The Night Takes Them

Coming Home

The ride was a quiet one, albeit bumpy, through the Irish countryside. The car bounced along the pothole riddled back road and Emeline feared she would have whiplash by the time they reached the estate. Nothing could truly get her down, though. She'd finally made it. She was in Ireland, the home of her ancestors. She was about to witness the home of her great great grandfather and her insides were a-flutter with anticipation. What awaited her? She had no clue, but she did know it must be grand.

"Are we almost there?" She asked the cabbie for the fortieth time since leaving the city of Dublin two hours earlier. She felt his glare through the rearview as she turned to watch the beautiful country sweep by.

"Just over the hill," he answered stiffly, his voice thickly laced with his accent. Emeline was thoroughly enthralled, despite his gruff approach to her mounting excitement.

Just as she thought she'd burst, They topped a hill and at the bottom, she saw a sprawling mansion. The country surrounding it was a bright emerald green, despite the rain, and the jagged rocks embodied the name of the place, roughly translating to "Arrow's Point".

There was something about the house itself though. Something foreboding. Emeline couldn't quite place it, because the mansion looked so regal in its setting. She was puzzling this strange feeling when a face appeared in an upper story window. The face was pale and veiled in shadow and passed as quickly as it had appeared. Emeline's heart flew into her throat and she was choked to dreaded silence.

"You look as though you've seen the point's ghost," the driver scoffed. "Fear not. That ghost seems to have a taste for locals. No visitors have ever been harmed on their trips to this place. In fact, I think her presence stirs up more interest than it deters."

Emeline began to have second thoughts about her visit to the castle.