Chapter 3: Trouble

Her phone rang as Meg walked up to her room at the Leenane Hotel.

The place faced the Killary Fjords in County Galway. The hotel rooms weren't huge, but the place was clean and picturesque. Meg had already taken a ton of pictures just from her window.

"Hello."

Her feet padded on the carpeting in the hallway. It wasn't too late so she didn't have to be quiet, but something about the hotel made her want to whisper. It had an air of elegance about it.

"Meg Boyle?"

Who else would it be? You called me. "Yes."

"This is Harriet Witherspoon."

"Okay. Nice to meet you. Who are you?"

"I'm your new boss."

The words needed a minute to sink in. Meg had been sure that she was getting that job. She'd never entertained any other scenario. "What happened to Leslie?"

Her boss had promised to let her know before she retired. Why hadn't she said something? Meg hadn't missed a call from her.

"She retiring at the end of the week."

"The end of the week?"

Why so soon? What had happened? Leslie had insisted she wasn't going to mention her retirement to Human Resources until the end of the year. That was three months away.

"Yes."

"Okay. That was sudden."

Harriet cleared her throat. "It isn't something I can talk about."

"Okay. I get it. So what does all that mean for me?"

"You need to come back to the States," Harriet said.

"Did you get my report?"

Meg unlocked her room while she tucked the phone between her ear and her shoulder. She threw her keys on the table by the door. Her mind was in turmoil. She hadn't expected this change of events, but she would land on her feet as she always did. Adjusting had been part of her life for as long as she could remember.

She plopped onto the edge of the bed.

"I did, but it doesn't matter."

"Why not?" Meg said.

She couldn't think of a better place for the factory than right by the sheep. The company could locate it further inland, but why? They would be close enough to Galway to get things shipped and close enough to Shannon Airport to get things flown. Nothing else would make sense.

She was good at her job and she saw no reason why they would reject her site. This would be a first.

"Because we are moving in a different direction."

"Away from wool?"

"I'm not at liberty to say. You'll be briefed when you get back. We've chosen another site and you need to come home. There will be a ticket for you in your inbox. I expect you in the office the day after your return."

Meg didn't think there was any room for argument, but this shift on the company's part was sudden. "May I ask what site has been chosen?"

"You'll get briefed on that when you get here."

None of this felt right. "I don't understand the secrecy. I've been scouting sites for this company for two years now. I've always been in the thick of things. Why am I suddenly out of the loop? Is this something I should be concerned about?"

Was her job in jeopardy? She deserved to know that at least. What was she walking into and how did Harriet Witherspoon get her job?

"I'm not at liberty to talk. Just be on the plane tomorrow and we'll talk when you get into the office two days from now. I need to go," Harriet said, then hung up.

Meg stared at her phone for a moment attempting to digest everything her new boss had told her. It was a lot to take in and she needed a sounding board.

Her gargoyles would still be there and there was at least another hour of daylight. She could make it there. Even if she sat in the dark, she needed to make sense of this. Talking it out with her friends the gargoyles would help.

She grabbed a candy bar from her suitcase then checked her email. Sure enough, there was her ticket home for a flight tomorrow morning. She'd have to be up at the crack of dawn to get there on time. Did Harriet not realize the distance between where she was and Shannon?

Frowning at the screen, she knew she couldn't change things. She sighed then grabbed her keys. A drive and a talk would clear her mind then she could go to sleep.

The sun was going down over the Atlantic Ocean when she arrived at the church. She sat in the car for a few minutes to gather her thoughts.

The gargoyles would listen. They always did. Why did she feel such a kinship with them? They were inanimate objects. Maybe because they had probably seen so much of the world change in front of them as they sat perched on the shelf above the door.

Pushing open her door, she walked past a few sheep who bleated at her.

"Yeah, yeah," she said.

They went back to eating as she walked past them. The wind had picked up and a cool breeze blew off of the ocean which had turned grayer than her last visit. She sat on the wall for a few minutes then the words spilled out of her.

"I have to go home tomorrow."

Chapter 4 Missed Opportunity

"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 the ocean that she now stared at, that would never happen. He sighed within his mind. His heart beat with hers already as if the Fairy Queen herself had picked Meg for him.

He'd miss his brothers, but Meg was more important. They would have their chances. His was now and he'd miss out if he didn't figure out how to go home with her. Wherever home was.

Meg fell silent which made him sad but enabled him to think.

He wasn't attached to the building. He was merely perched on a ledge. He could move. If he rocked he'd fall, but Meg had put down a bag of some sorts. It fell open when she did.

As if the Fairy Queen was smiling from her hiding place, Donal could see himself falling right into that bag. He just had to do it without Meg seeing.

She wandered slowly to the wall she'd sat on earlier. "This place is so beautiful. Maybe the plant shouldn't be here. It will remain untouched."

Donal didn't know what would happen to the church since Meg had been their first visitor besides the sheep in countless years. He had a feeling that it was invisible to anyone but fairies and Meg was the first one to stop since they'd been turned to stone. At least she had come along.

He blessed whatever fates had brought her across the ocean to him. Otherwise, he'd live out his days as stone.

"I envy you gargoyles being able to look at this all day."

She'd spun around just as Donal started rocking. He steadied himself, but she seemed too lost in thought to notice he'd been wobbling. She stalked over to the doorway where they stood watch. "It's not fair. At all. I wanted that job. I earned that job."

Meg picked up her bag then set it back down. She strode back to the wall, her hands resting on it. "It was my job. Promised to me. I'm perfect for it. No one has worked harder."

Donal started rocking again. She wasn't going to notice if he was not on the shelf.

"Go for it, Donal. It's your last chance," Sean whispered.

He knew this. He knew it with every fiber of his being. His father had talked about leaping into life and Donal suddenly knew what he meant. He was going to physically leap, but it was also a metaphorical one. Falling off of this ledge would change everything. He would either crash and break into pieces, effectively dying, or he would land in Meg's bag to be taken home with her. The queen had shrunk them before she turned them to stone.

She groaned but didn't turn back to them. It was now or never. He wobbled. He rocked. Donal pushed himself off the ledge and then he was in freefall. It hadn't looked that long a way down, but it was. He approached the bag and then he was in it.

He let out a breath in his mind. Meg still chattered on, not happy with whatever was calling her home. Donal wasn't completely happy either, but he would be. If he made it home with her and took his human-like form, he would be happy.

"The more I think about it, the madder I get."

Meg took to pacing between the wall and the doorway. He hoped his brothers wouldn't do anything stupid.

"I guess there is nothing I can do. It's my fate." She looked out to the ocean. "I hope I can come back here on vacation. It is such a beautiful place." She pulled out her phone, pointing it at the sea. "I will remember this just as it is now. Gray skies, wind moving everything around."

Donal had to admit she was right. The day was gorgeous even without the sun. It was how he would remember his home. He'd bring her back here. When they were together.

"Goodbye my brothers," Donal said in his mind.

Meg finally stopped talking and pacing. "I have to be up early, but thank you, boys, for listening to me."

Donal held his breath, but she didn't look up at the ledge. Nor did she seem to notice that her bag was heavier when she put it on her shoulder. Would she question the gargoyle statue in her luggage when she returned home? And would he be in her presence long enough to take his correct form?

He didn't know and he didn't care. He had a chance at a new life and he would do everything in his power to make it happen. He didn't know how close he had to be to her for the spell to be reversed. The Fairy Queen had never been specific and she was somewhere laughing, he was sure.