Dullahan

1 - Childhood Games - 2

He breathed deeply as they left the forest, feeling as though a great weight had been lifted from them. The sky was now clear, and the earlier edge that the wind had held had been honed to a sharper point. The sun was getting low, hanging just above the distant hills. Eldred shivered, an action both of his companions mirrored, as they stood at the edge of the forest, looking down upon their town. They were in a long, sloping field fenced in by rows of bushes. The town below was of modest size, with cobbled roads near its centre that fanned out into twisting, winding ones made mostly from dirt. They stood to its north, and to the east wound the road to town, a few miles and a few hours walk, a darker line that snaked off between fields and across hills. To the town's southwest a second road passed, trailing off into the distant smudge that was the next village over. In between the two, partially obscured by trees, a glinting strip of water flowed, wide and slow.

They contemplated the view for a few minutes, almost reluctant now to leave the forest, despite the events of the day. Eldred, while still shaken, felt as though far more time had passed than actually had, the sharp points of fear and terror rounding and mellowing into distant things.

"Same time tomorrow?" May asked after a while, watching the tiny shapes of people moving around beneath them.

Cal nodded, "We can finish the fort, hopefully."

Eldred stayed quiet, silently hoping that would be the last they'd see of the huge, black dog. "I should go," he said out loud, "My mum's probably worried."

With that, he started trotting down the hill, gravity perhaps taking him a little faster than he'd hoped, arms outstretched to aid in his balance.

May and Cal stayed where they were, May waving, and watched him go. It wasn't very long before they followed behind.

Eldred's house was the closest to the forest's edge. He and his mother lived alone in a small cottage on the outskirts of the town, only a few minutes walk from the gate to the field. He clambered over the gate, as he usually did, and turned up the lane, settling into one of the ruts as he trudged back home. The wind was picking up, tall grass to either side of the road swaying to and fro against the low walls bordering the fields and gardens. He pulled himself in tighter against it, pulling his shirt collar up and tucking his hands under his arms in an attempt to stave off the worst of the bite.

He didn't look up as he reached the gate into the house's garden, climbing over that one as well and dropping down onto the small paving stones that laid out the path to the back door. It was only when he reached said door that he looked up, a little surprised to find his mother looking back at him, bemused smile on her face. "You're a little late," she chided him, looking pointedly at the darkening sky. Talaith Fenn was a fairly small woman, her light brown hair pulled back into its usual bun. Her face kind, dark brown eyes soft and warm. Eldred hadn't been in the house alone very much, but whenever he had been he'd found it feeling empty and un-lived in without his mother. Her very presence was a comfort, and Eldred took solace in it during the evenings they would often spend together.

He shrugged, looking down at his feet as she opened the lower half of the door to let him in. He shuffled inside, taking off his shoes as he entered the kitchen.

The door bolts clicked as his mother slid them into place, shutting both halves against the chill and allowing the warmth of the fire to engulf him. He gave a contented sigh, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Did I not tell you to take your coat with you?" she asked, turning back toward her dinner preparations. It smelled of earth and burning wood, the vegetables his mother had brought in from their small plot in the garden still muddy as they lay on the kitchen counter beside the sink, waiting to be washed.