noise that had woken me. The other moved in a series of patterns. Music and dance?

I watched on interested. The music was repetitive, as was the Aelfen's dance. They repeated at the same rate. Then the music stopped it's pattern and took up a new one, the dancing Aelfen did the same. This happened several times.

I looked elsewhere in the cavern. The majority of the Aelfen were dancing, but the rest were seated on benches beside food laden tables, or standing along the edge of the cavern talking with each other. May was not here. Camru was also missing. I spotted both Deverell and Essylt among the dancing Aelfen. Not sure what else to do I sat down on one of the benches.

I continued to observe all that was happening around me. Absent-mindedly I was tapping lightly on the table in front of me. The pattern of the music was not hard to pick up. The more you listened to it the easier it became. All of the Aelfen were happy. I liked the music and the Aelfen's mood. It made me feel happy. And that is good. No, I corrected myself looking around, this is beautiful.

I smiled happily. I had never understood beauty or art or music before. All I knew was that I liked it. It was beautiful.

I don't know how long I sat there enjoying the scene around me. Then everyone stopped what they were doing and sat down. They seemed to sit randomly, talking to whoever they sat near. I was introduced to everyone who sat by me. None of them minded that I was different, which made me glad.

We ate together. I looked around the table seeking rice at first, before noticing that there wasn't any. As much as rice was becoming boring after living on it for nearly a month, I wasn't sure whether or not I should try anything different.

The Aelfen on my left, who had introduced himself as Thonlir, must have noticed my indecision as he then began directing me to certain foods. I followed his instructions. At first I was surprised and slightly overwhelmed by the new tastes. Admittedly not all were good. Some were far too intense for my liking. But it didn't seem to matter. The Aelfen's mood seemed to be infectious in a way. Not that I tried to be anything different, but somehow I ended up as happy as they were - Even laughing with joy, though there was no joke that I knew of.

After a while the Aelfen returned to the same activities as before. Essylt came over to me and held out her hand. I took it unsure what she meant. She pulled me out to where the dancing Aelfen were, then I realised what she had meant. 'Nein.' No, I protested, I don't know how- 'Ich weiβ nicht wie-'

Essylt cut me off. 'Sie lernen.' You'll learn.

I was confused by this, but Essylt and the other Aelfen guided me. Before long I understood the matching of movement and music. Like when I had first listened to the music was hard to begin with but got easier. I began to enjoy it, and smiled even greater than before.

After a while I began to get tired. I decided not to ignore the feeling this time, after the incident two days before. 'Ich bin müde.' I'm tired. I told Essylt next time the dance allowed us to be near enough to each other. She nodded to show that she had acknowledged and understood what I had said.

We continued dancing for another minute, until there was a pause when the music changed pattern. It was then that she led me to one of the benches. 'Danke.' I thanked Essylt, as I sat down. She nodded again and left to join the dancing Aelfen.

I saw that all of the Aelfen danced at some point. The Aelfen who made the music often gave their equipment to another group of Aelfen. Allowing them the chance to dance and rest and so on.

I observed all that was happening around me again. I couldn't help but wonder where May was and what she was doing. Why was she not here to enjoys the celebration? I let that thought sink to the back of my mind, not wanting to lessen the harmony around me.

Hours passed. I decided to dance again, but for not as long this time. Then we all sat at the tables for the second time.

I knew in my mind that it was getting late. May was still not around. I did not want her to miss any more, but there was little I could do. I had no idea where she was or what she was doing. Whatever chemicals had been in the torches to create their coloured flames had ran out. Time had also reduced the torches to a smaller flame making the cavern slightly darker.

The Aelfen did not continue with the music and dancing this time. Instead they gathered around a newly lit fire in the middle of the cavern. Not a large fire, but larger than the camp fires that May and I had ever had.

Two Aelfen stood by the fire. One played music through a small tube-like device. The other chanted and sang softly, throwing items into the fire. When he did this the fire changed shape and colour. I understood little that was being said, but I was fascinated by how the Aelfen had engineered and designed the right chemical components to create these varied shapes and colours. I guessed this was the story telling that May had mentioned.

When the two Aelfen finished they sat down and a smaller group of Aelfen fanned out around the cavern. As though a silent order had been given out they started to sing softly. As time went by I felt almost part of the singing as their voice flowed through the room. I didn't understand what was happening but I liked it. I felt completely relaxed. I closed my eye as I listened.

I felt the present time and place fade and a new one appeared. A landscape full of varied creatures and plants. Where the people lived in peace with one another, underneath a beautiful red sky. With no divisions or conflicts between them. Simple lives, but happy. There was no pollution, no wars. They did not endanger one another or the place in which they lived. They called their world home. For that was what it meant to them.

Home. Skaro. I looked at the people. They were not my ancestors, the Kaleds. But my ancestors, ancestors. A race with no official name. A race that had not been divided and then evolved into two different races, regarding each other as inferior with a deathly disgust. Before the landscape was destroyed, and the ground bled. This was how life was meant to be. This was home, or in the words of my ancestors Skaro.

The vision slowly faded away as new voice took up the song, louder and clearer than the others. I saw held in a silent awe as I listened:

One day, one night, one moment

My dreams could be tomorrow

One step, one fall, one falter

East or west, over earth or by ocean

One way to be my journey

This way could be my book of days

Ó lá go lá, mo thuras, (From day to day, my journey)

an bealach fada romham. (The long road ahead of me)
Ó oíche go hoíche, mo thuras, (From night to night, my journey)

na scéalta nach mbeidh a choích. (The stories that will be lost forever)

No day, no night, no moment

Can hold me back from trying

I'll flag, I'll fall, I'll falter

I'll find my day may be far and away

Far and away

One day, one night, one moment

With a dream to believe in

One step, one fall, one falter

And a new earth across a wide ocean

This way became my journey

This day ends together

Far and away

This day end together

Far and away

Far and away

I opened my eye to look see who had been singing. May. My mouth hung open. I had no idea that her voice could create such an amazing sound. It made sense, after all none of the Aelfen could have sung in both English and Irish Gaelic so easily. But then why sing in a language that the Aelfen could not fully understand? I knew the answer, but I didn't think it good enough. I saw that the Aelfen did not care whether or no they understood the words, which was good.

Then I wondered, if May had such a beautiful voice, why would she want to keep it secret? Why had she been irritated by the prospect of keeping it secret?

I sat stunned for longer than was perhaps normal. By the time I had recovered most of the Aelfen had gone and the cavern was being returned to its original state. I knew that May's song had been the one that ended the celebration.

I gazed around me and found May at my side.

'Are you alright?' She asked.

How do I answer that? 'No. I'm overwhelmed.'

May frowned.

Then in stupidity I asked. 'Are you a Goddess?'

'You really are not yourself if you're thinking things like that.' May laughed, adding to my humiliation.

'Here this is for you.' She gave me a strange looking device. I examined it carefully. A buckled leather strap, with carefully create circuits hidden within. 'Holographic projector.' I said, in disbelief.

'We're going on a journey, so you're going to need it.'

I looked at her, she was serious. I knew that the projection would help me blend in within Human society. 'Thank you.'

She smiled. 'Merry Christmas Sec.'

'Merry Christmas.'


Merry Christmas Everyone!