Season 3, Episode 8: "Kelpie"

Remember the story of Hansel & Gretel? Brother and sister get lost in the woods and almost eaten by a wicked witch. Well, I happen to know a couple witches and they're not wicked, but sometimes, I can't help but wonder what kinds of things would steal children. There are countless tales in almost every culture about scary things out to snatch children in the night and how the parents can't do anything to stop it. Then, I think...at what point are we not in danger of getting kidnapped by those monsters?

A salty mist hung in the air as the behemoth of a tour bus pulled up in the driveway alongside a cottage.

"Can you believe we're so close to the beach?" Molly spread her arms, closed her eyes, and sucked the air around her in through her nose.

Fi's eyes settled on the quaint sign advertising the bed and breakfast they were staying at for the next two days. Welcome to Grant's Cove! Enjoy your stay! The curly painted writing seemed brighter than the veiled sun, but the ocean seemed to lull the area into a contented stupor. Taking a deep, ocean-laden breath, she picked up her bag from the luggage compartment and toted it up the stairs to the wrap-around porch.

Molly plucked a letter taped on the screen door, producing keys that opened a door that let out a low groan. Hardwood floors, wooden ducks, ornate woodwork, and lots of quilts made it feel like a visit to Grandma Kathleen's, and everyone felt immediately at home.

"Okay, so there are three bedrooms upstairs, two downstairs, and lots of free food for breakfast. The owner said she'd be by tomorrow morning to refill everything, so don't leave a mess!" The musician set her bag down by the door; she hadn't felt a home like this since she left her own. She picked her bag up again and tousled her daughter's hair. "Come on kiddo. We share a room."

Fi's brow furrowed as she added everything up. "Wait a second, we have to share a room while the guys each get their own?"

Molly put a hand on Fi's shoulder. "Them's the breaks, kiddo. Let's go."

As they walked down the hall to their room, Fi looked at her mom. "Are you doing this so you can keep an eye on me?"

Molly's lips pursed as she wrapped her hand around the doorknob. "What do you mean?"

The bedroom, continuing the Grandma's House theme, sported two double four-poster beds.

Fi set her bag down on a bed. "I mean, with all the stuff that's been happening in the last few months... I dunno. I just wanted to make sure you were okay?"

Molly did the same. "I'm okay, although I could use a nice break from everything. Oh, and I checked. No hauntings, no creatures, nothing. I already checked."

Fi raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you don't believe in this stuff?" She pulled a jacket out of her bag.

"I never said I didn't, but I never said I did. Where are you going?"

Fi stopped at the door. "Out for a walk. I'll be back in a couple hours."

Molly crossed her arms as the door closed. A couple hours was too long.

Thirty minutes had Fi a mile or so down the road, and she turned to face the ocean. Mist spramped up from the gentle waves that broke along a pebbled beach, and she squinted; she would have sworn if asked that she could make something out in the haze, but it vanished as quickly as she'd noticed.

She jumped when something touched her arm, and she turned to see a boy of about 12 running past her.

"Tag! You're it!"

Breath began to sting as she chased him, but a few years on him closed the gap. She reached out and tapped him on the shoulder, and he stopped.

"You're it." A smile lit her face.

He turned around. "You're fast!"

"I'm Fiona." She held her hand out.

"I'm Colin!" He took it, and she felt a slight tingle when he did.

"Nice to meet you! Are you from around here?"

"Actually, I live in town with my parents. I came out here to walk on the beach."

"Mind if I join you? We're staying down the road at the cottage."

"Sure."

The low hiss of the water grew to a dull roar when they got to the rocks, and he threw a few in the ocean.

"So, what do you do around here for fun?"

"I don't come out here much. My mother doesn't like me going so far away for too long. I have to be back in a bit."

Fi chuckled. "Sounds like my mom."

Colin stooped to pick up more pebbles. "Yeah, but you'd think my mom is crazy. She used to tell me stories about the kelpie."

Her heart skipped a beat. "What's a kelpie?"

His gaze went across the water to the horizon. "It's a water horse. A horse made out of water. It comes and takes children from their beds if they're naughty."

She laughed this time. "Well, good to know it's just a bedtime story to scare kids. Do you think it's real?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. I mean, my mom told me Santa Claus is fake, so I don't know anymore. Maybe. Sometimes, I see a horse out there, but it could just be my imagination."

Her expression went stony. Nothing, huh, Mom?

Back at the cottage, Molly looked up from writing a song. Had that been a breeze across the back of her neck a few seconds ago? She shook her head as Jack walked into the parlor and took a seat across from her.

"You look worried."

She smiled. "Nah, kiddo, I'm just having one of those 'I hope Fi's not getting into trouble' moments. She went out for a walk."

"She'll be fine. I mean, that was some crazy business back home, but maybe Fi's driven us all crazy."

Molly set her pencil down on the table in front of her. "You know, I thought that. A long time ago, I thought your dad was crazy. When he died, and then with Fi...I dunno sometimes. Ever since New York..." She took a deep breath. "You know what? Irene said she's been talking to some friends and we might score our biggest gig yet."

Her son's face lit up. "Mom, that's great news!"

Her gaze fell to the floor. "Yeah, it is. But I remember how it was when your dad and I were touring. I dunno, Jack. I don't know if I want to be dragging you guys around like this for much longer."

Jack frowned. "Are you worried that life on the road is getting to us?"

She looked back up at him. "Actually, I am. Especially for Fi. Sometimes, I wish that I could just settle down, but music is my life. So are you two, and everyone else."

He got up and put a hand on her shoulder. "Mom, look. FI and I have been on the road for a long time now. It's been rough, yeah, but we've gotten used to it. Nobody's said that they have a problem, have they?"

She put a hand on his. "Yeah, I guess not."

His hand squeezed. "I'm gonna go take a nap. Try to relax, okay?"

She smiled at him. "Okay, kiddo. Sleep well. I love you."

"Love you too," came down the hall as he went upstairs to his room. He wrinkled his nose when he caught sight of the décor again; even Grandma Kathleen wasn't that bad. Kicking off his shoes, she toppled onto the quilted mattress, and he was halfway asleep as he shifted himself to gain purchase on the pillow. A rush of sea air was all it took to knock him out, but his heart started beating as he felt himself falling.

The white light faded, revealing someone standing behind a tree. He squinted and a silver-haired woman came into view, the hint of a smile on her face. He found every limb paralyzed, and she crossed the clearing to put a hand on his face.

"Who are you?"

"My name isn't important. I know who you are, though...Liam O' Sianhan."

"How do you know my name?"

"It's not important, either. Do you know of your family?"

"My family? I haven't seen them in years."

"Your family-"

Twigs cracked as someone else came into the clearing; Cathleen, still wearing the same green dress he'd last seen her in stopped when she saw the other woman.

"I should have known I'd find you here." Liam's wife laughed, her voice rough instead of melodic.

The mystery woman's eyes went red. "Begone, you coward. You have no power here."

Cathleen hissed. "Who are you to tell me what to do? You've been a thorn in my side, meddling in the affairs of the O' Sianhans."

"'Tis not I who meddles in their affairs, but no matter. They can take care of you themselves." She locked her eyes on Liam's. "His name is Bricriu."

Cathleen screamed; her eyes glowed white as she fell to the ground.

The other woman put a hand on Liam's shoulder. "We don't have much time; he won't be gone for long. Come." Her hand moved down to his and his limbs unbound; they both started running deeper into the forest.

The stopped at a set of heavy wooden doors, and they parted with a whisper from the stranger. She led Liam down a hall, bedecked with a suit of armor. He frowned when he thought for a moment that it was his, but his attention turned to the door at the end of the next hall around the corner.

More doors opened toward him, and another white light spilled out to wash over him. Liam put a hand over his eyes, but it dropped to his side when he felt himself lifted off of his feet. The light seemed to fill his eyes, and he gasped.

"Yes" escaped his mouth in a whisper.

While Jack dreamt, Fi came inside to find her mother still writing songs.

"How's it coming along?"

Molly looked up. "Hey, kiddo! It's getting there. I just need a few more lines."

"I'm just going to go do some research on my laptop. This kid named Colin told me that pirates used to come to Grant's Cove. I want to check it out."

Her mother felt a twinge. "Okay, baby. I'll be down here."

Fi went into their shared room and pulled her laptop out of her bag, setting it on the vanity table that sat along a wall. As soon as it was on, Fi opened her instant messenger and saw her cousin's name in the ONLINE list.

Fi: Hello, Tristan.

Tristan: Fi! How have you been?

Fi: We're on vacation in North Carolina for a couple days. Ned and Irene are still figuring out where Mom's next gig is.

Tristan: So, anything interesting happening?

Fi: Maybe. What do you know about kelpies?

Tristan: I think I've read about that somewhere. Give me a minute.

Tristan: I found something. Kelpies are called water horses. Legend says that they steal children in the night and take them away. There hasn't been much word on it over the years because it's mostly stories and rumors from a long time ago. Nobody's actually reported seeing a kelpie.

Fi: I thought I saw one, but it might just be my imagination. There's a boy that says that he's seen it too.

Tristan: Be careful. If the legends are true, you don't want to go looking for it.

Fi: Thanks. I hope I'll get to see you again soon.

Tristan: I have a holiday coming up. I'll get in touch with you before then.

Tristan signed off.

"Steals children, huh?"

Later that day, after everyone had reconvened for dinner, Fi brushed her teeth in the bathroom. Looking on the forums all day hadn't gotten her mind off of Colin and the kelpie, and when she finished brushing, she shut her laptop and crawled into bed. As far as she knew, her mother was still writing songs downstairs, so she probably wouldn't be in for a while. Fi turned off the lamp next to her bed and slid under the covers; their comforting weight helped her drift off.

Her eyes fluttered open when something pierced through the depths of her slumber, and the haze still clouded her head as she got out of bed.

Fiona.

She shuffled to the window and looked out over the ocean to the beach; her gaze settled on something ethereal.

A horse made of silvery wisps stared at her and before she knew it, she was out the front door and walking down the sidewalk.

Fiona!

She reached the beach in no time, and her eyes slid shut many a time. A few more steps had her crossing a swath of pebbles to get closer. It turned its head toward her, and when she was by its side, she put a hand against it. Something shot through every nerve, sending her hurtling into the throes of sleep again.

When she woke up, her eyes caught a sight that she hadn't seen in what seemed like a while.

"When did we go home?"

Back at the cottage, Jack's eyes fluttered open; he put a hand to his chest and felt his heart beating like a jackhammer.

Something's wrong.

He got out of bed and prayed the door wouldn't groan like it had when he'd opened it to go to bed. It didn't, and he tiptoed down the stairs to the door he'd seen his sister go into when they arrived. With his breath held in his chest, he turned the knob and cracked the door.

His eyes settled on empty beds, and he jumped when someone put a hand on his shoulder; he whirled around to see his mother.

"Baby, what are you doing up so late?"

"You're not asleep?"

"No. I've been out on the porch writing."

"Did Fi come home last night?"

Molly nodded.

"She's not in her bed."

Her heart stopped. "I saw her go into the bedroom. She has to be there. I only went out onto the porch an hour ago."

Jack let out a sigh and sped as fast as tiptoeing would allow, snatching the jacket and shoes he'd stashed by the door. When he got back downstairs, Molly had done the same.

"Let's go. No point in waking the others."

"Why not? Can't Ned call the police or something?"

"We need to find her. Now." She grabbed his hand and led him out the front door, flashlight beaming in front of her.

They stopped at the end of the driveway.

"Where could she be? I mean, how long has she been gone?" Jack looked down the road toward the beach.

"Jack." Molly knelt down, fingers clamping around something cold. She opened her palm in front of her son; it bore Fi's ring.

His blood chilled. "Where is she?"

Fi wondered the very same thing. She got out of bed, still taking in her room. There was her father's guitar, and the magic book, and-

She squinted, and everything went out of focus for a second.

"Okay, I went to sleep in North Carolina. What's going on?" She sighed. "Bricriu? Is this your doing?"

With no reply, she went downstairs into the living room; after checking the kitchen, she opened the front door. She swallowed a lump in her throat; no bird calls, no insects, no wind. Taking a deep breath, she set foot outside and fell down the front porch steps.

"Seriously?" She scrambled to her feet, stopping when she saw her grandmother's house. "Okay, this is officially weird."

Meanwhile, Molly's flashlight scanned the road; they'd started making headway to the beach.

"Mom, she could be miles away by now. How are we going to find her?"

She stopped. "I don't know, Jack! I never know! I thought we'd be having a nice family vacation, but something like this was bound to happen. It always does."

"Seriously, Mom? Fi goes missing and you jump to...that?"

"She never goes missing unless it's that!"

His hands clenched. "Okay, fine. Let's entertain the notion that something weird happened to Fi. How are we going to find her if we don't know what we're up against?"

Molly put a hand over her mouth. "I don't know, Jack, but we can't find her."

A warmth flared in Jack's chest. "Let's check the beach."

As the pair ran toward the rocky shore, Fi opened the door to her grandmother's house.

"Grandma Kathleen? Grandpa?"

Her breath came out in a fog as she stepped into the house, and she heard something coming from the kitchen. She stopped in her tracks when she saw a silver-haired woman; the same woman she'd seen at this house before.

"Fiona. Come with me."

Molly's flashlight played over the water.

"Mom, do you think that Fi would have been crazy enough to go for a midnight swim? That water's freezing."

Her breath came out in a fog. "Where else would she have gone? Do you see anyone else on the beach?"

Jack looked around with a sour pain in his chest. "No, but-" A shadow in the distance caught his attention. "What about over there?" He pointed to a massive boulder jutting out of the ocean, and they both started running toward it.

Fi ran out the back door of Kathleen's house, striving to keep up with the banshee.

"Where are we going?"

"It's not safe here." The soft words came flying over the spirit's shoulder as they sped through a forest, trees hemming them in on both sides. Heart racing, she stopped when she saw a very familiar set of double doors.

Molly skidded to a stop by the rock. "Help me look." Her flashlight fought with the water that spramped against the boulder, and the dark water shimmered for a moment before the beam of light rested on a dark shape in the water. Her heart dropped out of her chest. "Jack!"

Fi's eyes played over the décor in the long stone hall, and she let out a soft breath when she saw a picture of her cousin. Her heartbeat slowed, and her gate softened as she rounded the corner to face something she'd hoped she'd never see again in her entire life.

Jack dove into the water, legs and arms working in unison to propel him against the current tearing him in different directions, but he couldn't help when he froze; his hand wrapped around a wrist. His feet settled on the gravel below him and he pushed upward, jerking back when his sister didn't move.

The giant doors opened and white light spilled out and onto her; she froze when her left hand clenched around a bare thumb.

The banshee put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be afraid."

Fi tried to stem the tremble in her chest and took a step forward; the light flared and reached out toward her. Another step, and she felt it on her face. One more, and it swallowed her whole.

One last push against the ocean floor sent Jack and Fi hurtling toward the surface, and he scrambled for the beach as soon as he broke the top of the water. Dragging her onto shore, he listened for something, anything that would tell him that his sister was still here.

He pressed on her chest and she coughed, spitting up water. He threw his arms around her while Molly stood back, quiet tears streaming down her face.

"Jack! Jack!" Fi spluttered, water still coming out of her mouth. She pushed her brother back just in time to see something coming out of the water. "Jack, look out!"

Her brother turned around and rose to his feet as the kelpie stared him down, lowering its head. He braced himself as it raced toward him, and he threw up his arms as it collided with him. The creature dissipated in a rush of water, and the remnants rained down on the trio.

Molly put her arms down. "What was that?"

Fi got to her feet, staggered forward, and fell against her mother in an embrace. "Thank you." She looked at her brother. "How did you know where I was?"

"I don't know."

Fi's lower lip trembled as she walked over to hug her brother. "Thank you."

He held her close, and his memory drifted to the dream he'd had. Could it really be? Of course, he couldn't put too much stock in it, but that didn't matter right now. His sister was safe.

Back at the cottage, the Phillips kids dried off while Molly sat in the parlor. They'd managed to save Fi just in time to see the sun peeking over the horizon, and she knew that none of them would sleep until they got back on the bus.

She let out a sigh as Jack walked into the room.

"Mom, are you okay?"

She laughed. "Now why would you ask that?"

"You did see that horse-thing, didn't you?"

She nodded. "Yes, baby, I did. I just don't know how to process something like that. We go our entire lives thinking that this stuff isn't real, but I'm not so sure anymore." Her lower lip trembled as a tear snaked down her cheek.

"Oh, Mom." He sat on the loveseat with her and put a hand on hers. "I don't know what I saw, but the important thing is that Fi's safe."

"You're right, but I can't help wondering how long it'll be like this for. How long until we have to deal with something else?"

"Mom, I can't say that I think Fi's crazy all the time, but-"

"Jack, how else do you explain everything else that's been happening to us?"

He sighed. "I don't know. Fi's always believed in this stuff. Maybe we're both just going crazy."

"I lost your father because of stuff like this, baby. I've come so close to losing the two of you the same way. I don't know what else I can do."

He squeezed her hand, a warmth flaring in his chest. "I'll protect her, Mom. No matter what."

She looked at her son, squinting when she stared into his eyes. "Baby, I love you." She hugged him, letting out a sigh.

Fi opened her laptop, raising an eyebrow when she saw an instant message from Tristan.

Tristan: Fi, are you okay?

She sat down at the vanity table.

Fi: Yes, I am.

Tristan: I got a really bad feeling about you a while ago. I thought maybe something had happened.

Fi: Something did happen.

Tristan: Was it a kelpie?

Fi: Yes. Apparently, I'm still a child.

Tristan: Maybe that doesn't literally mean a child. What if it means sons and daughters?

Fi: Maybe you're right. I guess we'll never know.

Tristan: What do you mean?

Fi: Well, it sort of exploded when it ran into Jack.

Tristan: Exploded?

Fi: I don't know for sure. It's strange, though. Jack found me.

Tristan: He found you? How?

Fi: I'm not sure about that, either. Maybe it's the way the O' Sianhan gift manifests itself in him.

Tristan: Maybe. I think there's more to it than that, but this thing isn't easy to research.

Fi: Tell me about it. I'm going to go to bed and try to sleep before tomorrow. Apparently, we're going to an arts and crafts festival in the next town over.

Tristan: Sleep well if you can, Fi. Let me know if you find anything else.

Fi: Will do. Good night.

Fi signed off.

She closed her laptop, questions reeling in her mind. Slipping under the covers, she didn't bother turning off the lamp; she was out as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Further north, over the forests of Virginia and the capes of New England, Tristan closed his laptop, yawning. He'd managed to get up early for class, but a strange pressure in his chest kept him from enjoying the quiet of his apartment. He got up from his desk chair and shambled out of his room and into the kitchen, leaving behind an empty bedroom and a flicker of light hovering just outside the window.