Hello there,
Thank you so much for joining me for this continued reading of Moonlight at Mistahwis.
This is my unofficial,
Independent,
Fan-written sequel to help celebrate 100 years since the publishing of Lucy Maud Montgomery's fantastic novel,
The Blue Castle,
Back in 1926.
Here we are in 2026 and I hear there have been all kinds of different things going on this year to celebrate the centenary of the Blue Castle.
It just delights me to think of.
I hear that there are stage shows and group readings and art shows and all kinds of expressions of love and appreciation for this fabulous novel.
If you've already been listening along to this book,
I hope you've been enjoying it.
If you haven't yet heard the preceding parts of this story and you'd like to,
You can certainly look for the playlist for Moonlight at Miss Darwis and you'll find all the chapters there in order.
Makes it a lot easier to move from one to the next.
Similarly,
You can also find my reading of The Blue Castle on here.
It's actually the most popular book that I have read on Insight Timer.
And you can find that all in a playlist too,
Or also as a long form sleep track that is the entire book in one track.
So you can just listen to it continuously throughout the night if that's your kind of a thing.
So for now,
Let's just take a moment here.
To have a nice,
Deep exhale.
Letting go of the day.
Letting go of whichever baggage we might be bringing along with us into this moment.
For right now,
There's nowhere else we have to go.
Nothing else we have to be doing.
So we can just relax,
Get ourselves comfortable,
And enjoy the next installment of Moonlight at Mystawis.
Chapter 18 The Stars Deserve Young Seekers A Saturday or two later,
When Barney drove up to the mainland landing,
Tom was there waiting.
With a smaller girl beside him.
She had two brown plaits,
A faded cotton dress,
And a solemn expression that made her look older than her nine years.
This is Ruth,
Tom said.
My sister.
Ruth looked directly at Barney.
Ma said I could come too if there was anything I could do.
Barney glanced at Tom,
Then back at her.
I expect we can find something.
Her face brightened at once.
There were parcels to carry down from the car,
Jars to pack carefully into a wooden crate,
And two large sacks of flour,
Which Barney reserved for himself and Tom to manoeuvre together.
Ruth took charge of the smaller things,
Without needing much instruction.
Carrying them one by one to the boat and fitting them neatly wherever she found room.
By the time everything was loaded,
Barney looked over the supplies.
Well now.
.
.
You two may as well come over with me and help unload it all.
Ruth stared at him.
To the island.
If you like.
Tom gave her a warning look.
Though he himself was plainly interested.
They climbed aboard.
Valancy was in the garden when the boat came in.
She straightened at the sound of the motor and shaded her eyes,
Then headed down to the waterfront.
Wow!
Look who you've brought!
Tom climbed out first and reached back for one of the parcels.
Ruth followed,
Looking everywhere at once.
At the trees,
The little house above the shore,
And especially at the two cats watching from the sun-warmed steps.
We came to help,
Tom explained.
So I see,
Said Valancy.
I'm glad.
The morning passed pleasantly.
Tom helped Barney carry supplies up from the dock and stack kindling beneath the shed roof.
Ruth brought jars into the pantry for Valancy and gathered beans from the garden into a basket.
She was intensely serious about every task,
And twice went back to straighten things she had already put away.
Then Banjo appeared.
He came strolling round the corner of the house,
Stopped at the sight of Ruth.
And regarded her with grave suspicion.
Ruth stopped too.
That's Banjo,
Valancy said.
Ruth crouched cautiously and held out her hand.
Banjo sniffed her fingers.
Considered the matter.
And then rubbed his whole length against her shins.
Her solemnity vanished.
Oh.
Tom,
Feel how soft he is.
Tom was carrying an armful of small branches towards the shed.
We're supposed to be working!
I am working.
You're stroking a cat.
Ruth looked down at Banjo,
Who had now flopped shamelessly across her shoes.
Barney passed them,
Carrying another bundle of wood.
You won't get much done if Banjo decides otherwise.
A moment later,
One of the crows swept low across the clearing and landed near the garden,
Ruth sprang upright.
Is that knit?
"'Possibly,
' said Valancy.
"'Or Tark?
' Barney added.
" The crow seized something from beside the garden path and flapped away with it.
Tom shouted and ran after it.
Ruth followed instantly.
For a little while,
Their voices carried through the trees,
Indignant and laughing,
Until they came back,
Flushed and breathless.
Lost it,
Tom said.
Barney nodded gravely.
You did your best.
At noon,
Valancy called them to eat.
She had set out bread,
Cheese,
Cold potatoes,
Cucumbers and lemonade beneath the trees.
Tom hesitated beside the table.
We can eat.
"'Course you can,
' Valancy said.
He still looked uncertain.
Barney sat down and reached for the bread.
You've been here all morning working.
Sit.
That settled it.
Ruth ate with wholehearted concentration.
Tom tried at first to be more restrained,
But hunger soon overcame him.
Olive wandered over from Windward halfway through the meal,
Sketchbook under one arm.
Oh,
She said,
Surprised,
We have company.
Ruth's eyes went immediately to the book.
Do you?
Draw animals.
Sometimes.
Could you draw a banjo?
Olive looked towards Banjo.
Who had settled nearby with his tail curled neatly around his paws.
I could try.
Ruth edged closer.
Soon,
Tom was peering over Olive's shoulder too,
While she made a quick little sketch.
A few minutes later,
Olive tore the page carefully from the sketchbook and handed it to Ruth.
Ruth studied it with shining eyes.
It looks just like him Tom leaned in for another look.
It really does.
Ruth thanked Olive and carried the drawing over to the veranda to tuck it carefully where nothing could blow it away.
Then the two children went back to help with the last of the morning's work.
By early afternoon,
There was nothing more that needed doing.
Down at the dock,
Barney reached into his pocket and counted out Tom's pay.
Then he counted Ruth's separately into her hand.
She stared at the coins for a moment before closing her fingers around them.
Tom tucked his own carefully into his pocket.
Next Saturday,
He asked,
If your mother says so.
She will,
Ruth looked up hopefully.
Me.
2.
Barney glanced at her.
If there's enough to keep you both busy.
Ruth nodded,
Perfectly satisfied with that.
On the way back across the water,
Ruth sat clutching her coins in one hand and Olive's little sketch of banjo in the other.
Tom sat beside her,
His own wages tucked carefully into his pocket.
Halfway across,
Ruth said something about the crow,
And Tom burst out laughing.
Barney glanced over at him.
The laugh had already gone,
But the grin remained.
Barney smiled too and turned his eyes back to the water.
By late July,
Olive had grown gratefully accustomed to the gentle rhythms of the island.
The mornings were entirely hers,
A sacred time,
When she could slip quietly into the canoe,
Paddle across the shimmer of Miss Darwis,
And settle in some sun-dappled corner to sketch and paint.
A canvas propped on her lap.
She would lose herself in the play of light on the lake.
Capturing the tilt of the trees,
The drift of the clouds,
And the soft shadows that pooled beneath the pines.
This particular morning,
She had been working at Wynwood on a rendering of the Grey family's cottage.
Imagining it framed on the wall someday above their hearth.
She had taken to leaving small sketches for them as little gifts,
Tucked into parcels.
Or presented in person when she could.
A little gesture of fondness for the young family.
She had just reached for a new pot of water to rinse her brushes when a clanging rang out across the water from the mainland dock.
The sound was unexpected.
Echoing loud against the trees and breaking the morning's quiet.
Olive froze,
Her hand poised mid-air.
Frowning.
Across at the mainland dock.
An old man stood,
Larger than life,
A huge box planted at his feet.
He stood clanging the bell repeatedly,
Waving with flamboyant enthusiasm and booming out a greeting that carried easily across the water.
BUNNY!
Bernard Redfern!
Where are you hiding,
Boy?
I've come bearing gifts and tidings and Barney's brow rose as he stepped out onto the porch.
Well,
That's not a regular delivery,
He murmured.
The figure stood waving irrepressibly,
Hat held high,
Laughter booming over the lake.
Barney shook his head.
He never does anything quietly,
He muttered.
From the garden,
Valancy came round,
Curiosity lifting her brow too,
As she took in the spectacle.
Olive then emerged from her cottage,
Frowning slightly at the clanging bell and the flurry of motion across the water.
Though she looked faintly amused.
The man on the dock was short and stout,
With the unmistakable rubiconed glow of someone accustomed to theatrics rather than subtlety.
His overcoat,
A light fawn shade,
Billowed around him,
And his tie.
No ordinary tie,
Flashed an almost comical brilliance of green.
Even at this distance,
She could sense the larger-than-life personality in every exaggerated gesture.
Barney,
Predictably unflappable despite the spectacle,
Gestured for his father to wait at the dock I'll bring him over,
" he said,
Turning to Valancy.
His eyes twinkled faintly.
Brace yourself.
My father never arrives quietly.
Then he tossed a quick glance towards Olive.
As he pulled on his boots,
Calling over,
Don't be alarmed,
Olive.
It's only my father.
Dr.
Redfern was landed with theatrical flair.
Bowing deeply as though the dock were a stage rather than a mere platform.
Olive covered her mouth,
Trying not to laugh as he sniffed dramatically at the air.
Ugh.
Miss Star Wars.
The perfect wilderness.
So good to see you all.
So very good.
Barney helped steady his father as he stepped onto the island.
Dad,
He said,
This is Miss Olive Stirling,
Valancy's cousin.
She's been keeping us company on the island.
Dr Redfern's eyes swept over Olive with exaggerated appraisal.
So you must be the clever young lady who has taken Miss Starwys by storm.
A pleasure,
My dear.
Truly.
A pleasure,
He boomed,
Inclining his head in a flourish.
Olive curtsied slightly,
Struggling valiantly to preserve her composure.
Dr Redfern,
She murmured.
What an honour it is to meet you.
Barney quickly moved to the edge of the boat,
Hauling up the enormous box that had come over with his father.
And now.
.
.
You two prepare yourselves.
Dad has brought some gift worthy of the occasion.
Dr Redfern clapped his hands together,
Eyes twinkling,
A belated anniversary present!
He boomed excitedly.
Purple?
Poohs!
My own invention.
As you well know,
Guaranteed to invigorate,
Inspire and improve life immeasurably.
A token of my undying affection.
And scientific foresight.
Valancy bit her lip.
Uncertain whether to laugh or groan.
Purple.
Pills,
" she echoed.
Casting Barney a sidelong glance.
Barney set the box down with a thump and dusted off his hands.
Yes!
Behold!
My father's favourite legacy to the world.
They cure everything.
From ennui to ingrown toenails.
Or so he claims.
Dr Redfern wagged a finger at his son.
Not claims,
Young man.
Proooofs!
Science is built on proof.
Why,
Only last week I took three myself and felt a decade younger within the hour.
He puffed out his chest.
Looking around for admiration.
Olive,
Startled into laughter,
Tried to hide it behind her hand.
Decades younger,
" she teased.
At that rate,
You'll vanish back into childhood before the summer's out.
Dr.
Redfern bellowed,
A sharp witch!
We'll get along splendidly.
He leaned towards Olive,
Lowering his voice as if confiding in her.
You've no idea.
How tiresome it is being surrounded by people who refuse to see genius.
When it's staring them in the face!
Barney rolled his eyes.
But there was fondness in the gesture.
Careful,
Olive.
He'll have you advertising purple pills before you know it.
Dr.
Redfern looked suddenly serious.
But tell me.
My dear.
What is life?
Without a little daring.
Without trying what the timid call Impossible.
Why,
I'd wager Miss Darwis itself was once thought a fool's dream.
And yet,
Here you all are.
Thriving.
His gaze swept from Olive to Valancy,
Then back again,
His grand manner softening just a touch.
Balanci.
Moved despite herself,
Felt the warmth of his words ripple through her.
She remembered the bleak little house in Dearwood,
The years of being told to shrink,
To obey,
To fade,
And now.
.
.
Here was Barney's father.
Strange and splendid.
Booming his approval.
Of the very life she had somehow dared to choose.
She caught Barney's eye.
A sudden lump rose in her throat.
Dr Redfern,
Oblivious to the tender current between them,
Clapped his hands again.
Now then!
Enough standing about.
Let us open this box.
The future awaits.
" Barney sighed dramatically.
Oh gosh,
Brace yourselves.
This could be anything from bottles of pills to a troupe of dancing monkeys.
Monkeys!
Olive blurted,
Eyes widening despite herself.
With my father,
Barney said dryly,
Prying open the package,
One never rules anything out.
Barney wrestled the lid off the enormous box.
Inside,
Neat rows of small corked bottles gleamed in the afternoon light,
Each filled with suspiciously bright violet pellets.
The shear.
Quantity of them.
Was absurd.
Hundreds,
Perhaps thousands,
Stacked like soldiers awaiting orders.
Olive.
Gave a strangled laugh.
Unable to help herself.
Good heavens!
She exclaimed.
If the island ever falls ill,
We needn't fear.
We could dose the entire county.
Not!
Ew,
My dear.
Dr Redfern corrected grandly,
Seizing one of the bottles and holding it aloft,
To be invigorated.
Enlivened.
More radiant with purpose.
Purple pills for all.
Valancy caught Barney's eye,
Both of them fighting not to laugh outright.
Part.
Beneath the mountain of violet bottles lay something else.
Barney dug deeper.
Frowning.
Then pulled free a smaller parcel wrapped in oilskin and tied with string.
It was heavy.
Oddly shaped.
When the wrapping fell away.
For Lancey gasped.
It was an old brass telescope.
Polished but scarred with use,
Its fittings still faintly gleaming.
Dr Redfern,
Suddenly gentler,
Spread his arms as if unveiling a treasure.
Ah,
This,
My dears,
Is no pill.
Though it has given me more cures of the spirit.
Than all the draughts I ever devised.
Bye.
Tell a story Companion of my youth.
Witness to countless skies.
I thought you might like to see your moonlit kingdom with the eyes that once showed me mine.
Valancy touched the brass reverently with curiosity.
Barney's usual grin softened into something quiet.
Almost boyish.
Even Olive,
Who.
.
.
Had been bracing for further absurdities.
Found her heart twisting unexpectedly.
Well,
Dr Redfern declared,
Instantly swelling again with pride,
It's wasted on me these days,
Too many clouds in my eyes,
But to you,
I entrust it.
The stars deserve young seekers.
Valanci blinked.
Unable to speak for a moment.
Thank you.
She said at last.
Means a great deal.
Barney slung an arm around her shoulder,
Giving her a squeeze.
Trust dad to bury his heart under a mountain of snake oil.
Dr.
Redfern barked a laugh.
But you'll thank me.
When the purple pills keep you vigorous enough to use this telescope for 50 years yet.
Over supper,
Dr Redfern had demanded a full account of their travels and would not be satisfied with respectable answers.
He wanted mishaps,
Absurdities and near disasters.
Before long,
Barney and Valancy were talking over one another,
Correcting each other's versions and laughing.
While Olive listened with interest.
Fascinated amusement.
Dr Redfern contributed several outrageous travelling tales of his own and declared that seeing the world was almost as invigorating as a hefty dose of purple pills.
Later,
As the sun dipped lower,
The lake stilled into a sheet of pewter.
Supper had been cleared away,
And Dr Redfern,
Still brimming with energy after a glass of Barney's home-brewed cider,
And an alarming handful of his own pills.
Was determined to unveil his gift properly.
He had already scattered little violet bottles across the kitchen shelf,
Like so many soldiers,
Each bearing the florid label,
Dr.
Redfern's Purple Pills,
For vigor,
Vitality,
Vision.
But he was certainly not finished.
Ladies,
And my errant son.
Come forth,
He cried.
Carrying a long,
Polished case out onto the veranda with exaggerated pomp.
For what is life?
What is science?
What is?
Action!
If not.
Magnify.
Barney shot Valancy a look.
Half amused,
Half resigned.
And helped his father prop the case on the porch rail.
With practiced hands,
Dr Redfern set the brass telescope upon its stand and began adjusting the fittings.
Olive caught her breath.
Ugh.
It's beautiful.
Not half as beautiful as what it shall reveal,
Dr.
Redfern declared.
My anniversary gift.
To you.
Though,
Dear Miss Stirling,
You must share in it too.
Tonight?
I shall introduce you.
.
.
To the moon herself.
Face to face.
By the time night fully fell,
The telescope was trained high.
The silver disc of the rising moon suspended above the black lake.
Dr Redfern insisted each of them take a turn.
Olive bent to the eyepiece first.
The world fell away.
As she found herself staring at craters and shadows,
Vast seas of light and dark.
She pulled back with a sharp intake of breath.
Eyes glistening.
It looks so Nia.
She whispered.
So.
.
.
Alive somehow.
For Lancey's turn left her silent too.
She lingered longer than the others,
Her heart swelling at the luminous world,
So close yet unreachable.
Barney rested a hand on her shoulder,
Leaning to murmur in her ear,
Moonlight staring into moonlight.
Dr Redfern clapped his hands in triumph.
Have I not given you more than pills?
More than promises?
I give you.
.
.
Eternity itself.
Writ in silver fire.
Above.
The waters.
Olive laughed softly.
But there was something.
Hushed in it.
She turned her face upward.
No lens between her and the heavens.
And for once,
Let herself simply be.
Marvel.
Barney rested against the veranda rail,
Gazing at his father with wry affection.
Only you dad could arrive with a thousand bottles of quack medicine and still managed to give us something unforgettable.
Dr Redfern retorted in mock offence.
Science,
Sir!
Science!
And?
Love.
Don't forget that.
I love you,
Son.
He stood there in the moonlight.
Little.
Wild.
A little ridiculous.
Yet strangely noble all the same.
His silver hair glinting as though he were kin to the stars themselves.
Olive could scarcely believe all that she was seeing and hearing.
For a long time,
She had tried to picture Barney's mysterious father.
The elusive millionaire who had lived in distant Montreal,
Spoken of in whispers by dearwood gossips as if he were a king in exile.
She had expected.
Grandeur.
Perhaps a stately figure in fine clothes with a cold gaze and cutting manners.
Someone severe and formidable.
Maybe even a little frightening.
And yet here he was,
Hair wild from the wind,
Voice booming like a circus ringmaster,
Laughing at his own jokes and handing out purple pills as if they were lozenges at a village fete.
His waistcoat bulged slightly where he had stuffed extra packets into his pockets and his eyes twinkled with a boyish mischief.
That left Olive quite stunned.
She glanced helplessly at Barney.
He only smirked.
Leaning easily against the porch rail,
Arms folded,
As if he had been waiting all along.
For Olive's carefully held motions to shatter.
Balancy,
Meanwhile,
Was radiant,
Half in laughter,
Half in delight,
As if the evening had handed her a particularly generous and humorous gift.
Dr Redfern sank down onto the porch steps,
Still chuckling contentedly to himself.
He fished another pill bottle from his pocket and pressed it solemnly into Olive's hand.
Take one whenever you feel life is too dull,
My dear.
Though I doubt you'll need it here.
My son and daughter-in-law seem to have brewed their own potent elixir of joy.
Still.
A little insurance never hurts.
Olive found herself laughing again,
Despite her bewilderment.
Though privately,
She thought this was hardly the way a dignified man of millions really ought to behave.
When the laughter subsided,
Dr.
Redfern tilted his head back to study the moon again.
Now climbing steadily over the treetops.
His face softened for a moment in the silver light,
And he spoke with a quiet gravity that caught them all unawares.
Strange,
Isn't it?
I've travelled half the globe.
Made fortunes.
Lost son.
Built more.
Yet.
The most enduring riches.
Are always here.
Above us,
Around us.
The same moon that shone over my youth.
Now shines over you.
And yours.
Makes me think.
He turned suddenly,
Pinning Barney and Valancy with his gaze.
When,
Pray,
Are you going to give me grandchildren to share this with too?
I'm not getting any younger,
You know?
Valancy inhaled sharply,
Colour rising in her cheeks.
Barney threw his head back and roared with laughter.
Sad.
You've been here just a few hours and already you're demanding airs?
Demanding?
Not at all.
Yearning,
Dr.
Redfern protested,
Hand over his heart.
What use is all my fortune?
My research,
My purple pills.
If I cannot bounce a grandchild or two upon my knee before I depart this weary old world.
Montreal is far too quiet.
You must come and visit me there soon,
Both of you.
With Miss Stirling as chaperone,
If you like.
Do bring along a little one when you can contrive it.
Olive turned hastily away,
Biting her lip.
The sheer audacity of the man.
Barney reached over and gave Valancy's hand a squeeze.
Valancy and I will think on it,
" he said lightly.
But you'd better not put Olive to work knitting baby clothes just yet.
Olive snorted.
You'd be lucky if I could manage a scarf without holes.
Dr Redfern chuckled.
Ah,
You see?
Wit as well as beauty.
You three have made a little paradise of sorts here.
And I shall brag of it endlessly when I go back to Montreal.
But alas,
He stood brushing off his trousers.
Go back,
I must.
The moonlight will serve me well across this channel,
But It grows late.
And even millionaires' knees grow stiff if they stay too long on damp ground.
Barney,
Of course,
Insisted on taking his father back.
Valancy and Olive walked with them to the dock,
Carrying a lantern whose circle of light wavered over the water.
Dr Redfern strode ahead as if the night belonged to him,
Declaring the air was better than champagne.
Olive still couldn't reconcile this boisterous man.
With the sizeable fortune behind him.
At the dock,
Barney steadied the boat while his father clambered in with an agility that startled Olive further.
He settled himself,
Hat at a jaunty angle,
And beamed up at the two women.
Now,
Don't wait too long to bring me that grandchild,
He cried merrily.
And don't forget,
There's a city called Montreal.
We're an old man.
Would be very glad to see you.
Olive coloured Scarlet,
Valancy laughed outright.
Barney only shook his head as he cranked the motor.
It caught with a sputter than a steady thrum.
Dr Redfern lifted his hat in an exuberant sweep.
Blessings upon your island kingdom,
He called,
His voice carrying out over the dark water.
Then,
With a final ringing laugh,
The boat skimmed into the moonlit ripples,
Dwindling to a shadow against the silver path of the lake.
The two women lingered a moment in the stillness after the boat had slipped into darkness.
The moon hung round and bright above the trees,
Gilding the reeds,
Drawing a track of light straight to their feet.
Olive.
Let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding.
Bye!
I don't know what I expected,
She admitted,
But It certainly wasn't.
That.
Valancy,
The moonglow silvering her short black hair,
Smiled.
Yes,
He isn't what people imagine,
Is he?
He's so much more.
Olive gave a half-laugh,
Half-grown.
Heaven help us all.
They turned back up the path towards the warm glow of the cabin windows.
