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Jamie sat and watched the beautiful butterfly calmly rise up through the filtered sunlight and find its way out of the hospital window. He hadn’t wanted to come today, but his parents had made him get dressed and go to visit his grandfather.
It had been five weeks ago that Jamie’s grandfather had been taken ill and all he could hear were worried silences from his parents every time he asked whether granddad was going to be ok. He may have only been 10, but he realised what those awkward moments without an answer meant, his granddad, the man who had held him on his knee, the man who smelt of old tobacco and mints was dying and this might be the last time Jamie ever saw him alive.
Sadly, he watched as the butterfly tried to find it’s way out of the glass. He carefully opened the window and watched it fly away into the sun, before he turned back to the dimly lit room.
Jamie crossed the room, his feet feeling like heavy weights. He stood by his granddad’s side and looked down at the old man. His gaze was returned and a smile crossed the lips of the frail old man in the white hospital bed.
“Don’t worry, Jamie.” Came the whispered reply. “You know that when I’m gone, you can still talk to me and I’ll listen.”
The machine that had quietly been monitoring his heart suddenly changed to a long screech and Jamie’s father quickly reached for the button to call the nurse. Jamie tried to hold back the tears , but felt the first drop slide down his nose and knew there were more to follow. His grandfather, still smiling, seemed to fade out as Jamie felt himself being pulled backwards. He watched motionless, except for the stream of tears, as a rush of white coats and machinery moved in a blur to surround the dying man.
--- -
The week after the events at the hospital, Jamie went with his parents to a campsite by the sea. It had been one of his grandfather’s favourite places and they had gone there to celebrate his life and get away from all the phone calls and fuss that surrounded the death of a relative.
For Jamie it was a chance to get out of school and to swim in the sea, both things being a very appealing prospect. He made the most of this impromptu holiday straight away by dragging his dad down to the sea and watching as their large yellow dingy was inflated, before setting off into the breaking waves. Even though the weather wasn’t ideal for it, his mother had then called them for a picnic on the deserted beach and they sat down to eat with the crashing waves in front of them and the occasional sandstorm making the sandwiches slightly more crunchy, which his dad joked about how they were now real sand-wiches.
While they cleared up the food, Jamie noticed that one of the blankets had come loose from the stones placed on them and called to his mother. No-one heard him, so he decided to tackle this himself. The wind had whipped the blanket up in the air by the time he turned back and he worried that it might fly into the sea, but it twisted and turned towards the rocks at the far end of the beach. He followed the fluttering blanket, running across the sand and frantically jumping when he thought he was near. After a while the wind died down and the blanket landed on the floor of the rocks. Jamie picked it up and, for the first time since chasing it, turned to let his parents know where he was.
To his shock, a stone wall stood in front of Jamie as he turned to wave. Had he run into a cave chasing the blanket? He couldn’t remember. The entrance wasn’t far, but when he ran to the edge of the cave, water was already lapping around him. It looked deep too and he knew that he’d been told not to swim around the rocks because the waves could quite easily hurt him if they were rough. He called out to his mum and dad many times, his voice each time getting louder and more worried, but could hear nothing in reply.
The sensible thing to do was to wait in the mouth of the cave until his parents found him, thought Jamie. But it was getting cold and darker now and the waves were getting nearer to him. He looked into the cave for the first time and realised that it went far back into the cliffs. He wondered what to do, surely there were no dangerous creatures in the cave? But an imagination is a terrible thing sometimes and Jamie began to imagine all sorts of horrible things that could be lurking in the cave, real or not. It wasn’t long before Jamie’s choice was made for him though. The storm had become worse and the waves were now threatening to enter the cave, spray splashing against his face as he stood pondering. He looked back one last time, took a deep breath and entered the darker end of the cave.
- --
The cave wasn’t too bad at first. For a little boy, it had been easy for Jamie to walk along without worrying too much about the lack of space, but soon he found himself on his hands and knees. Once or twice his legs scraped against a sharp rock and he felt nasty spikes of pain go right up his body. He tried to ignore them and carried on, more concerned about the waves behind him, which seemed louder and louder. At last he saw an opening ahead of him and soon he found himself on the edge of a small drop.
What he also saw was a figure in the cave. It looked like an old man, but he wasn’t sure from here. The figure was huddled over a well build fire in the middle of the cave and Jamie wondered whether it was safe to go and talk to him. He thought that for now he would try to sneak past, so he jumped from the ledge as quietly as he could and kept to the shadows of the cave, behind the old man.
The cave went quite far back and Jamie crept along, hugging the wall like some sort of spy. He could feel the beads of sweat appear on his face as he got nearer to the fire, but he was soon past the back of the old man. Just as he thought he might be able to get to the other side, he heard a laugh.
“That’s no way to sneak around in a well lit cave!” the old man chuckled.
Jamie stood dead still, he wasn’t sure what the owner of the laugh might do to him.
“Don’t worry lad. I won’t hurt you. I’m guessing you don’t know where you are?”
It took a lot of effort, but Jamie managed to finally speak. “uh…I just wondered in here to get away from the waves…”
“Ah. So you don’t realise?”
Jamie looked puzzled.
“Of course not!” the old man continued, “You were sent here. That’s the only way in. Come on, I’ll take you through to see Mama Brighid”
As the old man got nearer, Jamie saw the old man’s features. His white hair was curled and grew down into a long beard. His red cheeks gave him a friendly look that made Jamie think of kind wizards.
“My name is Diarmuid, by the way.” Said the man. “I was awaiting you.”
They walked through the cave entrance into a grove, which became a wood. Jamie felt like he was walking on soft carpet as the leaves crunched under his feet. It was unlike any wood he had ever seen. Though they walked for miles, he felt no tiredness, the surroundings were so beautiful that he forgot the distance altogether.
“Ah. Here we are.” Diarmuid pointed to small cottage on the hill in front of them, before beckoning to Jamie.
They reached the cottage and Diarmuid knocked. The large wooden door had a symbol of a bull inscribed on it and as it opened, the sun caught it and made it shine.
“Welcome Diarmuid, and this must be young Jamie?” The owner of the voice looked down and smiled. “I’m Brighid, please come in and have something to drink.”
Jamie followed the young lady through to a large room with a fire and a cauldron, which sat bubbling away. Her face looked very pretty against the firelight, like the blossoming of a flower and Jamie felt at once at ease in the welcoming room.
“I have something to show you, Jamie.” She said as she picked something up from a nearby table. “Do you know what this is?” She held it up so that Jamie could see.
“It’s an apple.” Said Jamie, looking at the shrivelled fruit. “But I wouldn’t eat it, it’s rotten.”
“Yes. The apple has been picked from the tree. It has died, but seeds still form inside. If left on the ground it will give rise to a new tree and produce many more apples. Here, drink this.” She handed him a silver cup.
As Jamie drank the sweet smelling drink, he thought about the apple. What had Brighid meant?
She saw the look on his face. “Jamie. I know you’ve suffered a loss recently. But you are like the seed of the apple, you will grow strong and carry on the cycle. Do not mourn for your Grandfather, celebrate his life by living your own.” She smiled at him, it was as if the sun had come out from behind the clouds.
Diarmuid was looking out of the window. “Well, it seems to be getting late. We’d better be off, young Jamie.”
Jamie thanked Brighid and left with Diarmuid. They made their way back through the wood, but then the old man suddenly stopped.
“Ah. Here’s a little friend you might recognise.”
He watched as a butterfly flew in front of them and hovered. It flittered in the sunlight before slowly making it’s way forward.
“Follow the butterfly and it will lead you home.” Said Diarmuid. I must say goodbye here, there is lots to attend to.
“Thank you.” Said Jamie. He hugged the old man and turned to follow the butterfly.
As they reached the border of the cave where Jamie had first found the old man, he saw a new entrance way, illuminated by rays of sunlight. The butterfly flew straight through and then fluttered in the sun, waiting for him to follow.
He climbed through the entrance and found himself back on the stretch of beach where he had first entered the cave. The blanket he had been chasing was caught on a branch in front of him, so he reached up and caught it. The sea still made crashing noises in the background, but this time they were further away and another sound was filtering through.
Jamie heard voices. It was his parents, calling for him. He ran to them.
“Jamie. We were so worried. You’ve been gone for two hours.” His father said as he hugged his son.
“It’s ok dad. I’m just glad to be back.” Said Jamie as they walked back to the caravan.
It had been five weeks ago that Jamie’s grandfather had been taken ill and all he could hear were worried silences from his parents every time he asked whether granddad was going to be ok. He may have only been 10, but he realised what those awkward moments without an answer meant, his granddad, the man who had held him on his knee, the man who smelt of old tobacco and mints was dying and this might be the last time Jamie ever saw him alive.
Sadly, he watched as the butterfly tried to find it’s way out of the glass. He carefully opened the window and watched it fly away into the sun, before he turned back to the dimly lit room.
Jamie crossed the room, his feet feeling like heavy weights. He stood by his granddad’s side and looked down at the old man. His gaze was returned and a smile crossed the lips of the frail old man in the white hospital bed.
“Don’t worry, Jamie.” Came the whispered reply. “You know that when I’m gone, you can still talk to me and I’ll listen.”
The machine that had quietly been monitoring his heart suddenly changed to a long screech and Jamie’s father quickly reached for the button to call the nurse. Jamie tried to hold back the tears , but felt the first drop slide down his nose and knew there were more to follow. His grandfather, still smiling, seemed to fade out as Jamie felt himself being pulled backwards. He watched motionless, except for the stream of tears, as a rush of white coats and machinery moved in a blur to surround the dying man.
--- -
The week after the events at the hospital, Jamie went with his parents to a campsite by the sea. It had been one of his grandfather’s favourite places and they had gone there to celebrate his life and get away from all the phone calls and fuss that surrounded the death of a relative.
For Jamie it was a chance to get out of school and to swim in the sea, both things being a very appealing prospect. He made the most of this impromptu holiday straight away by dragging his dad down to the sea and watching as their large yellow dingy was inflated, before setting off into the breaking waves. Even though the weather wasn’t ideal for it, his mother had then called them for a picnic on the deserted beach and they sat down to eat with the crashing waves in front of them and the occasional sandstorm making the sandwiches slightly more crunchy, which his dad joked about how they were now real sand-wiches.
While they cleared up the food, Jamie noticed that one of the blankets had come loose from the stones placed on them and called to his mother. No-one heard him, so he decided to tackle this himself. The wind had whipped the blanket up in the air by the time he turned back and he worried that it might fly into the sea, but it twisted and turned towards the rocks at the far end of the beach. He followed the fluttering blanket, running across the sand and frantically jumping when he thought he was near. After a while the wind died down and the blanket landed on the floor of the rocks. Jamie picked it up and, for the first time since chasing it, turned to let his parents know where he was.
To his shock, a stone wall stood in front of Jamie as he turned to wave. Had he run into a cave chasing the blanket? He couldn’t remember. The entrance wasn’t far, but when he ran to the edge of the cave, water was already lapping around him. It looked deep too and he knew that he’d been told not to swim around the rocks because the waves could quite easily hurt him if they were rough. He called out to his mum and dad many times, his voice each time getting louder and more worried, but could hear nothing in reply.
The sensible thing to do was to wait in the mouth of the cave until his parents found him, thought Jamie. But it was getting cold and darker now and the waves were getting nearer to him. He looked into the cave for the first time and realised that it went far back into the cliffs. He wondered what to do, surely there were no dangerous creatures in the cave? But an imagination is a terrible thing sometimes and Jamie began to imagine all sorts of horrible things that could be lurking in the cave, real or not. It wasn’t long before Jamie’s choice was made for him though. The storm had become worse and the waves were now threatening to enter the cave, spray splashing against his face as he stood pondering. He looked back one last time, took a deep breath and entered the darker end of the cave.
- --
The cave wasn’t too bad at first. For a little boy, it had been easy for Jamie to walk along without worrying too much about the lack of space, but soon he found himself on his hands and knees. Once or twice his legs scraped against a sharp rock and he felt nasty spikes of pain go right up his body. He tried to ignore them and carried on, more concerned about the waves behind him, which seemed louder and louder. At last he saw an opening ahead of him and soon he found himself on the edge of a small drop.
What he also saw was a figure in the cave. It looked like an old man, but he wasn’t sure from here. The figure was huddled over a well build fire in the middle of the cave and Jamie wondered whether it was safe to go and talk to him. He thought that for now he would try to sneak past, so he jumped from the ledge as quietly as he could and kept to the shadows of the cave, behind the old man.
The cave went quite far back and Jamie crept along, hugging the wall like some sort of spy. He could feel the beads of sweat appear on his face as he got nearer to the fire, but he was soon past the back of the old man. Just as he thought he might be able to get to the other side, he heard a laugh.
“That’s no way to sneak around in a well lit cave!” the old man chuckled.
Jamie stood dead still, he wasn’t sure what the owner of the laugh might do to him.
“Don’t worry lad. I won’t hurt you. I’m guessing you don’t know where you are?”
It took a lot of effort, but Jamie managed to finally speak. “uh…I just wondered in here to get away from the waves…”
“Ah. So you don’t realise?”
Jamie looked puzzled.
“Of course not!” the old man continued, “You were sent here. That’s the only way in. Come on, I’ll take you through to see Mama Brighid”
As the old man got nearer, Jamie saw the old man’s features. His white hair was curled and grew down into a long beard. His red cheeks gave him a friendly look that made Jamie think of kind wizards.
“My name is Diarmuid, by the way.” Said the man. “I was awaiting you.”
They walked through the cave entrance into a grove, which became a wood. Jamie felt like he was walking on soft carpet as the leaves crunched under his feet. It was unlike any wood he had ever seen. Though they walked for miles, he felt no tiredness, the surroundings were so beautiful that he forgot the distance altogether.
“Ah. Here we are.” Diarmuid pointed to small cottage on the hill in front of them, before beckoning to Jamie.
They reached the cottage and Diarmuid knocked. The large wooden door had a symbol of a bull inscribed on it and as it opened, the sun caught it and made it shine.
“Welcome Diarmuid, and this must be young Jamie?” The owner of the voice looked down and smiled. “I’m Brighid, please come in and have something to drink.”
Jamie followed the young lady through to a large room with a fire and a cauldron, which sat bubbling away. Her face looked very pretty against the firelight, like the blossoming of a flower and Jamie felt at once at ease in the welcoming room.
“I have something to show you, Jamie.” She said as she picked something up from a nearby table. “Do you know what this is?” She held it up so that Jamie could see.
“It’s an apple.” Said Jamie, looking at the shrivelled fruit. “But I wouldn’t eat it, it’s rotten.”
“Yes. The apple has been picked from the tree. It has died, but seeds still form inside. If left on the ground it will give rise to a new tree and produce many more apples. Here, drink this.” She handed him a silver cup.
As Jamie drank the sweet smelling drink, he thought about the apple. What had Brighid meant?
She saw the look on his face. “Jamie. I know you’ve suffered a loss recently. But you are like the seed of the apple, you will grow strong and carry on the cycle. Do not mourn for your Grandfather, celebrate his life by living your own.” She smiled at him, it was as if the sun had come out from behind the clouds.
Diarmuid was looking out of the window. “Well, it seems to be getting late. We’d better be off, young Jamie.”
Jamie thanked Brighid and left with Diarmuid. They made their way back through the wood, but then the old man suddenly stopped.
“Ah. Here’s a little friend you might recognise.”
He watched as a butterfly flew in front of them and hovered. It flittered in the sunlight before slowly making it’s way forward.
“Follow the butterfly and it will lead you home.” Said Diarmuid. I must say goodbye here, there is lots to attend to.
“Thank you.” Said Jamie. He hugged the old man and turned to follow the butterfly.
As they reached the border of the cave where Jamie had first found the old man, he saw a new entrance way, illuminated by rays of sunlight. The butterfly flew straight through and then fluttered in the sun, waiting for him to follow.
He climbed through the entrance and found himself back on the stretch of beach where he had first entered the cave. The blanket he had been chasing was caught on a branch in front of him, so he reached up and caught it. The sea still made crashing noises in the background, but this time they were further away and another sound was filtering through.
Jamie heard voices. It was his parents, calling for him. He ran to them.
“Jamie. We were so worried. You’ve been gone for two hours.” His father said as he hugged his son.
“It’s ok dad. I’m just glad to be back.” Said Jamie as they walked back to the caravan.
Mmm ... that was a great story.
Kind of gentle and warming.
Very nice - wouldn't have minded if it was a bit longer, either. A little more detail here and there.
Kind of gentle and warming.
Very nice - wouldn't have minded if it was a bit longer, either. A little more detail here and there.
I enjoyed that, liked the way the butterfly was used at beginning and end. From the openning I expected him to encounter the ghost of his grandad, and thought that would be who was in the cave, so I found what happened unexpected, but it worked for me.
Jamie sat and watched the beautiful butterfly calmly rise up through the filtered sunlight and find its way out of the hospital window. He hadn’t wanted to come today, but his parents had made him get dressed and go to visit his grandfather.
It had been five weeks ago that Jamie’s grandfather had been taken ill and all he could hear were worried silences from his parents every time he asked whether granddad was going to be ok. He may have only been 10, but he realised what those awkward moments without an answer meant, his granddad, the man who had held him on his knee, the man who smelt of old tobacco and mints was dying and this might be the last time Jamie ever saw him alive.
Sadly, he watched as the butterfly tried to find it’s way out of the glass. He carefully opened the window and watched it fly away into the sun, before he turned back to the dimly lit room.
Jamie crossed the room, his feet feeling like heavy weights. He stood by his granddad’s side and looked down at the old man. His gaze was returned and a smile crossed the lips of the frail old man in the white hospital bed.
“Don’t worry, Jamie.” Came the whispered reply. “You know that when I’m gone, you can still talk to me and I’ll listen.”
The machine that had quietly been monitoring his heart suddenly changed to a long screech and Jamie’s father quickly reached for the button to call the nurse. Jamie tried to hold back the tears , but felt the first drop slide down his nose and knew there were more to follow. His grandfather, still smiling, seemed to fade out as Jamie felt himself being pulled backwards. He watched motionless, except for the stream of tears, as a rush of white coats and machinery moved in a blur to surround the dying man.
--- -
The week after the events at the hospital, Jamie went with his parents to a campsite by the sea. It had been one of his grandfather’s favourite places and they had gone there to celebrate his life and get away from all the phone calls and fuss that surrounded the death of a relative.
For Jamie it was a chance to get out of school and to swim in the sea, both things being a very appealing prospect. He made the most of this impromptu holiday straight away by dragging his dad down to the sea and watching as their large yellow dingy was inflated, before setting off into the breaking waves. Even though the weather wasn’t ideal for it, his mother had then called them for a picnic on the deserted beach and they sat down to eat with the crashing waves in front of them and the occasional sandstorm making the sandwiches slightly more crunchy, which his dad joked about how they were now real sand-wiches.
While they cleared up the food, Jamie noticed that one of the blankets had come loose from the stones placed on them and called to his mother. No-one heard him, so he decided to tackle this himself. The wind had whipped the blanket up in the air by the time he turned back and he worried that it might fly into the sea, but it twisted and turned towards the rocks at the far end of the beach. He followed the fluttering blanket, running across the sand and frantically jumping when he thought he was near. After a while the wind died down and the blanket landed on the floor of the rocks. Jamie picked it up and, for the first time since chasing it, turned to let his parents know where he was.
To his shock, a stone wall stood in front of Jamie as he turned to wave. Had he run into a cave chasing the blanket? He couldn’t remember. The entrance wasn’t far, but when he ran to the edge of the cave, water was already lapping around him. It looked deep too and he knew that he’d been told not to swim around the rocks because the waves could quite easily hurt him if they were rough. He called out to his mum and dad many times, his voice each time getting louder and more worried, but could hear nothing in reply.
The sensible thing to do was to wait in the mouth of the cave until his parents found him, thought Jamie. But it was getting cold and darker now and the waves were getting nearer to him. He looked into the cave for the first time and realised that it went far back into the cliffs. He wondered what to do, surely there were no dangerous creatures in the cave? But an imagination is a terrible thing sometimes and Jamie began to imagine all sorts of horrible things that could be lurking in the cave, real or not. It wasn’t long before Jamie’s choice was made for him though. The storm had become worse and the waves were now threatening to enter the cave, spray splashing against his face as he stood pondering. He looked back one last time, took a deep breath and entered the darker end of the cave.
- --
The cave wasn’t too bad at first. For a little boy, it had been easy for Jamie to walk along without worrying too much about the lack of space, but soon he found himself on his hands and knees. Once or twice his legs scraped against a sharp rock and he felt nasty spikes of pain go right up his body. He tried to ignore them and carried on, more concerned about the waves behind him, which seemed louder and louder. At last he saw an opening ahead of him and soon he found himself on the edge of a small drop.
What he also saw was a figure in the cave. It looked like an old man, but he wasn’t sure from here. The figure was huddled over a well build fire in the middle of the cave and Jamie wondered whether it was safe to go and talk to him. He thought that for now he would try to sneak past, so he jumped from the ledge as quietly as he could and kept to the shadows of the cave, behind the old man.
The cave went quite far back and Jamie crept along, hugging the wall like some sort of spy. He could feel the beads of sweat appear on his face as he got nearer to the fire, but he was soon past the back of the old man. Just as he thought he might be able to get to the other side, he heard a laugh.
“That’s no way to sneak around in a well lit cave!” the old man chuckled.
Jamie stood dead still, he wasn’t sure what the owner of the laugh might do to him.
“Don’t worry lad. I won’t hurt you. I’m guessing you don’t know where you are?”
It took a lot of effort, but Jamie managed to finally speak. “uh…I just wondered in here to get away from the waves…”
“Ah. So you don’t realise?”
Jamie looked puzzled.
“Of course not!” the old man continued, “You were sent here. That’s the only way in. Come on, I’ll take you through to see Mama Brighid”
As the old man got nearer, Jamie saw the old man’s features. His white hair was curled and grew down into a long beard. His red cheeks gave him a friendly look that made Jamie think of kind wizards.
“My name is Diarmuid, by the way.” Said the man. “I was awaiting you.”
They walked through the cave entrance into a grove, which became a wood. Jamie felt like he was walking on soft carpet as the leaves crunched under his feet. It was unlike any wood he had ever seen. Though they walked for miles, he felt no tiredness, the surroundings were so beautiful that he forgot the distance altogether.
“Ah. Here we are.” Diarmuid pointed to small cottage on the hill in front of them, before beckoning to Jamie.
They reached the cottage and Diarmuid knocked. The large wooden door had a symbol of a bull inscribed on it and as it opened, the sun caught it and made it shine.
“Welcome Diarmuid, and this must be young Jamie?” The owner of the voice looked down and smiled. “I’m Brighid, please come in and have something to drink.”
Jamie followed the young lady through to a large room with a fire and a cauldron, which sat bubbling away. Her face looked very pretty against the firelight, like the blossoming of a flower and Jamie felt at once at ease in the welcoming room.
“I have something to show you, Jamie.” She said as she picked something up from a nearby table. “Do you know what this is?” She held it up so that Jamie could see.
“It’s an apple.” Said Jamie, looking at the shrivelled fruit. “But I wouldn’t eat it, it’s rotten.”
“Yes. The apple has been picked from the tree. It has died, but seeds still form inside. If left on the ground it will give rise to a new tree and produce many more apples. Here, drink this.” She handed him a silver cup.
As Jamie drank the sweet smelling drink, he thought about the apple. What had Brighid meant?
She saw the look on his face. “Jamie. I know you’ve suffered a loss recently. But you are like the seed of the apple, you will grow strong and carry on the cycle. Do not mourn for your Grandfather, celebrate his life by living your own.” She smiled at him, it was as if the sun had come out from behind the clouds.
Diarmuid was looking out of the window. “Well, it seems to be getting late. We’d better be off, young Jamie.”
Jamie thanked Brighid and left with Diarmuid. They made their way back through the wood, but then the old man suddenly stopped.
“Ah. Here’s a little friend you might recognise.”
He watched as a butterfly flew in front of them and hovered. It flittered in the sunlight before slowly making it’s way forward.
“Follow the butterfly and it will lead you home.” Said Diarmuid. I must say goodbye here, there is lots to attend to.
“Thank you.” Said Jamie. He hugged the old man and turned to follow the butterfly.
As they reached the border of the cave where Jamie had first found the old man, he saw a new entrance way, illuminated by rays of sunlight. The butterfly flew straight through and then fluttered in the sun, waiting for him to follow.
He climbed through the entrance and found himself back on the stretch of beach where he had first entered the cave. The blanket he had been chasing was caught on a branch in front of him, so he reached up and caught it. The sea still made crashing noises in the background, but this time they were further away and another sound was filtering through.
Jamie heard voices. It was his parents, calling for him. He ran to them.
“Jamie. We were so worried. You’ve been gone for two hours.” His father said as he hugged his son.
“It’s ok dad. I’m just glad to be back.” Said Jamie as they walked back to the caravan.
It had been five weeks ago that Jamie’s grandfather had been taken ill and all he could hear were worried silences from his parents every time he asked whether granddad was going to be ok. He may have only been 10, but he realised what those awkward moments without an answer meant, his granddad, the man who had held him on his knee, the man who smelt of old tobacco and mints was dying and this might be the last time Jamie ever saw him alive.
Sadly, he watched as the butterfly tried to find it’s way out of the glass. He carefully opened the window and watched it fly away into the sun, before he turned back to the dimly lit room.
Jamie crossed the room, his feet feeling like heavy weights. He stood by his granddad’s side and looked down at the old man. His gaze was returned and a smile crossed the lips of the frail old man in the white hospital bed.
“Don’t worry, Jamie.” Came the whispered reply. “You know that when I’m gone, you can still talk to me and I’ll listen.”
The machine that had quietly been monitoring his heart suddenly changed to a long screech and Jamie’s father quickly reached for the button to call the nurse. Jamie tried to hold back the tears , but felt the first drop slide down his nose and knew there were more to follow. His grandfather, still smiling, seemed to fade out as Jamie felt himself being pulled backwards. He watched motionless, except for the stream of tears, as a rush of white coats and machinery moved in a blur to surround the dying man.
--- -
The week after the events at the hospital, Jamie went with his parents to a campsite by the sea. It had been one of his grandfather’s favourite places and they had gone there to celebrate his life and get away from all the phone calls and fuss that surrounded the death of a relative.
For Jamie it was a chance to get out of school and to swim in the sea, both things being a very appealing prospect. He made the most of this impromptu holiday straight away by dragging his dad down to the sea and watching as their large yellow dingy was inflated, before setting off into the breaking waves. Even though the weather wasn’t ideal for it, his mother had then called them for a picnic on the deserted beach and they sat down to eat with the crashing waves in front of them and the occasional sandstorm making the sandwiches slightly more crunchy, which his dad joked about how they were now real sand-wiches.
While they cleared up the food, Jamie noticed that one of the blankets had come loose from the stones placed on them and called to his mother. No-one heard him, so he decided to tackle this himself. The wind had whipped the blanket up in the air by the time he turned back and he worried that it might fly into the sea, but it twisted and turned towards the rocks at the far end of the beach. He followed the fluttering blanket, running across the sand and frantically jumping when he thought he was near. After a while the wind died down and the blanket landed on the floor of the rocks. Jamie picked it up and, for the first time since chasing it, turned to let his parents know where he was.
To his shock, a stone wall stood in front of Jamie as he turned to wave. Had he run into a cave chasing the blanket? He couldn’t remember. The entrance wasn’t far, but when he ran to the edge of the cave, water was already lapping around him. It looked deep too and he knew that he’d been told not to swim around the rocks because the waves could quite easily hurt him if they were rough. He called out to his mum and dad many times, his voice each time getting louder and more worried, but could hear nothing in reply.
The sensible thing to do was to wait in the mouth of the cave until his parents found him, thought Jamie. But it was getting cold and darker now and the waves were getting nearer to him. He looked into the cave for the first time and realised that it went far back into the cliffs. He wondered what to do, surely there were no dangerous creatures in the cave? But an imagination is a terrible thing sometimes and Jamie began to imagine all sorts of horrible things that could be lurking in the cave, real or not. It wasn’t long before Jamie’s choice was made for him though. The storm had become worse and the waves were now threatening to enter the cave, spray splashing against his face as he stood pondering. He looked back one last time, took a deep breath and entered the darker end of the cave.
- --
The cave wasn’t too bad at first. For a little boy, it had been easy for Jamie to walk along without worrying too much about the lack of space, but soon he found himself on his hands and knees. Once or twice his legs scraped against a sharp rock and he felt nasty spikes of pain go right up his body. He tried to ignore them and carried on, more concerned about the waves behind him, which seemed louder and louder. At last he saw an opening ahead of him and soon he found himself on the edge of a small drop.
What he also saw was a figure in the cave. It looked like an old man, but he wasn’t sure from here. The figure was huddled over a well build fire in the middle of the cave and Jamie wondered whether it was safe to go and talk to him. He thought that for now he would try to sneak past, so he jumped from the ledge as quietly as he could and kept to the shadows of the cave, behind the old man.
The cave went quite far back and Jamie crept along, hugging the wall like some sort of spy. He could feel the beads of sweat appear on his face as he got nearer to the fire, but he was soon past the back of the old man. Just as he thought he might be able to get to the other side, he heard a laugh.
“That’s no way to sneak around in a well lit cave!” the old man chuckled.
Jamie stood dead still, he wasn’t sure what the owner of the laugh might do to him.
“Don’t worry lad. I won’t hurt you. I’m guessing you don’t know where you are?”
It took a lot of effort, but Jamie managed to finally speak. “uh…I just wondered in here to get away from the waves…”
“Ah. So you don’t realise?”
Jamie looked puzzled.
“Of course not!” the old man continued, “You were sent here. That’s the only way in. Come on, I’ll take you through to see Mama Brighid”
As the old man got nearer, Jamie saw the old man’s features. His white hair was curled and grew down into a long beard. His red cheeks gave him a friendly look that made Jamie think of kind wizards.
“My name is Diarmuid, by the way.” Said the man. “I was awaiting you.”
They walked through the cave entrance into a grove, which became a wood. Jamie felt like he was walking on soft carpet as the leaves crunched under his feet. It was unlike any wood he had ever seen. Though they walked for miles, he felt no tiredness, the surroundings were so beautiful that he forgot the distance altogether.
“Ah. Here we are.” Diarmuid pointed to small cottage on the hill in front of them, before beckoning to Jamie.
They reached the cottage and Diarmuid knocked. The large wooden door had a symbol of a bull inscribed on it and as it opened, the sun caught it and made it shine.
“Welcome Diarmuid, and this must be young Jamie?” The owner of the voice looked down and smiled. “I’m Brighid, please come in and have something to drink.”
Jamie followed the young lady through to a large room with a fire and a cauldron, which sat bubbling away. Her face looked very pretty against the firelight, like the blossoming of a flower and Jamie felt at once at ease in the welcoming room.
“I have something to show you, Jamie.” She said as she picked something up from a nearby table. “Do you know what this is?” She held it up so that Jamie could see.
“It’s an apple.” Said Jamie, looking at the shrivelled fruit. “But I wouldn’t eat it, it’s rotten.”
“Yes. The apple has been picked from the tree. It has died, but seeds still form inside. If left on the ground it will give rise to a new tree and produce many more apples. Here, drink this.” She handed him a silver cup.
As Jamie drank the sweet smelling drink, he thought about the apple. What had Brighid meant?
She saw the look on his face. “Jamie. I know you’ve suffered a loss recently. But you are like the seed of the apple, you will grow strong and carry on the cycle. Do not mourn for your Grandfather, celebrate his life by living your own.” She smiled at him, it was as if the sun had come out from behind the clouds.
Diarmuid was looking out of the window. “Well, it seems to be getting late. We’d better be off, young Jamie.”
Jamie thanked Brighid and left with Diarmuid. They made their way back through the wood, but then the old man suddenly stopped.
“Ah. Here’s a little friend you might recognise.”
He watched as a butterfly flew in front of them and hovered. It flittered in the sunlight before slowly making it’s way forward.
“Follow the butterfly and it will lead you home.” Said Diarmuid. I must say goodbye here, there is lots to attend to.
“Thank you.” Said Jamie. He hugged the old man and turned to follow the butterfly.
As they reached the border of the cave where Jamie had first found the old man, he saw a new entrance way, illuminated by rays of sunlight. The butterfly flew straight through and then fluttered in the sun, waiting for him to follow.
He climbed through the entrance and found himself back on the stretch of beach where he had first entered the cave. The blanket he had been chasing was caught on a branch in front of him, so he reached up and caught it. The sea still made crashing noises in the background, but this time they were further away and another sound was filtering through.
Jamie heard voices. It was his parents, calling for him. He ran to them.
“Jamie. We were so worried. You’ve been gone for two hours.” His father said as he hugged his son.
“It’s ok dad. I’m just glad to be back.” Said Jamie as they walked back to the caravan.