'Morning. Sal!'

Salantina opened her eyes to her mother standing over her bed. She jumped up fast wondering what was going on. 'Are you planning on moving today?'

She stood waiting for a response but before Salantina could form a coherent sentence her mother spoke again. 'I'm about to leave for work but your father is here watching. You're not allowed to stay in your room today so downstairs, please!'

'... okay,' Salantina replied groggily reminiscing on how not so long ago her sleeping was exactly what her mother wanted her to do, ironic?

'Good then. See you this afternoon.' She kissed her on the cheek and left. Salantina thought it was better not to argue her point and instead dressed and went downstairs. Her Dad was in fact not here. He was on the farm. And Peppa was with her Aunt.

Instead of wandering around doing nothing she decided to go for a walk. Today, for the first time in weeks, they walked through the woods. Bella happily wagged her tail obviously glad to be back on her normal walking route.

Once they came into the wooded area, they passed the bridge and heard the familiar rush of water beneath their feet. For the first time since she was bitten, she didn't think of the mark on her hand and instead of how beautiful it was here. It made her feel calm. The way she felt when she was in the water.

On the way back down the hill just as she was about to pass the river when she changed her mind... she was going to sit on her rock and write.

*

Walking back, while raising her arm to push the tree branches that covered the pathway out of her way, she noticed the mark on her hand had reappeared. She pulled her sleeve down covering the mark. It wasn't going to ruin her day, not anymore. Continuing to push the branches out of her and Bella's way, exposing the path to the stream, she noticed that it appeared to be different. A warmness passed around her body when she stepped forward.

The pathway seemed, at first, exactly the same but brighter with a sweet scent of spring in the air. The trees had flourished from what she thought was a beautiful day on her summer walk through the woods just moments ago - now looked dull in comparison. From the evergreen pine trees, a bright luminous green glowed, and beside them were trees with all different colors of pink, blue, and lilac radiating around them like a cherry tree had blossomed in early spring. But this wasn't the case on any other part of her walk there were no colorful trees all the way through the wooded area, only the plain pine evergreen she was used to. And even then it didn't have the same shine. Even the water in the stream was a turquoise blue, so clear she could see the pebbles at the bottom, something she couldn't do before because of the algae.

As she walked towards the stream she noticed that Bella wasn't beside her anymore. Looking around frantically she called her name but there was no response. Turning around she looked back at the bush. When focusing her eyes she noticed that there was a rippling effect in what appeared to be a wall of water. It looked like heat rising from a tiny flame, barely visible but distorting the air around. Looking up, it went up as far as the eye could see.

Through the wavy wall, there was the dark green color from the evergreen trees that she had walked through just moments ago. Walking back toward the road to find Bella, she heard footsteps and she turned to see a hooded man wearing a long black cloak appear at the river. Frozen with fright she stared blankly at the dark figure.

'Welcome, Salantina.' The man spoke slowly in a calm voice. His face wasn't visible beneath the cloak until he lowered his hood. It was her neighbor David. She thought to run but her feet froze on the ground.

'I'm sorry to frighten you like this, but I couldn't find another way,' he said with a warm voice. 'I have brought you here, Salantina, because I need to warn you! Please do not fear me I don't mean to harm you!' Salantina noticed his accent had changed since the day she overheard him speaking to her mother. He sounded Spanish.

'Danger!? Don't be ridiculous! Where's my dog... BELLA,' she frantically called. 'What's going on, why does everything look... so... so ... different?' her heart hammered in her chest.

'Bella is where you left her at the stream. She is safe,' he answered calmly. 'I'm sorry but this isn't a place for her.'

'At the stream? We ARE at the stream,' she said knowing the truth.

'You're not where you think you are. Welcome to Draíocht. What I hope will be your first and last visit here. Don't let the beauty deceive you. Where we are is a hidden land that only a few people can enter. 

'To come here, the doorway must be opened for you, but this can only be done with certain power few possess. In this world we live amongst the wind, the sea, and the land,' he spoke lightly at first before his face went dark. 'You are in danger. That mark you have on your hand is worse than any poison. It was no accident that you were bitten by this stream, Salantina. That glowing light otherwise known as a Rinceoir was waiting here to bite a living creature, and it found you! Although you cannot make the marking go away, you have a choice not to act.

'You are not forced to leave your home and go anywhere. If you don't listen then this option no longer exists. If you choose to go, you cannot change your mind. You will be indebted to them.'

'Who are you talking about?' she asked bewildered.

'The others,' he replied and then there was a noise further upstream. There are more. 'You need to leave now,' he whispered. She looked back toward the door the wavy wall was coming down. 'hurry'

'Wait... I don't understand. Why should I listen to you - I barely know you?'

'My name is not David. That is the name I use to hide my identity. My real name is Raphael. I know you are afraid, but I can't tell you anymore.' He was already pulling up his hood. She knew she needed to go fast if she was going to make it out with the wavy wall becoming smaller and smaller.

'What does all this mean? I don't understand... stay away from what?'

Without another word though he turned and was gone. She stood alone.

'Bella.' She remembered her dog was alone in the woods. She ran back to where the road was and again felt a warmness around her body when she passed the branches. Falling out onto the middle of the road she turned and sat on the tared surface when she heard Bella barking. Her eyes looked straight ahead to where she fell from and the wavy wall was gone. Through the branches she just passed through Bella was drinking at the stream. Everything was the same except duller, just like Salantina had remembered from her walk.

Why can I see out but not in?

'Bella come on girl,' she called not wanting to ever go near that stream ever again. Bella ran up to her on the road where she was sitting and nuzzled into her neck.

I'm going crazy... 

She ran back to her home with Bella beside her. Once inside she locked herself into her bedroom and wrote what happened into her notebook.

What concerned Salantina, to her surprise, wasn't the danger but how can she go back to Draíocht? With the fear now faded she wondered what could be inside of that strange yet beautiful place. And why did it have a calling for her and not anyone else? If this place was real, was she in danger? Who does she need to hide from and why? What she wanted to do was find David or Raphael and have those questions answered.

Raphael

Raphael returned to his home not long after Salantina had run off from the stream. He had left Draíocht after speaking to her. Worried about leaving her there alone he hoped she would walk back out of it again without going any further because of fear. If anyone had seen her, that would have had bad consequences. He would have exposed her before she had changed although she was close. To be safe, he had waited up the stream watching her until she left through the doorway again, like he had hoped she would.

Afterward, he took the stone from his pocket, held it in the air, and whispered 'Dún', closing the doorway. He could see her sitting on the road, wide-eyed and pale. He felt guilty for having to frighten her.

She needed to know she was in danger. There was nobody else to tell her. He repeated to himself again and again.

Once the door was closed, he looked around for listeners. He could find none, and when Salantina had gone, he opened and closed the door once more, this time for him to leave.

The opening at the river was a small doorway. It hadn't been used in many years and it was difficult for him to even open it for Salantina. She hadn't been here in weeks and he had been waiting. Hoping she would come down, not wanting to try to corner her on the road again. This was the safest place to tell her what was happening, showing her was the better solution. They would be coming soon.

When he went to his house in the village, he packed his things quickly. There wasn't much. It managed to fit inside two suitcases. Raphael thought of his younger days, in Spain, a time when he had many things - much more than two suitcases could carry. His parents had given him everything he wanted. 

He longed for home as he brought the cases to his white Golf. Another reminder to change cars soon too. People from the village associated it with him. Placing the house key in an envelope he left it inside the letterbox with a note for the landlord with a month's rent in advance for his troubles.

He got into his car, started it, and left his home for the last few years. A place where he had found some peace. For a while anyway.

If he had stayed in Dríocht, they wouldn't be following him. He would never truly be safe but at least this way he can try to have his freedom. When they find him, they will bring him back, and he isn't sure what would happen then. As he drove away from the town he stopped at the beach. Pulling the stone from his pocket, he threw it into the sea and got back into his car.

'They can find it now,' he thought to himself.

Returning to his car, he took one last look around at the coastal view and drove away into the night.