An Angel healed my heart

Chapter 1

Christmas Eve, Scotland, December 1909

"Deep inside the dark bowels of the earth, a magnificent tree exists. A tree as ancient as earth itself. Its roots reached down to the core of the earth, invisible to the eyes and its trunk, darkened by the many centuries laying upon it, was thick as hundred oak trees put together; sturdy branches were growing up, expanding, multiplying into hundreds and thousands more, until they resembled the most intricate knitted lace ever existed. On top of that cradle of never-ending lace made of wood, the rocks and the soil of the earth rested upon and everything that is on top of the earth stood firm and safe because all was held together by this magical tree.

The Tree of Life.

But not all is peaceful where the Tree of Life is to be found.

Even that far down, where darkness rules, the Tree is not alone. For there are creatures, malevolent ones, demons who once were humans cursed by fate, who's hearts had turned black like coal when they were in their human state. Subterranean Goblins, with long limps, and dark, dense hair all over their bodies and eyes shining like red flames in the dark. They are cutting the Tree of Life down through the year with long saws.

But when Christmas comes...

The Goblin armies gather, led by the King of Goblins, Mandrakes...

They begin their ascending and they come out to the land, where they appear during the night and create havoc among the men. Turning houses upside down, eating what they can find, being completely famished since the only sustenance they have when they are underground is eating rats and worms. But they have a weak spot for everything sweet and what they like best are Christmas sweets."

The sudden crackling noise from the thick wood splitting as it burned inside the grand stone fireplace, made the woman pause. Everything else inside the galley kitchen stood quiet.

The woman stopped her narration. She lifted her head from the pages and looked at the young boy, while her glasses had slid down the bridge of her nose. Terry had brought her a book about "Christmas folk tales from Mediterranean lands".

It had been rather late in the evening, and it was way past bedtime for the boy but sometimes she wasn't prompting him to go to sleep. Terry most of the time was inside his bedroom with his head lost inside a book or playing on his mother's piano some melody or the other, usually melancholic, to the annoyance of his stepmother. It was clear to the senior housekeeper of the Granchester mansion that the little boy who was the first-born son of the Duke of Granchester, kept very much to himself, but was in need for some human interaction from time to time. And when those feelings of belonging and interacting took place inside him, he seemed rather fond of seeking company downstairs at the service quarters.

"I think I like those underground Goblins!" He exclaimed with a naughty gleam inside his aquamarine eyes which had turned light green under the dim light that was coming off the hanging lanterns kitchen.