Darkness gathers, a shadow is on the move, a great nothing will soon be all consuming. It is fear, worry, doubt and all things negative that feeds this shadow. The more it grows, the more everyone begins to believe, and this adds only to fuel the nothing all the more. A beautifully fantastic place is under threat so much so that perhaps there is only one solution ...
In the far-off land of a world both separate from and connected to ours, there is a war is waging, an almost unseen battle is raging strong. A goddess, a queen, a powerful entity, simply known as The Morrigan searches for the one thing known to bring the fighting to an end. This one thing in itself can be something very powerful yet extremely simple. In such a far-off land something simple can really be oh so powerful.
Thing is, what it takes to save that world must come from this one. What The Morrigan is searching for are tears of true love. To find these tears she more than needs to come into our world, she needs true love to step into hers. There is a hunger that needs to be satisfied ...
... A failure may well come with the very worst of consequences for the in the shadows of darkness, the Grave Digger has already begun to stick his shovel in the ground, many a form of life has already begun a walk down the path to extinction. The digging will be slow and methodical, for he has time a plenty and there will be no need to rush in any way ...
Just who is The Morrigan? ... she is nothing less than a queen of course.
1.
How far would you go for true love? To the ends of the Earth maybe? Beyond? If you are lucky enough to have true love in your life and it leaves you or is taken from you, what would you be willing to do to bring back that true love? Where would you be willing to go to re-find the love of your life?
There is a song from a classic movie I just can't get out of my mind; it is like a broken record that won't go away. 'Follow the yellow brick road', those words keep on repeating, over and over again. Thing is, how can you follow a yellow brick road when all you got is one singular yellow brick? And at that it does not even offer any hints or direction as to what to do or where to go. Just my luck hey, and to be honest even the great and powerful Oz can't even help me out, but then again, what do I know?
You see, a blind man once told me that you only see what you want to see not what you are meant to see even when what you are meant to see is something that is very much so staring you right in the face. You take the good with the bad no matter what kind of strange comes in between. For me it goes like the well-known adage 'when you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth'.
Yeah right, wherever that came from or whoever said it has never come close to experiencing my truth, a truth that brought me to some very odd places to show me some very strange things. Sometimes something needs to just be accepted and not questioned for answers may never come.
Looking back, it's funny or maybe not so funny to think that all the signs were all there. I just had no idea what they were or what they meant at the time. I am not so sure I truly understand them even now. That night club for instance, the night club from that night I first danced with the most beautiful lady in the world, it had a raised DJ box. To one corner of the dance floor and way above it, the place where one of the first songs of the soundtrack to the rest of my life had been played from was known as The Crow's Nest.
Nothing strange about that you may think but looking back some things are beginning to make sense now. I thought it was destiny, maybe it was destiny but behind the scenes of destiny something else most definitely was happening, something else has already happened. What that something else is or was, is something I need to, no, is something I have to find out.
How do I go about doing that? Where do I begin? The questions are piling up. It's time to go get me some answers. It's time to go change it all, bring her back or die trying. For she is my life, my world, she is my absolute everything. Without her I am nothing. She is my dear, my darling one ...
***
It has been a long time since he was last there, but Samuel felt compelled to go to a place called 'Morgan Fay's Bar'. This in itself was a sign, is a sign though he could not know such a thing at such a time.
Outside it may be a cool bright autumn afternoon but within this building he had come to, things seemed to have become more like a dark unattended museum of a place he once knew well. Now void of all life but eerily full of it at the same time, Samuel walked through the remnants of what once was. As his fingers glide through the dusty wooden bar top and across table after table he begins to reminisce of a time when this place was open and in full swing.
Sounds of laughter and sounds of joy come back to him. He sees those memories light up before him as if parts of the bar have become alive just as if a holographic movie is playing out right before his eyes, showing captured moments in time and Samuel just by watching is reliving these moments. He can't help but light up himself and smile as one of those memories is of him and Delia being out with some of those friends with whom had brought them together.
'... and that was that' speaks Samuel's projected younger self, finishing off a tale he had been telling.
Delia giggles and moves in to kiss her man on the lips ... The memory becomes interrupted; the holographic movie no longer plays. What brings the memory to an end is a voice, a voice Samuel hasn't heard in quite some time. The voice belongs to Owen Barnes, former bar tender and co-owner of the place Samuel has come to.
'Well would ya look at what the cat dragged in.'
Startled by the speaking voice Samuel jumps and turns. 'Holy hell ...' says Sam realizing who he now shares the room with. 'You scared the holy crap out of me.'
'I do remember you always being a little jumpy.'
'Just a little? I had reason to be. Heck ... that crowd I used to come in here with were always up to something, and that something was usually at my expense. What are you doing here anyway?'
'I could ask the same of you, though you do know I used to part own this place.'
'Yeah, you did, I almost forgot, and you kinda still do ... don't you?'
'For now ... yeah.'
'To be honest I'm here trying to remember. There are things I need to remember. I hoped coming here would help me out.'
'And has it ... helped you out?'
'Not in the way I had hoped.'
'Sorry to hear that.'
'I love her ya know, love her like no other.'
'I know you do Sam; we all know.'
'Help me Owen, help me remember.'
It is clear and obvious that Samuel is upset, desperate even. Ten years is a long time, an eternity when you are not getting any answers to any questions you have, and Sam indeed has many. There is a slight reluctance with Owen, well maybe it is more of a hesitancy.
'What you need is a visit with the Phantom Queen.'
'You what now?'
'You heard me.'
'Phantom Queen, now that does ring a bell. I am not sure why?'
'She knew you would come here. It is why you were able to get in here so easily. This place is usually quite well locked up. So, there is absolutely no hurry. Take as long as you need to look around here Sam, just give me a shout when you are done.'
In this moment Samuel could very easily give in to desperation but instead of looking perplexed a different kind of look takes control of Samuel's face, a look that suggests that he just had a revelation, a moment of clarity.
'It's alright' he says. 'I know what I need to do'. Samuel moves to close the gap between him and his acquaintance, he then grabs Owen's right hand with both of his own and says, 'thank you, thank you so much' and leaves.
'Glad I could be of assistance' responds Owen looking over his shoulder to observe Samuel leaving.
Taking a phone from his pocket Owen makes a call and speaks two words only ... 'he's coming.'
