Chapter 9

Jason stayed up in the grove until daylight. The grove remained quiet and still. As the sun peaked over the mountain, Jason heard the birds. He stood and looked at the grove of trees. The tree that had been occupied by Sheila's ghost was in ashes. He looked around at the grove. He thought he heard something but decided that it was just his imagination. After checking the other trees in the grove, he decided to head on down back into town.

"Jason Bolt" He turned and looked but saw no one. He walked again and again, he heard his name:
"Jason Bolt, I do herby confirm on you and your kin this day the title of Protector of this grove forever and ever!" He looked again, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him he saw a small man, standing on a tree stump with a scepter in his hand and a crown on his head. Jason blinked a couple of times, but the image was still there. He went closer to the stump but when he got just a foot away, the sun spot, disappeared and no one was on the stump. He scratched his head and decided that it was just because he had not had enough sleep. But he did turn around one more time to look at the grove. The trees stood tall and green; the sunlight warmed the ground below the trees. It was a peaceful grove of trees. No ugly faces, or scary branches to reach out and capture someone. He wondered if it wasn't all a dream? But if it had been a dream, why was he up on top of the mountain and not in his bed at home?

"Home?" He thought about that. His brothers now had their own homes. Their own families.

"I wonder if it isn't time for me to think about getting a family myself?" Jason thought as he headed back to Seattle. When he arrived, the place seemed to be bustling with activity.

"Jason, there you are? We have been looking all over for you? The children want to know when you are going to do your scary story? I told them not until tonight when we have the harvest party!" Lottie said as she was carrying two pies to the pie booth! He looked at her and wondered what had happened. Then he saw Joshua with Shellie walking to the barn carrying the bucket and a basket of apples for the evening festivities.

"Hey, Jason, I found the bucket, you were using it in the old cabin to hold up one end of the bed!" Laughed Joshua.

"Uncle Jason, I hope you aren't mad at me, I stole the stool you were using in your cabin for a place to sit tonight!" Shellie said as she helped her father by carrying the empty bucket. Jason was not sure about all the preparations going on unless he had been dreaming, but if he had, why had he been up on the mountain?

"Jason, thank you for reminding us about that poem father taught us. I made a little song using the words in that poem. Do you want to hear it?" Jeremy said as he started the tune with his guitar.

"Jeremy, not right now. I think maybe we three need a Bolt meeting in the backroom of Lottie's!" Jason said to his brothers. Jerremy looked at Joshua and Josh looked at Jeremy.

"Shellie, take the bucket to the barn, then get the J.J. and Jonathan to help with the box of apples." Shellie looked at her dad and with a big smile said:
"Dad, how come I don't get to go to the meeting with you? I am a Bolt as well?" Joshua looked at his little girl and thought carefully what he was going to say:

"Shellie, there will come a time that you will be invited to a Bolt meeting but not this time." He had bent down and talked to her face to face, and she smiled and said okay and then went off with the bucket.

Jason, Jeremy, and Joshua went into the saloon, Lottie was already getting ready for the lunch rush.

"Lottie, three beers, my brothers and I will be in the back room!" Jason said as he passed the bar, by the time Jeremy had passed and Joshua was up at the bar there were three glasses of beer waiting. Joshua picked them up without losing his stride. Once behind closed doors Jason spoke:

"Brothers what happened last night?" Jason asked because he wanted to know if what he had heard and seen was real and if it was that would explain why he was up on the mountain.

"Jason, it did happen. Shellie was missing, Sheila was there, it wasn't a dream. But it was a nightmare. If you hadn't been there, I don't' know what we would have done!" Joshua said.

"Y-y-you know wh-wh-what happened! Sh-sh-shellie ran up the mountain, we had to get her. We all went searching…" Jeremy said

"Did we see the banshee? Did we really say that poem?" Jason asked. Both brothers said yes. Jason looked at them, thinking of what he should tell them and what they didn't need to know. He took a sip of his beer and then he told them.

"When father came up here and planted those trees, he did not know that he had brought some faeries along. He found out one day when I was about 7 before Joshua was born father and I went camping up there in that grove. We heard voices or what sounded like voices. Father said it was nothing but later, he taught me the poem we said las tonight and told me that if we were ever caught in that grove by faeries or others brownie's or other such creatures, we should say that poem. We could say it alone or together if we said it together it was more powerful. But he admonished all of us that we should never say it unless we were in real trouble."
"I remember father telling me the poem once, he had me memorize it." Joshua said,

"I remember that Josh and I were at home, and he would ask us both to say that a couple of times. I tried to make it into a song, but it wasn't' until now that it became a song or at least I made a tune to it?" said Jeremy. Jason looked at Jeremy and said to both of them.

"One thing he did say was that it is only to be used in extreme circumstances. We can pass it down to our children, but they must never say it just for fun. We must never say it for fun either!" Jsaon said

"But why? We used it last night?" asked Jeremy. Jason looked at him. He was the youngest and the farthest away from the Scottish traditions that he could be. Jason thought it was good, but it was also bad. There were certain traditions that should be kept.

"Jeremy, Joshua, when Da said to not say those words unless we are in real trouble, he meant it. I think because it is like someone 'crying wolf' too many times and it will loose its real meaning and will not be strong enough to help." Jeremy and Joshua looked at their brother who said:

"We need to agree that we will only use that poem if we are in an extremely dangerous situation like last night!" Jason stuck his fist out and first Joshua and then Jeremy added their fists. They agreed, they came out of the backroom, their beers gone, and Jason went to get his story while Jeremy went to get Candy and the children and Joshua went to get Pilar and his children. They all met at the barn and Jeremy started with songs for their harvest while the children played games. The adults and children bobbed for apples, and everyone loved the pies. Biddie and her drinks were quite popular, especially for Clancy. At last it was time for Jason Bolt to go on stage and tell his story:

Jason came on the stage in full formal Scottish dress, including his Uncle Duncan's bagpipe which he played as he stepped onto the stage. Coming to the center of the stage, he stopped, turned around and put the bagpipe down on the floor next to his chair. He sat on the chair and took a book. He lit a pipe and sat for a minute without saying a word. The candles let out an orange glow on the stage. The children looked up from their places around the stage. He looked at them and then looked out into the audience. Looking at the children again, with a Scottish accent he said:

"Now, children, are ye ready for a scary story?" All the children cheered. Jason smiled and opened his 'book.'

'A long time ago in Scotland, lived a family, no any family, a Laird and his Lady who were quite happy in their castle, they had a laddie an' a lassie. But one day…"