Written by Gary Bates, inspired by His Daughter
The sun shone bright above the meadows and fields, the tall grass’ and wild flowers filled the horizon with a living wave of green and primary colours. The sky was light blue, not a cloud to be seen, the only things to be seen in the sky where the bees, butterflies and dragonflies.
A cool breeze blew across the meadows adding to the already pleasant atmosphere. I had set out that morning on whimsy and wonder lust. I wore my travelling hat, a brown t-shirt with Merlin’s wise face upon it, my green short sleeved shirt. Upon my waist was by trusty belt from which hung my travelling pouch and scroll case. My legs were protected by beige trousers and my feet encased in walking sandals.
In my right hand I held my black walking stick the one which so closely resembled an Iwisa also known as a Zulu throwing club. This was both walking stick and magical staff. It contained Juju and was a powerful fetish, come talisman. Around my neck I wore my wooden pentacle and upon my hands I wore my wedding ring. A red and white neck chief kept the sun from my neck.
I had it in my head to rampage long and hard in any direction I could and perhaps follow the wind. With me rampaged Ceit my daughter and on this occasion fellow explorer. Ceit was dressed in pink a colour that hid the wild child within the pretty frame.
She had chosen a wide brimmed straw hat, a short dress and leggings as well as so many bracelets that an African princess would have felt under dressed in comparison. She wore one to many necklaces and had applied her own make up. Bright red fingernails and sparkles all over her face.
My daughter a Celtic goddess incarnate looked at me and shared in the beauty all around us. She two had brought a stick of her own and upon her back containing water and goodies she carried our food.
As we walked along looking for my muse, and whilst she ran around in circles looking for signs of fairies and magic stones, I thought I heard something, it was faint at first but seemed to contain the songs of the birds and the bees, the sky, earth and sea; it was the song of life.
Not one to usually take notice of such things this time I remembered what my daughter was and noticed her running fairly hard to the horizon. I followed as I did I let the music, which was dancing all around us and causing the insects and birds to join in take effect upon me. I was confident that the various charms we both carried would protect us from any negative effects.
As I reached the top of the rise I looked down the other side to see where this music was coming from. I was doubly stunned because Ceit was also standing there speechless. Yes speechless!
At the bottom the rise standing above the grass was a door, similar to a house hold door in structure but there the resemblance to normal ended. This door had a golden frame and within instead of wood there was a solid rainbow. Above the door were the symbol of man and the symbol of women.
The door stood some two and a half metres tall and 1 metre across. It appeared to have grown from the very earth itself and was anchored to the fabric of the sky.
I must admit I was in ore of it. “Dad” said Ceit, “It looks just like the sky over the Tower at the Edge of Reality.” I stood there and nodded in agreement.
As we stood their I extended my mind forming it into a blue orb of light and sending it fourth from my Ajna or brow chakra, also called by some as the third eye. As it passed over the door it sensed the power and colours radiating from it, a mixture of the seven colours of mystic light.
Ceit was walking around it and looking it up and down, impressed with it but unsure where it had come from or why it was here. She liked the colours though.
“Dad it hasn’t got any door handles or key holes how does it open or close.”
“Well my dear I am not sure about that either, perhaps you have to have the right key or token, it could be fairy magick or it might be something older.”
My magic eye continued to look the door over as I stood in front of it and formed a cross with my body holding my Iwisa staff parallel to me and my ring hand palm towards the door.
I began to chant “ I call upon the elementals of the East, I call upon the sylphs, spirits of the air. I call upon the Arch Raphael, angel of the East, Light bearer and divine librarian; I call upon Gerent golden dragon of elemental Air, master of the sun and lord of the winds. I ask thee give me insight and understanding.”
As I invoked the three powers I felt my body warm as if the sun focused upon me and filled me with its power. My breathing became calm as the wind picked up around me and my brow chakra warmed and my mind filled with images, sounds and knowledge.
The gate was a gate of the elder gods, one used by their minions and allies to come and go from one world, place or time to another. This one had been invisible and immaterial for some time. However recently within the last few days it had been used.
Its power had helped to bring the good weather and energise the local fields, it had been closed since noon the day before and although Ceit and I could see it, it would be invisible to all but the most psychically sensitive or magickally attuned.
“Well my dear daughter, I wonder who came through the door.”
She looked up at me with an inspired look on her sparkling face. “Why don’t we follow their trail?”
I looked at her with admiration; sometimes it took a child to help an adult see what was right there in front of them selves. I turned my wizard’s eye to the ground around the gate and sure enough there was a trail of purple magick leading away from the gate and towards the corpse of trees.
I sensed no evil but I warned my daughter to keep close, like that would happen I thought to myself as I said it. We moved of away from the door its song still playing in our ears. Ceit ran on ahead holding her walking stick like a rifle and waving me on impatient with my progress.
As we walked towards the trees I could feel my power levels increase and felt more fit and fresh than when I set out. Soon I noticed an old man sitting against a gnarled old oak; he had two dogs with him which seemed to be chasing butterflies. The old man wore old fashioned travelling cloths and wore a wide brimmed felt hat. He smoked a pipe in the manner of wizards in fantasy stories.
He was dressed in the manner of a man on safari. However three things made him stand out, first was his necklace, the triangles linked to each other made in the Viking style.
The next was his barely concealed sword again in the ancient Scandinavian style but far more ornate and beautiful than any I had seen before. Although wrapped in what appeared to be a blue travelling cloak its handle and the bottom of the scabbard could be seen by those who cared to look?
The last item was a leather drinking flask. Again it was made in a style more in keeping with Europe in the 9th century A.D. The old man looked up at me as I approached as did his dogs. It was then that I noticed his white beard, braided hair and black leather eye patch.
“Greetings Garwulf” he called out to me. “Greetings daughter of Garwulf” he called to Ceit. I was taken aback he addressed me by my magickal name as if he knew me.
“Greetings good sir” I answered more than a little bit shaken. Ceit smiled one of her special smiles aimed at convincing people she was an angel and that butter would have a hard time melting in her mouth.
“May we join you and perhaps share our meagre fair with you.” I finally managed to say.
“Of course I have been waiting for you two to come by for a little while now, when you get to my age you sometimes get the hour, day or even week wrong now and again, but bye and large you find yourself usually where you need to be. Of course in my younger day I would be able to get where I needed to be at exactly the right time, not a moment sooner or latter than the Wyrd needed me to.”
I took out a blanket from Ceits pack and we sat down. Ceit decided without been asked to play mother and unpacked our food laying it out before us.
“So you where expecting us.” I said taking of my hate and wiping my brow. “May I ask for what purpose you sought us out”. By now I was already fully aware of who I thought I was talking to and to be honest I was both in awe and scared. It is not everyday you speak to the all father lord of the Anglo-Saxon gods.
“Well my son it has to do with the coming storm, the ancient servants of the dwellers in the dark are moving once more and this time they have gained allies from your time and from those who dwell at the edges of a possible if somewhat unpleasant future.”
He looked at both of us and suddenly I was aware that a sphere of purple energy had sprung up all around us and the sounds of the outside world and the wind and the doors song could no longer be heard.
“My son, son of Anthony, grandson of Frank, great grandson of Frank, wizard of the ancient line which leads back to Atlantis itself listen to me and listen to me well. You, your friends and your allies face great danger but also great
adventure. You are part of a saga which has been going on since first the Cosmos created life in this dimension. You must embrace your personal legend and see that this new chapter in the story of life ends successfully.”
Wow, I thought what was going on. Where all the stories my grandfather had told me where true, had he known things that I had only guessed at and dreamt? No wonder he wanted me to know about monsters, about the world of the strange and uncanny.
“What must I do father Woden” there I said it. He smiled.
“You must gather your friends you must uncover the secrets in the shadows the hidden things you see in the corner of your eyes and you must make your dreams a reality and battle your nightmares.”
He lent forward and put his hand on my shoulder. Ceit started to dish out the chocolate spread sandwiches and poor the water into our plastic cups.
“Follow what your mind tells you guided by what your heart feels. Listen to those around you but do not be afraid to make a decision or do what has to be done. Visit the magickal places, speak to the cunning folk, and listen to the wisdom of the ancients and the imaginations of the young. Do not give up and most important of all know that Dagda, Ra, Vishnu and myself are always with you and that each of us will be able to aid you and your friends once in this chapter of the tale.”
With that the sound of outside invaded our solace and the old man who was an elder god took the chocolate spread sandwich Ceit offered him and ate it. He washed it down with his water and then stood. Two ravens lifted up out of the great oak above us and the two dogs came to there masters side.
“Thank you for the food my dear” he said to Ceit who beamed a smile back at him.
“A pleasure sir” she said a little shyly.
“Garwulf until we meet again” he took my arm in a warriors grip and said one final thing “waes hael and make sure your never let your guard down my boy, carry on looking for the Ancient Forest of the Elves and by all that is Light find the Scorpion Sage before they do!”
With that he let go and he began to make his way back to the shinning Rainbow Door which we had found on that beautiful Easter day. A door which I suspected was the middle earth end of a certain rainbow bridge.
“Dad we better go and tell mum, you know she will want to know what kept us so long”
I looked at my daughter and laughed. “Yes I suppose you are right we had best get home and let your mum and brother know what has happened.”
Ceit slipped her right hand into my left and said “Can I help renew the wards tonight.”
“I suppose so” I said warmed by the fire in my daughter’s eyes.
The End
A newer version of this story will be posted soon, please keep your eyes peeled.