Mum grabbed me for a dance circling the bride and groom, my arms stretched out, holding myaintin’sand mum’s hands. The spinning intensified the dizziness I was already feeling. My giggling got lost and was deafened by the loud band playing the fiddle, accordion and drums so fast. I was smiling and laughing so much my cheeks hurt. The more I laughed, the faster we circled them, stepping closer, clapping twice then farther from the center. The happiness on Cousin Lily's face intensified her beauty like the sunlight to a red rose and almost made the groom handsome, almost. It was so fun to spin and dance while peeking at the couple gawking at each other, feeding each other cake then kissing. I couldn’t believe she could kiss him, but it taught me how powerful the magic of love could be.
As we celebrated, the night rushed across the sky too soon, covering us in darkness. The fun itself seemed to quicken time. The music got louder and louder until it hurt my ears anddirected the drumming of my heart, but it was worth it. Being surrounded by my happy family was my favorite thing.
After a few songs, I was too out of breath from dancing and my belly hurt from laughing, so I walked past the bonfires to where only the moonlight dictated what was exhibited or hidden. I sat by one of the long, empty wooden tables and grabbed another beer, downing it as fast as possible to quench my thirst before anyone caught me. The bitter suds filled my mouth, tickling and cooling my inner cheeks and tongue as I gulped it all down. Then I sat back and sighed. Relaxation spread through every corner of my body in slow waves. I could finally let go.Stop worrying. Everything is okay. Mommy is having fun.I lifted my head and glanced toward the dancing crowd to confirm my thoughts. My eyelids grew heavy but not to the extent that would make me fall asleep under the table like last time. I leaned back my head, looking up at the sky. The night was mostly clear with only a long thin cloud and the stars splattered all over.
Scanning around and making sure no one had caught me, I noticed the line of people waiting to enter Nana’s home, so I walked up to her little cottage and climbed up the wooden stairs past all of them. Nana was an amazing, well-known, wise healer. People came from all over the world to talk to her about their troubles, but I took great pride in not needing to wait to see her like everyone else, in being her favorite great grandson.
From the corner of her eye, Nana noticed me peeking into the room, and the conversation halted between her and some bloke. “Killian… how many times have I told you not to eavesdrop on adult conversations?” It was a gentle reprimand that quickly melted into the most loving smile I would ever know. I giggled and ran into her open arms and climbed her lap.
Unsatisfied, the man clicked his tongue, shook his head, and sighed before hurrying past me then down the stairs. Looking out the opened door with the lit candles in the house, I witnessthe man evaporate into a mist outside right before entering the woods under the bright moonlight. When I inclined my head to the left, all the people in line acted just as disappointed, and with their heads hanging and shaking, they, too, disappeared into the forest. I’d never seen that before and wondered about it but in Nana’s arms nothing worried me and I quickly forgot.
All I felt was love. She always carried the smell of rain on her, which was so calming. I smiled, and she asked, “Did you steal another can of beer, Killian? You bad, badsooblik.” The chuckling quaked through me. I liked being bad. “Just don’t drink too much of that stuff. It’s poison.”
“Don’t worry, Nana, I won’t.” This time, I wasn’t lying because I wouldn’t do that to her. I called her Nana because she was my great grandmother. “Nana, why do the elders not like Da?”
“See, this is the type of trouble you get into when you eavesdrop. Now you are worried about something that doesn’t concern you.”
“Tell me, Nana,” I begged, and when she shook her head with her eyes closed, I added, “Please.”
He sighed. “Your da’s family knows a lot of bad people. Your da is great though which is why our little rebel, your mum, fell so in love with him.”
“What’s a rebel, Nana?”
“Someone who doesn’t follows the rules.”
It made me laugh to think of Mum as a rebel, like me with the beers. “Did she always break the rules?”
“Only the small ones.”
I chuckled with my palm covering my mouth.
“Tell me which ones.” I was being mischievous, wanting to bring up Mum’s past rebellions later on to tease her.
She ran her fingers through my hair, raking it back into place. I was sure it was a mess from all the dancing and sweating.
“Maybe later, my little man.” With my ear to her chest, I listened to her heart. It sounded different than usual, but I thought it was because it was dancing to the music coming from the party like mine. Between the warmth she radiated and the beer, I was getting too sleepy. It didn’t help that she kept rocking and humming a lullaby. Nana had enough love to wrap around the world twice. That’s why people came to see her any chance they got. She was a very respected healer and elder in the community.
“My dear, beautifulsooblik.” I lifted my head to look at her smile. “Have I ever told you, you have your great grandfather's eyes. One brown, one green. Exactly like him. The brown to look and talk to the dead, and the green to see the living.” Her hands flattened on my cheeks while she further studied my eyes. Hers filled with tears, and her smile melted away, taking mine with it.
“Nana? What’s wrong? You all right?” Even though my head was no longer resting on her chest, I could hear her rushing heart.
“My baby boy,” she lamented, out of breath. “You’re going to have such a long, dark life. Listen to me very carefully. One day, you’ll start to hear the voices. Don’t be afraid of them, but don’t let them take over either.”
I nodded at her instructions, confused as to what she was trying to tell me but also wondering why I wasn’t more afraid.
“Hang onto her, to the one you’ll give this ring to.” For the first time ever, Nana took off her mysterious, special big diamond ring. No one knew how she’d gotten it since there was no way Papa could have ever afforded it. “The Pope gave this to me a long time ago. And now, it’s yours.” She placed it in my palm and closed my fingers around it. I held onto it so tightly the edges of it dug into my skin. It was heavy.
“Nana?”
“Yes?”
“Why did the Pope give you a diamond ring?”
She tittered and hesitated. “Okay. I’ll tell only you but you must keep it a secret—”
“Ooh I like secrets.” I wiggled my arms and put on a evil smile on my face.
She chuckled. “Of course you do, you naughty boy. Truth is, Killian...” She sighed. “I knew him long before he became the Pope. We were close friends and then we lost contact and found each other all over again.”
