Celtic Thunderland

Down the Waterfall

While on a break from Celtic Thunder, I was doing some tourism around Ireland just to make myself familiar with places the lads and I had sung about. One of the stops we hadn't sung about yet was Torc Waterfall, but it looked pretty in the tourist ads, so I decided to visit there. It was there when I saw a hurrying rabbit cross my path, and I followed after it without stopping to think, or stopping at all for that matter. I soon found myself falling down the rapids, and just as I was wondering why nobody was calling for help on my behalf, I noticed that I landed on something soft instead of the bottom of the stream. After feeling around my landing platform, I realized that I had landed on a cloud when I looked down before gasping as I saw a colorful land below me. Unfortunately, I was so distracted that I didn't notice a bird flying in my direction, for I soon found myself knocked off the cloud before blacking out once I hit the ground.

When I came to my senses moments later, I was confused as to why I was on a harder surface than the ground, and that's when I realized how my feet were being lifted. Upon looking down and noticing a gigantic rabbit-like creature at my feet, I gasped at the sight of it before my attention was drawn to a gentleman beside me, wearing a large top hat. As I was trying to figure out why the man in the top hat looked like Keith, he apologized for frightening me before explaining that he and his friends were having a tea party when I fell. After introducing himself as Lad Hatter and stating that his rabbit friend was Marty O'Hair, the man explained how they cleared their tea table so they could tend to me, and I was flattered by their change in priorities.

Even when I told Mr. Hatter and Mr. O'Hair that they didn't need to clear the table for a stranger like me, they insisted that they wanted to make sure I was okay, to which I blushed. After Mr. O'Hair helped me get up and led me to a seat, I tried to be chivalrous and have him sit first, but he implored that I should rest on something more comfortable than the table. That's when I felt someone's hands massaging my shoulders, and when I asked if the chair I was in had massage technology, I turned my head and gasped when I saw the largest mouse in the world. Even though the creature was at least 6 feet tall, he still had the ears and nose of a mouse, which made me both shocked and confused about what was happening. Not only that, but his voice had the thickest Scottish accent I have ever heard in my life, and I was extremely puzzled by everything going on.

When I had a teacup and saucer placed in front of me, I learned that the overgrown rodent's name was Morris Dormouse before being asked to call everyone by their first names. As much as I was used to being respectful with such things as courtesy titles back home, I figured I could let it slide when I was somewhere new, so I nodded before watching Marty and Lad set the table. After I helped Morris take a seat beside me, Marty asked me for my name before I introduced myself, only for there to be a collective gasp when I said my name. Just as I was worrying if I had said a bad word, Lad looked at me with eyes wider than my fists and asked if I was from Celtic Thunder.

While I was amazed at how these creatures knew about my career with the lads, it only strengthened my confusion, but I kept those thoughts inside as I assured them that I was Lydia from Celtic Thunder. I was then surprised to learn that they knew about Celtic Thunder because the founders of the land were also big Thunderheads, hence the land being named Thunderland. Pleased to finally know the name of my new location, I thanked the three of them for their hospitality before Lad proposed a toast in my honor, since I was their first guest in years. After assuring me that their tea of choice was traditional Irish tea with nothing spiking it, I had just tasted it when I was invited to share a song with the others, which seemed to be a standing party tradition. Sure enough, their song was "Seven Drunken Nights," so I knew every word and even soloed on the fifth verse.

After finishing a couple of cups of tea with the creatures, I decided to go on a walk through Thunderland to see what I could find there, so I gave each of my new friends goodbye hugs. While Marty and Lad gave me wonderful hugs in their own funny ways, I thought I was going to be crushed in Morris' embrace, and I giggled as they each gave me good luck charms for my journey: a tea bag from Lad, a rabbit's foot from Marty, and a slice of cheese from Morris. Once I put the treasures into the pocket of my skirt, I waved goodbye to my new friends before heading down the nearest path, leaving them behind while looking forward to finding more. All the same, I couldn't stop wondering if I was dreaming, and my head was spinning a little from all that was going on.