Chapter Text
Chapter 1
All hope is lost in our memories
It was just another nice sunday, planting flowers, taking care of her garden.
Nuala felt so good about her life. So blessed for her as a young woman to have all that she had.
She lived in a small cottage which was surprisingly good and the rent price wasn’t so expensive.
A stable job, as a book editor in a nice, cozy small English town. She had nice friends, mostly from her job. She missed her family, though; they were distant, living a busy life in London. Her brother, Sean (Clobhair, was his nickname), was the one that came often to visit her.
She had a constant companion; it was her cat, Puck, a nasty, mischeveous little creature with black fur and bright blue eyes. A nice, calm little life. Not much to worry about, considering her calm routine and her mostly tranquil nature.
However, sometimes, she felt odd.
At times, she woke up at night, sweating. In these moments, she had vivid dreams of other realms. Of fairies, gods, deities that were endless. She felt that she was connected to all of it somehow. That her life was a lie.
She stood painting in her bed, when those episodes happened. Scared and excited. Often, there was also a shadowy creature, with the shape of a man. His eyes were made of stars and his smell was the one of white lillies at night.
Her little life kept its flow until one day, coming back from work after buying Puck’s food on the way home in a small market, she saw him. The man of her dreams. She had never seen his face at all, but she knew it was hill.
Tall and slender, all dressed in black. A remarkable face, with proheminent cheeckbones and dark (scary) blue eyes. He was standing near her garden and she almost drop her pack from market.
“Hi, there, stranger.” she said, in a sympathetic, slightly tense way, greeting him.
He took several minutes to answer her, as she stood near him, looking at him with delight.
“Hi.”, he said, in a deep voice.
“Are you new around here?” she asked, being sure she never saw him around. “Do you want any help?”
“I’m not from here, indeed. I am passing by, looking around here. It happens that I tought your house was admirable. It could be the house of fairies.”
His answer send shivers throughout her spine.
“Thank you.” she said, smiling, “Can I help you somehow?”
“No, thanks. Perhaps, if we meet again”
She nooded and smiled. He didn’t smile back, just walked away slowly.
She opened the door of her Tolkien-like cottage and was greeted by Puck meowing at the sight of her. It restored the sense of normality. But her encounter with the stranger was intense. It gave her a dream-like sensation.
Nuala couldn’t deny she wished to see him again. Soon.