An Endless Winter

CHAPTER 4

"The four of you are special", said Gaelic walking towards the fireplace. Oisin was still in shock, he could barely keep his chin in place since it kept hanging low. The fortune teller's daughter had wide eyes and the other two were no different. They seemed familiar. The boy was burly with a round face and a button nose. The girl beside him was tall and slender. She had choppy blonde hair while the boy had curly black hair and chocolate skin. The boy kept staring at a mushy piece of meat in his hand. That rang a bell, Of course, they were familiar, he had seen them at the market. They were the kids who had robbed Uncle Murphy.

"Now listen carefully, I have selected the four of you for your good deeds", said Gaelic with a lopsided smile. "The four of you will be sent on a quest and I must warn you that it is no child's play. You will be constantly dicing with death. If you feel that you are not capable to do it, you may quit", he turned to face them. They stood still. Oisin was still wondering if that was a practical joke. However, his query was cleared. The burly boy raised his hand ." But how do we know that you are not lying?". Gaelic was quick to respond, "Well, which old wizard would turn into a little boy, a squirrel, and an old lady waiting to receive help from people in the freezing weather,  just to play a practical joke on four adolescents?". "Old wizard" the prophecy had mentioned one, " with the help of a wizard old", that made Oisin think that the prophecy was somehow related to this. 

"Now as all of you are ready to join, let me explain", Gaelic continued." The four of you have to break the curse, and to do that you have to collect something". Oisin was thrilled at the sound of breaking the curse. The only thing that he had been thinking of lately was the curse. "What would that be?", asked Oisin. Gaelic just gestured for him to wait. "Please let me explain", he politely said. " I will help you but not give the solution to you. The four of you will be sent to three different places each hiding a special gem. Assembling these gems in a certain way would help us break the curse", he declared.

"But why don't you break the curse if you know where the gems are?", the fortune teller's daughter asked crossing her arms over her chest. "I have tried many times myself, my brother suspected that I would try to break the curse, he enchanted the places so that I wouldn't be able to break it. so, I ask for your assistance", Gaelic sighed. Oisin was ready for the mission. He wanted to experience the warmth of the sun, the pitter-patter of raindrops, and see flowers bloom. At least that was what Grandma had told him about the seasons. "I am assuming that the four of you are ready", said Gaelic. The four of them nodded. "Go home now, I will give you some time to gather supplies for the mission. Gather here tomorrow at dawn. Till then goodbye", Gaelic waved his hand. White mist surrounded Oisin. The next moment he opened his eyes he was standing beside the pine tree near his house.

"Where have you been!", yelled Grandma. "I have to go somewhere, I won't be home for a few days", replied Oisin as he dashed off to collect supplies for the quest. He grabbed a hunting knife, a pair of clothes, some food, and a bottle of medicine. Grandma kept following him as he paced around. "Oisin!", Grandma had now lost her patience. "Do you know how worried I was!",  she yelled.                                                                                                                                                                                  "ENOUGH OF YOUR NONSENSE! you can't keep disappearing! Do u know how hard it is for me to manage the house? Please stop making it harder for me!", Grandma yelled, her eyes starting to tear up. Oisin froze in his place. "I am trying to help grandma!", Oisin replied.                                    

"By leaving the house?"                                                                                                                                                      

 "No, by breaking the curse!"                                                                                                                                            

Grandma stood as still as a statue, her eyes wide. It was as if she had zoned out. She took the support of the chair near her. "Do you know why your father left?", asked grandma. Her tone was no longer angry but sad. Oisin shook his head. "He was so much like you. He wanted to make a difference. He wanted to break the curse", said Grandma tears streaming down her cheeks." Look how it turned out! there is no way that I am letting you follow the same path!", said Grandma as she walked towards him. She gripped his forearm as she dragged him towards a room.  She pushed Oisin into the darkroom and shut the door closed.

Oisin was enraged. He was sure that he would not end up like his father. He constantly thumped the door. Oisin hated not getting a chance. He wanted to bring back the seasons. He thumped the door again and again. No one answered. The situation seemed hopeless, so he sat in the corner of the room, his knees pulled close to his chest. It was nighttime now, only a few hours until dawn. However, a tiny ray of light shone on him. He raised his head as he heard the door creak. It was Eoifee, she gestured for him to go out. Oisin raced out of the room, towards the window. It was the break of dawn."Shhh! you are going to wake them up", Eoifee whispered. "sorry", Oisin mumbled. He grabbed the things that he had gathered and followed Eoifee. She slowly opened the door making sure that it made no sound. "Thank you", Oisin whispered. "Make sure you do not die", Eoifee replied.                                         

 "goodbye", Eoifee waved her hand.                                                                                                                              

" goodbye!", Oisin mumbled, tears threatening to spill.

The walk to the cabin had been long. The door of the cabin was wide open. The others were already there. " Now that all of you are here. Are you ready?", asked Gaelic. They nodded, Some anxious some excited. White mist surrounded them. Oisin felt something cold, water entered his lungs. Soon, he was struggling to keep himself afloat.