Going Home Across the Ridgeline Interior 1.Indd
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Copyrighted Material Some pages are omitted from this book preview. Going Home Across the Ridgeline Across Home Going Searching for his true home and pulled by an irresistible yearning to g see Kristina, Sean returns to Ytinu Goin Home and makes a shocking discovery. The trip turns far more dangerous than he ever dreamed, but the most challenging aspect is the journey that he must take within himself, as he resolves the mystery of the Temple family and accepts that the Across the answers he seeks are more complex, yet simpler than he expected. George McGaughey Ridgeline George McGaughey Some pages are omitted from this book preview. Copyrighted Material GoingHome Across the Ridgeline George McGaughey Some pages are omitted from this book preview. Copyrighted Material Copyright © 2017 by George McGaughey Illustrations Copyright © 2017 by Peggy McGaughey All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America First Printing November 2017 ISBN 978-1-64136-482-9 Paperback Published by: Book Services www.BookServices.us Copyrighted Material Some pages are omitted from this book preview. Dedication Thanks to Peggy McGaughey for her kindness, patience, and spelling support in helping me tell this story. Her drawings add to the imagination that helped carry this story beyond just words. Thanks to Betsy Feinberg for her patience, financial support, and skillful craft that helped bring this story to life. Without her help, assistance, and encouragement, this story would be just a collection of words in my files. Copyrighted Material Some pages are omitted from this book preview. Map of Ridgeline Copyrighted Material Some pages are omitted from this book preview. Contents 1. The Awareness ................................................................1 2. Exploring New Places .................................................. 10 3. Meeting at the Plane ....................................................20 4. Crossing the Irish Sea .................................................. 31 5. Back Streets of an English Town ................................41 6. Ghosts in Ilfracombe ...................................................54 7. Crossing St. George’s Channel ...................................68 8. A Rainbow Over the Sea .............................................84 Leprechaun ..............................................................98 9. The Best and Only the Best ....................................... 101 10. An Expected Path ...................................................... 115 11. Tolleymore Bridge ......................................................130 12. War Stories .................................................................. 147 Apple Tree Cottage ...............................................154 Devan & Lisann House ........................................164 13. Ytinu Castle at Sunset ................................................ 169 Tillra ...................................................................... 183 14. Teal Swan, a Walk Through Darkness .................... 187 15. Black and White Castle at Night ..............................204 16. Moon Over Ocean’s Edge ..........................................222 17. Morgan Tells Another Story .....................................238 18. A White Hawk Overhead ..........................................256 Spirit Tree ..............................................................264 19. Cat and the Moon ...................................................... 274 Goblin ..................................................................... 276 20. Sprites, Male and Female ..........................................293 21. The Search for the Sweetheart Tree .........................308 22. An Unfortunate Accident .........................................327 23. An Unexpected Discovery ........................................343 24. Words of Imagination in the Garden ......................357 25. A Ride with the King and Queen ............................. 376 26. All Fools Day ..............................................................392 27. War Games..................................................................408 28. The Send-off Party .....................................................425 List of Main Characters ...................................................448 About the Author ..............................................................449 = Illustrations Copyrighted Material Some pages are omitted from this book preview. Chapter 1 The Awareness Boom, boom! The loud noise startled me awake. I pulled my awareness to the present reality, to the comfort of the soft green grass on which I had fallen asleep. Above me the sky filled with clusters of sparkling lights, exploding and blossoming into circles of red sparks that turned blue, then green, before turning white, and finally, coal black, as the embers limped back to earth. Boom, boom, boom! The fireworks had begun. The night sky danced with color, as one explosion after another illuminated the heavens, rippling across the ocean of the dark night before falling like raindrops hitting the surface of the sea. Ooh! Ahh! The merry crowd gasped at the magnificence of the fireworks. “Gorgeous night for the fireworks,” a sweet voice broke into my consciousness. “Yes, very nice,” I replied, turning to share my pleasure in the heavenly spectacle. The blooming bursts of sparkling lights reminded me of the fireworks back in Ytinu. I remem- 1 Copyrighted Material Some pages are omitted from this book preview. Going Home Across the Ridgeline bered the time before Ytinu, when my life had a predictable structure. But now, my imagination was obsessed with a world that might not even exist. “Best we’ve seen in several years,” a man on the far side of the woman commented. “A display this spectacular is unusual.” “Yes, they have outdone themselves,” the woman added. I stared at the couple, for they reminded me of Ailill and Aislinn. Across my imagination I galloped, releasing a mad dash through the streets of my mind. “Are you from around here?” I inquired, curious about their accents. “No, we live far away from here. We’re visiting a friend here in Colorado,” the young woman said. Lying there in the warm evening, I felt something floating above my body, its ghost-like energy centered above my chest. Was it an apparition like that of the lion in the Ivy Hole? What the heart sees, the eyes will visualize. Colorless, yet strong and full of energy, it left me with a hollow sensation, the same feeling I had when Morgan first shared his story. “What’s the story behind the Temple castle?” I had inquired. “On the road between the Black Forest and Water’s Edge, there is an old castle. It’s known as the Temples’ Court, the place where Kathryn and William Temple once reigned.” Ytinu is real. The hell with dreams. I need to go back! 2 Copyrighted Material Some pages are omitted from this book preview. Chapter 1 - The Awareness Gone now was the worry I was holding tight. Set free, I no longer lay in fear. It felt as though the sparkling lights in the sky had intentionally illuminated my heart’s direction. “Wow!” the young woman exclaimed at the next burst of lights. Turning to me she said, “It soon be time for us to go home. Are you going somewhere special this summer?” “I don’t know. No plans yet. I would like to travel to England to visit an old friend.” I was thinking of Mr. Wayrick, a gnome, I had met in Ytinu. The last fireworks faded away as we picked up our blankets and food. The couple and I headed to our cars, continuing our conversation. “London would be a fun place to visit, but we’re headed to Ireland,” she answered. “Have you holidayed there before?” the young man inquired. “Oh yes, many times,” I said as my thoughts drifted back to the emerald isle. “What city do you fly into?” I paused, lost in my dreams. “Oh yes. Sorry. Shannon, and then I take a bus to Midleton in County Cork.” “Are there interesting sights nearby to visit?” 3 Copyrighted Material Some pages are omitted from this book preview. Going Home Across the Ridgeline “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” I offered. “There are many things to examine all over Ireland,” I rephrased my response. “Do you call Ireland home?” “I have many friends there that are like family. Yes, I guess I do call it home.” We reached their car and said our goodbyes. “Have fun on your trip,” I called, as they pulled away, waving goodbye. I walked away deep in thought. I needed answers, but first, I needed to visit Mr. Wayrick and Mrs. Loopwyn. I wandered over to the local coffee shop, acknowledging the colorful character sitting on the bench by the front door. I was reaching for the handle on the white doors, when his words stopped me. “Knock, knock,” he said. A sign that said Knocker hung around his neck. “Knock, knock, knock—three times before any disaster,” repeated this man in tattered clothing. Visible through the long, frizzy, gray beard that covered his face was a mouth full of brown, stained teeth. His beard was tied with end knots and laced with gold beads. Two shiny brown eyes peered through the mass of gray hair. “They call me Knocker. I give advice to those searching for the answers to their dreams.” He patted the seat next to him. At the suggestion, I took a seat. “The sky lies covered with a blanket that lets light through the many