Chapter II:     Welcome to the Reality of Life (Part 1)

XI-XVI-MMXIX

WW

          Since I was a kid, there were people who used to tell me, "wait 'til you see the real world." Young as I was at that time, I already knew I am in the real world. I can even distinguish imagination from the real world. And in that real world, I have a real mother, a real Mother Ma Mommy, real sisters, Saoirse and Dervla, not really sisters by blood but by heart, a real family, in a real home, in a real room...did you know that there once happened a miracle? Really, believe it or not...

          "Brigidarah's getting bluer and bluer," Sister Marian checked up the skin of the patient who was paralyzed on the bed, "I did my best to pray for her. I have called upon---"

          "If only she was checked up by a doctor during the early stages," the nurse explained, "her chances of survival would be high."

          "We tried! But the head doctor rejected her, saying she's not the priority because she's still mobile that time," Brigidarah's mother tearfully said, "now, the doctors rejected her because she's already on her terminal stage. Please, do anything to save my daughter's life."

          "But first, you must sign this manuscript," the nurse searched for the document in his leather satchel.

          A Roman Priest who passed by the corridor heard the conversation in the room. The mother was about to sign the manuscript when the priest entered the room without knocking and joined the consultation:

"I am not sure but sure

To every kind of injure

There's traditional cure

Medicine from herb so pure."

           "Eureka!" Sister Marian exclaimed.

          The Roman priest continued speaking poetically:

"Deep in the Banshee forest

There's herb with orchid-like flowers

Beware, mimicry are the rest

Bee-pollinated must be the fruits

Take the whole plant including the roots

Be here before it withers."

          "My mind cannot memorize too many conditions," Sister Marian wildly scratched her head. She said to the mother, "I hope you listened to him very carefully. Now, repeat what he said."

          "Time is running out. I'll better go now," the mother said as she wore her cloak hanging on the door.

          The Roman priest deeply cried, "bah-bah-bah," to summon a black sheep from the outside. It entered the room by forcing through the closed window, leaving the window open.

          "Bah-bah-bah!" The black sheep chewed the grasses with saliva dripping from its mouth. It scratched its ear wildly.

          "Hey, no animals inside!" Sister Marian covered her nose. "Achoo!"

          The Roman priest offered the sheep to Brigidarah's mother:

"I will lend you my sheep

Bah-bah-bah

Intelligent enough

But don't you ride, you'll hurt its pride

Through the shady forest it can peep

In dark entourage, it can camouflage

When it finds the plant, it will laugh:

'Bah-bah-bah!'"

          "Thank you very much!" the mother said to the priest before she left the room. The black sheep followed her.

          "I'll go with you," Sister Marian said to her as she walked towards the door.

          "Just stay here with Brigidarah," the mother said, "She will be needing your prayers a lot."

          "Alright, be careful," Sister Marian said, "It won't be called the 'Banshee Forest' for nothing."

          Brigidarah's mother did not respond, as if she didn't heard what Sister Marian said. The nun prayed for safety on her journey.

WW

          My mother had not gone home by the time I could smell candle fumes in the air. Though, I was having difficulty catching every breath. I could feel the cold breeze filling the room like cold hands touching my face. Even if my vision was white, still, my ears could hear what's happening around...

          "What took her so long?" Sister Marian gazed through the window of the room. "What could have happened?" She shuddered either due to the idea or the cold wind.

          A child with short and curly hair gently pulled Sister Marian's dress and curiously asked, "what is a banshee, mother?"

          "Oh, Dervla, you are still very young to discuss things such as banshees." Sister Marian felt sorry for her.

          "I am older than sister Dervla," another child with braided short hair beside Dervla said, "so, what is a banshee, mommy?" Her eyes enlarged cutely.

          "Alright, Saoirse and Dervla," Sister Marian gave up because she can't resist their cute eyes.

          "Yay!" The children cheered.

          "Instead, let me sing you a nursery song about banshee," Sister Marian was about to sing when a nun passerby interrupted her.

          "Did you just mention banshee?" The nun passerby fearfully said as her upper body peeked through the open door. She called the other nuns who are outside the room, "oh come on, girls!"

          All of a sudden, a total of nine nuns of different age group excitedly entered the room. "Oh, we all love singing about banshee during our free time."

          One of the nun who was holding a candle said, "Oh, did you know, since I was a kid, my mother used to sing me that nursery song every night."

           "Wait, what are you all doing here? You should be at the---" Sister Marian's words did not finish.

          The nun who was holding a candle used her hand to conduct the choir. "One, two, three, sing..."

          The nuns sing passionately in a capella (with the tune of bah-bah-black sheep):

"Bah! Bah! Banshee

Bad biddy be she

Twirly tan tress

O'er green dress

Myth tells she's a mother who died while giving birth

Eyewitnesses say, "she's back," she rose from grave earth."

"Folks tweet she's a callgirl in the forest she flirts." ("Really?")

"Rumors she has virus, contagious but covert." ("Oh my gosh!")

"I've heard from Peter Piper she picks fresh fruits from fruit trees to make desserts."

("I don't remember that part of the song.")

          "Really?" Sister Marian reacted. Her eyes enlarged, "oh my gosh!" She wildly scratched her head like a sheep. "I don't remember that part of the song."

          There was a long silence. The nuns quietly communicates through each others' eyes. Afterwards, they continued the song:

"Bah! Bah! Banshee

Bender Belzeebee

Hear her screecheth

She's bad breath."

          A strong gust of cold wind coming from the window blew out the flames of candles in the room. The nine nuns, surprised by the sudden light interruption, screamed in unison:

"Baaah! Baaah! Baaah!" 

          The nun who was holding a candle, also blew out the flame in her hand, making the room even more darker. The nine nuns exit the room, screaming in panic:

"Baaah! Baaah! Baaah!"

          Sister Marian who was frightened by the dark screeched horribly:

"Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

          "Banshee!" the children screamed. In the dark, they thought that Marian, a nun, was the Banshee. Then they rushed to Brigidarah's bed and hugged her to protect her from what they mistook as the Banshee.          

          She calmed down when she sensed the flickering light coming from the open door. There was the Roman priest. He heard the loud screams and went to check the room. He lighted up her face using the jack-o'-lantern he was holding.

          "Thank goodness, Father Ricky!" Sister Marian wiped her sweat using her hands and said, "You know I have nyctophobia."

          Father Ricky zoomed his face towards Sister Marian's to read her eyes and poetically said:

"Don't be afraid of the dark

For God is awake all night.

Why are you afraid of the dark?

Unless, you are the dark who is afraid of the light."

          Sister Marian felt mystery through his words and responded through silence thought. 

          The nurse disturbed her deep dreaming, "I am sorry to tell you...Brigidarah now rests peacefully in the hands of God."

          After hearing the bad news, Sister Marian woke up, "What?"

          "I did all I can to prolong her life," the nurse calmly explained, "But I am just a practitioner not God."

          "Yeah, I know you're not God," Sister Marian raged.

          While Sister Marian and the nurse were arguing, the Roman priest removed the brooch from his shoulder cape and attached it on Brigidarah's garments on her chest. He whispered a prayer in Latin, only himself can hear.

          "Sister Marian," the priest called her attention.

          "Yes, Father Ricky?" Sister Marian was not able to punch the nurse.

          "Do you promise to take good care of Brigidarah?" He said in normal language.

          "Of course I will...just like Saoirse and Dervla," she crossed her heart.

          "No," he calmly said as light flickered from the brooch, "let her grow as Brigidarah according to God's plan for her...And take good care of Dervla...more."

          A bright flash of white light temporarily blinded everyone in the room. The nurse saw a vision---Brigidarah, treating the sick and curing the ill, saving many lives. When his vision returned to normal, he found himself standing in the same room, with candle lights on. He was very confused. He saw Sister Marian with the two children sleeping soundly, as they hugged Brigidarah. He checked up the patient's condition: the skin; the pulse; the eyes; the heartbeat; and the breathing. He couldn't believe she was completely normal and healthy!

          "Unbelievable!" The nurse talked to himself, "No, no, miracles aren't real." 

          Frightened, he slowly walked backwards, then about-face as he panicked out of the room. However, he bumped into a wooden statue and fell into the floor with it. He lost consciousness, not because his head hit the floor badly, but because he saw the face of the statue.

          The wooden statue grinned.

          After that day, my real mother really never came back. We tried to search for her everywhere. Many witnesses claimed that she was last seen entering into the Banshee Forest with a black sheep. That evening, the nearby villagers were awakened by a long loud screech. They say that according to an ancient folklore, when you hear a Banshee screeches, it omens death.

---to be continued---

---The Wicked Writch

Bah-bah-bah!