His surprise continued when he saw a blur of motion rushing from the side hedge into the back yard. Either his eyes were playing tricks on him, or something had just rushed into the back yard quicker than his eye could follow. He wondered whether he should investigate what he’d seen or just stay where he was.
A sudden crashing noise and the distinct sound of breaking glass spurred Sean into motion. He rushed up to the front door only to find it locked. He ran around to the back door and saw that it was not only open but barely hanging on its hinges. The door’s glass lite had been shattered as though something hit it with tremendous force.
“Ashling, are you all right?” he shouted, as he ran through the ruined doorway.
He turned and stepped through the café doors into the kitchen where all the noise was coming from. It was like stepping into a war zone. The refrigerator was open with much of the contents strewn about on the floor. Several of the upper cabinets had been torn from the wall, and others appeared to have been singed black by fire. The old wood stove was lying in pieces in the middle of the kitchen floor. Water was spraying out of the hole where the sink had been, and the sink was sitting on top of the dining room table.
“Ashling, where are you?” he shouted.
“Get out of here now, Sean!”
Sean heard her warning and turned toward the open door to the pantry. It sounded like her voice came from inside, but he had difficulty seeing anything clearly. The entire kitchen was filling with a mixture of blue-gray smoke that smelled faintly of burnt almonds.
Before he could enter the pantry, there was a fierce rush of hot air and smoke that bellowed out at him. Something fast and strong crashed into him, and he was knocked off his feet and sent sprawling into the cabinets on the other side of the kitchen. His head cracked hard against the edge of the countertop and he collapsed to the floor, as unconsciousness came flooding in on him.
Sean thought he heard Ashling urgently calling his name and struggled to open his eyes. What he saw wasn’t Ashling; it was a grotesque, bird-like creature coming directly at him. The creature had long, razor- sharp teeth on display, as it closed in on him with its beak wide open. Just before it reached him, the creature was struck by what appeared to be a whirling ball of gas. The terrifying creature was blown to bits in an explosion of searing hot red and blue lights.
Sean had closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, the terrifying creature was nowhere in sight. The kitchen was a disaster area, although he could barely see anything through the smoky haze still lingering in the air following the explosion.
“Sean, are you all right,” Ashling cried out as she knelt beside him.
He looked up to see her lovely face come into view, as the smoke quickly began to clear. Her hair was a mess, and her face was covered with dirt smudges. There also appeared to be several cuts on her face and one large gash on her forehead. Sean tried to lift his hand to the bloody gash but found he didn’t have the strength.
“This is…the strangest dream I’ve ever…” Sean started to say, but lost track of his thoughts. “Such a lovely woman-even after slaying a dragon. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a…” Sean stopped mumbling as his consciousness was quickly slipping away.
“It’s all right, Sean. Everything is going to be all right,” she said soothingly, as she touched her hands to each of his temples.
He tried to respond, but as soon as she touched his temples, his pain and discomfort suddenly vanished. All he had time for was a quick smile before he sank into sweet oblivion.
* * *
Darkness had descended when Sean opened his eyes again. He was back in his pajamas and lying in bed. His inner clock was telling him something wasn’t quite right about this, but he couldn’t reason out what might be wrong.
Even though he was feeling dizzy and weak, he tried to sit up on the edge of his bed. The first attempt was a failure, and he slumped back against his pillow. The second try was only marginally better, but he did manage to achieve an upright, sitting position.
The past few days seemed to be a murky quagmire in his memory, as he struggled to clear his mind. Only brief flashes were revealed that didn’t seem to have any connection to each other. There was something about being attacked by a large animal—some kind of bird?
He could recall the accident that had brought him here and knew he was staying at the home of Eamon and Ashling Cahir. There was also a vague recollection of meeting Ailbe and Aengus, while rescuing their cow, Gertie. Had that been today or the day before?
The harder he tried to recall, the murkier his memory became. He finally gave up completely because the effort was giving him a splitting headache. It was time to head for the kitchen and a little midnight snack. His hunger pangs were almost as acute as the headache. Sean reasoned that food might cure both ailments.
He struggled to a standing position and realized he ached all over. Was he still this beat up from the accident? Again, it didn’t seem right, but he couldn’t come up with any other explanation.
He made it down to the kitchen, despite feeling like he’d been run over by a truck. The kitchen looked clean, neat, and organized, just as it always did. The gas cooking range looked so clean it could be brand new. When he glanced at the pantry door, he felt a sudden pang of unease. He glanced
