Beltane Fires - Chapter 2

The next day started out better anyway. They had spent the night talking. On the way home they had picked up some chic flicks at the local video store and a gallon of rocky road ice cream. What the hell, tomorrow was Sunday and they could sleep late. Shannon was the first to get up. She trudged to the kitchen in search of coffee. She still had the headache so she popped some more aspirin and got the coffee out of the cabinet. Standing there bleary eyed, she was filling the pot with water at the sink when Rhea walked in.

Rhea spied the pot and said "Hurry with that will you? I feel like I have been on a six day drunk! I think it was all that sugar last night." She plopped down at the table and put her head in her hands.

After setting the switch to on, Shannon turned and looked at her friend. She had to smile, Rhea looked like she had been on six day drunk. She hadn't bothered to change last night so her clothes were wrinkled. Her long black ponytail had shifted to the side of her head. Shannon just grinned and patted her on top of the head as she walked to her chair.

Rhea's voice squeaked when she said "How do you put up with those sea gulls in the morning" Shannon listened, you could here the birds squawking in the distance. She had a small two-bedroom cottage over looking the beach.

"I really don't pay much attention to them. I guess you get used to it." She said. After a few minutes the coffee was done and she got the cups down. She handed Rhea a steaming cup and sat back down to enjoy her own. Both girls just sat there drinking their coffee until Rhea spoke up. "I thought of something last night. Why don't we take a trip to Stonehenge for Beltane?" She hesitated to see if Shannon would object. When she didn't Rhea went on with her plan. "We could leave in a couple days, see Stonehenge, and get a small room near the site for the rest of the holiday. Then travel to Ireland to see your relatives ?" Shannon looked at her and you could see the wheels turning in her head.

"What about the coven, we already planned the celebration here?" she asked. "I'm sure they can manage without us. Sherry has been dying to take your place in the coven for years." Rhea said.

"Wait here!" With that Rhea went into the living room and came back with the brochures on Stonehenge in her hand. They were almost worn out. Shannon had picked them up last year and had poured over them all the time dreaming. Rhea threw them on the table. "Now look at those and tell me you don't want to go?"

Shannon looked at the picture on the cover. There was her dream, depicted on the cover was Stonehenge at dawn. She grinned at Rhea and said "Lets do it!"

For the rest of the morning the girls made a list of everything they had to do before they left. Plane tickets, posting a sign that the shop would be closed for two weeks for the holiday. This would kill Shannon's bank account. But she would worry about that later.

Then there was making a reservation at the inn in England, figuring out what they would take with them. At least it would keep Shannon's mind off of her illness. She would get all of her medication to take with her, and let the doctor know she would be back in a couple of weeks to start chemo. This would be the best holiday ever!

The day came for them to leave. The other members of the coven had seen them off at the airport. Rhea had gotten them together without Shannon being there and explained everything. Just as Rhea predicted Sherry took over the Beltane celebration at home. This left Shannon and Rhea to concentrate on their trip. They arrived at Heathrow around midday and took a bus to Salisbury. Rhea had booked two small rooms at a local inn. They would stay there for six days until after the holiday. Then head for Ireland to visit the Hume clan. Shannon couldn't believe it . She was actually here in England, and she was going to see Stonehenge. They had rented a car and would be driving to a village called Salisbury, near where the stones were located. Shannon had to close her eyes a few times until Rhea got used to driving on the wrong side of the street. They checked in at the hotel and then went for a walk. They stopped at a local pub for something to eat, and to call Shannon's relatives to let them know they had arrived. The people were very friendly and were anxious to know what the two Americans were going to do on their visit. The elderly couple that owned the pub were very likable. They just loved to hear about America. Rhea had mentioned they were there to visit Stonehenge and Mary the owner of the pub gave her some good advice. "Go during the day love, just around dawn if you can. It's better that way. Don't go there after dark. It's haunted you know?" "You wouldn't catch me there at night. No sir, Not the place to be at night!"

Her husband chimed in" I heard tell of strange things happening there. There was a young couple a few months ago swore they could hear a buzzing noise coming from the stones. It scared them so bad they left and didn't come back. Shannon just smiled at this. It seemed the locals were trying to add to the pizazz of the place. It made it more appealing she guessed. She got up from the stool at the bar and stretched her legs. "Well , thanks for everything. And we'll remember what you said. No nighttime visits".

Mary smiled at the two women and said "you come back when you can, all right?"

The two women agreed to come back before they left for Ireland. And strolled back to the hotel. Later that day Rhea decided they should go check out the stones before it got too late. They drove about twenty miles and saw a small station on the side of the road. They got out and started walking up the hill. Shannon felt a little dizzy from the climb, but other than that she was excited to be there. When they crested the hill there in the middle of a meadow was the rock formation. It was easy to see why so many people were mystified with the place. This circle of rocks appeared to be just set down here in this pattern, but considering they had been there for over four thousand years, how was that possible? There was definitely a pattern here. Some believed it was the work of the druids. An ancient cult of priests who practiced Paganism all those years ago. Shannon's grandmother believed their family had descended from the druids. Others believed it was UFOS. There were those who said they were the works of Merlin and that the stones had magical powers. But to Shannon it was a work of art. The stones were positioned in reference to the rising and setting of the sun. The inner most stones were called the Bluestone Horseshoe. The outer and larger horseshoe pattern was called the Trilithon Horseshoe. Both opened to face the northeast in the direction of the summer sunrise. Then they were surrounded by the Bluestone Circle. Immediately to the outside of those is Sarsen circle. It boggles the mind to think that someone deliberately set them in place in this order, when some weigh as much as fifty tons. Shannon walked up to the opening and went in. She ran her hands over the stone. She could just picture the druids practicing their rituals here in the center. Swaying back and forth to the drums. Fires burning people dancing to the music of the Celtic flutes and singing. Here she felt connected to her ancestors. She belonged here. She could here the music as if they were still playing she closed her eyes and slowly started turning. She saw a flash, a set of eyes, and the face of a man deep in thought. He looked sad. The mans hair was dark and long and pulled back with tiny braids behind his ears. She frowned, his ears. They were pointed! Her eyes flew open and the vision was gone. Who was it? What had those pointed ears meant? Was he a druid of long ago, whose spirit still roamed the stones? She felt a little breathless. Rhea had been walking around the formation. Looking at the shape of the stones. She pulled out her journal and started taking notes. She called to Shannon "I wonder if we could get a helicopter ride? I would love to see the pattern from the air. I'm going to ask at the hotel when we get back." She looked up at Shannon as she approached. Her face was very pale and she just sat down on the grass. "Are you ok? You look like hell. Just sit here for a few minutes, I'll get some water from the car." She said. While she was gone Shannon laid back on the cool grass and rested. God, she could stay here forever. It was so peaceful. "Shannon !, Shannon!" Rhea was screaming. She sat up quickly to see what Rhea was screaming about. Rhea ran up to where she was sitting "God, don't do that! I saw you lying there and, well I thought " she hesitated "you know. You scared the crap out of me!"

Shannon looked at how upset Rhea was and felt guilty, " I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't thinking."

Rhea looked annoyed, "are you feeling sick? We'll head back to the hotel."

Shannon shook her head and started telling Rhea about the vision she had seen. "He looked so sad. He was really nice looking and he had long black hair and pointed ears!"

Rhea looked at her friend and frowned "It was probably Lucifer come to claim his way ward children. And we're first on the list.!" she turned and looked thoughtfully at Shannon "Did he have horns?" Shannon couldn't help but laugh at her friend "No, he didn't have horns. You nut. Come on " she said pulling Rhea up off the ground, "Lets go". They started walking back down the hill to the car. Shannon couldn't help but look back over her shoulder. They would come back tomorrow when they had more time to spend.