When Gargoyles Love

Meg Boyle drove out of Leenane in County Galway for one last glimpse at the site she'd chosen for her company's new wool processing plant. Wild Woolens based in Pennsylvania had tasked her with finding a place to build closer to the source of their world-famous wool products. Meg glanced at the sheep on either side of the road. "Can't get much closer than this to the sheep." The site sat across the street from the beach, right next to a church that was in disrepair. She figured Wild could knock down the church and build a plant as big as they might need. It was rocky terrain, but things could be leveled. She stopped her car by the church. Getting out she sniffed the salty North Atlantic. The only problem might be the fact that tourists were fond of this road. If the plant could be back from the road it might work out. She didn't want to spoil the countryside.With her car parked along the Wild Atlantic Way, Meg trekked up the small hill to the church. Where her gargoyle friends sat l

"Shite" was Donal's first thought. He'd run out of time. The brothers hadn't come up with a plan and Donal had assumed he'd have more time. "Did you hear that?" he said to his siblings."Yep.""Guess you're out of luck.""Thanks."They were no help. Meg stood below them, looking out over the ocean. Even if she wasn't facing him, Donal knew she was the most beautiful fairy he'd ever seen. Freckles dotted her nose and her red hair whipped in the wind. "I can't believe my boss retired without telling me. I thought I was the ideal candidate for her job. She'd been such a mentor to me. I'm sorry to see her go."Meg sighed. Donal could feel her distress. That's how he'd known she was his fairy. He'd sworn an oath several thousand years ago to protect her. When he knew he was destined to protect her, he'd promised to keep her safe for all time. Which he couldn't do if he were in stone.He remembered that he could be with her for a whole day and he could come to life, but if she was across

Oh. Feck. He'd been discovered. He looked down at the man the first rays from the sun illuminating his face. He was dirty with unkempt hair. "Uh," Donal said.The man squinted at him then shook his head. "I must have had some bad hooch last night. Sorry." He thrust out his dirty hand. "Name's Tex."Donal looked down at the hand coming his way. He had to make a quick decision. Tex could be his friend or his enemy. Donal grasped the hand. "Donal."Tex let go. He spread his arms out wide. "My home is your home."Donal looked around. "What?"Of course, he would prefer to be on the roof. He was a gargoyle. Frankly, he didn't have much choice either. With no identity and no money, he couldn't exactly rent a flat. "You live up here?" Donal said. "Yes. It's the only place that I can find shelter, food, and no cops bothering me.""Food?""Yeah, the building has a garden. I try not to pick vegetables from the same plot every day. That way no one notices."Tex was right. Donal hadn't seen it i

"Is that comfortable?" Tex said from behind Donal.Donal glanced over his shoulder. "What?""Being perched like that.""Uh, yes."Donal hadn't thought about how he was crouching. It was just something that gargoyles did. He'd never questioned it. Being tall, they wanted to make themselves less visible from a distance. Tex leaned against the low wall surrounding the roof. "Can I ask you a question?""Sure.""I've been going over and over what I thought I saw last night," Tex said. Uh. Oh. "Yes?""You did fly onto the roof."Donal weighed telling the man the truth. He'd been his only friend so far. "Yes. I did."The man didn't flinch. "What are you?""A gargoyle.""Like on Eastern State Penitentiary? Come to life?"Donal didn't know the place the man was talking about, but he could explain his story. "I'm not from there. I'm from Ireland.""Well, yeah. The accent. I get it."Donal smiled. He listened to the girls' conversation winding down. Meg would be asleep soon. "Do you want to hea

"If we put the plant there, we would be right by the sheep. We would have a close source of wool. That is what we want."Harriet frowned. "With a spot that remote we might have environmental issues.""None that I was able to discern. There is a lot of green land in Ireland. They are more worried about people having jobs than anything else," Meg said.She'd talked to enough locals to know that if they didn't farm there wasn't anything else to do. The pubs only employed a few people."Is there a town nearby?""Leenane. A small town, but it has several roads that feed it. Tour busses go through there so they aren't too small."Meg's heart sped up. Maybe Harriet would listen to her. Her heart fell when Harriet handed her the photo back. "No. We are going in a different direction completely. We're finding a domestic spot.""Why? This company built its reputation on Irish wool. Not American wool.""It's cheaper this way," Harriet said. "I didn't make the decision. Someone higher up did.""W