Chapter 33 Autumn Equinox It was the time of balance,
When the wheel of the year paused for a moment as day and night became equal,
Twilights arriving earlier each day,
Before the darkness was longer than the light.
Rose unpacked her basket and laid a number of objects upon the granite altar.
"'What's all this stuff?
' asked Davy.
"'I thought you usually lit a bit of candle or something.
' "'I do,
But this is different.
' Davy bent to inspect the objects.
There was a brown flint spearhead and a wooden pendant which appeared to have once been carved,
Although it was difficult to see the markings now.
Davy thought he could make out the shape of a tree,
But was not sure.
To these Rose added a twisted wand of Rowan,
A small silver chalice and a brown earthenware bowl.
"'Where did they come from?
' "'Never you mind.
Handed down over the generations,
' she muttered.
"'Now are you going to help or just ask questions?
' she continued sharply.
"'All right,
All right,
' he held up his hands.
"'You're the boss.
What do you want me to do?
' "'I wasn't expecting this.
' Davy stood amongst the rubble,
Undergrowth and boggy ground,
Leaning on a shovel.
"'I thought we were making magic.
' "'We are,
' Rose smiled sweetly.
The brown flint spearhead,
The small silver chalice which sparkled in the moonlight,
Two candles,
The earthenware bowl and a bunch of herbs lay ready and waiting upon the granite altar.
The wooden pendant she slipped around her neck.
"'It should be the time of balance,
' she explained.
"'The light and darkness are of equal length and the world needs to be the same.
"'Our beliefs,
My work,
Are under cover of darkness.
"'The church thrives whilst the chapel stands in ruins and no one seems to care.
' Her hand stilled as she surveyed the muddy stream which trickled down to the river.
"'The holy waters are muddied and cannot flow properly and the maidens of the wells are lost.
"'It's time for balance to return.
' "'Who?
' Davy looked around anxiously.
"'Who's lost?
' "'The maidens of the wells,
' repeated Rose.
"'It's a legend which I heard when I was little,
From my grandmother.
"'The holy wells were once tended by maidens,
But they were lost.
"'I'll tell you another time.
' She glanced at the waxing moon hanging in the sky.
"'It is time.
We must set to work.
' "'And what exactly do you want me to do?
' asked Davy,
Surveying his shovel.
"'Rebuild the chapel,
Find the maidens?
' "'Symbolically,
' replied Rose,
"'I shall carry out the ritual,
But in order to find all which is lost,
To bring it to us,
"'we need to use the holy waters,
And to stand within them as they flow towards us,
"'visualising everything coming back to life.
' She smiled.
"'When the time is right,
I simply want you to make a channel for the water to flow more clearly and strongly.
' "'Okay,
You're in charge.
' He sighed.
"'Is that all you wanted me for,
Then?
' he asked eventually.
"'To dig a trench?
' "'No,
' Rose crossed to where he was standing,
And touched his face gently.
"'I cannot do this without you.
"'The balance of masculine and feminine is important at this time.
"'Black and white,
Day and night,
Male and female.
"'Balance is the only way forward.
"'That is why you're important.
' Davy nodded.
"'Let's get on with it,
Then.
' Rose lit her candles,
One black and one white,
Then placed the gently smouldering herbs upon the altar,
Filled the silver chalice with holy water,
And the earthenware bowl with earth.
After sitting for some time watching the flickering candle flame,
Attuning herself to the energies of the earth,
The moon,
The stars,
And the scents upon the night air,
She felt the time to be right.
"'Now,
' she called to Davy,
"'make the channel wider.
' Davy took the shovel and began to clear mud away from where the little stream ran.
Almost at once it became brighter and faster-flowing,
No longer muddied and running in different directions.
Encouraged,
He pulled at the undergrowth,
Finding it coming away easily.
His spade struck something hard,
Which turned out to be a small granite trough,
And with a little more clearing discovered it to run beneath the altar itself.
Hot and muddied,
Davy continued to be rewarded with a rough channel through which the water flowed swiftly beneath the altar and through to the other side.
"'Who would have thought it?
' he murmured.
"'What about up there,
Closer to the holy well?
' asked Rose.
The water was flowing more strongly now,
But still pooling in one place.
Davy struck his spade only to be met with what felt like a large rock or stone.
He dug around,
Discovering a flat slate which he was unable to move.
"'Never mind,
' said Rose.
"'We have more than enough.
Time for you to rest.
You have worked well.
"'Now take my hand.
' Together in the waxing moonlight,
Rose and Davy stood,
His hand encompassing hers.
Rose insisted on standing in the channel of water,
Taking off her boots and allowing it to flow over and around her bare feet.
Proving to be unexpectedly warm,
She imagined all she wished to bring about,
Explaining it to Davy so he could visualise it too.
The balance between the church and the chapel,
People and beliefs,
The restoration of the ruined building and the return of the lost maidens,
Which she instinctively felt was of more importance than anyone had ever realised.
Hand in hand,
Rose and Davy visualised the chapel intact and used for its true purpose,
The holy waters running clear and bright,
The maidens returned from their exile and taking their rightful place in the community.
Rose remained motionless until the vision swam into a multicoloured blur in her mind,
The energy in their bodies and minds swirling all around them,
Her feet numb from the passage of the water.
The great white owl hooted in the distance and then all was still.
Rose felt a final tingle of energy pass between herself and Davy,
Then it was gone and she dropped his hand.
The moment was broken but the spell was cast.
What will happen now?
Asked Davy as Rose cleared everything away.
I mean,
Will it really work?
Of course,
She answered simply.
It always does,
Although not necessarily in the way you might expect.
She smiled and he thought of how beautiful she looked,
Longing to reach out and touch her,
Hold her once again in his arms,
Like he brushed the memory away.
It's a tall order,
He continued,
Ruined chapels,
Lost maidens.
We have asked,
Replied Rose,
And done our best in the name of love,
Light and all that is good.
If it is to be,
It will happen,
But perhaps in ways we might not even begin to imagine.
Then he began,
How come you don't just have everything you want in life?
Rose smiled,
You know better than that,
She admonished.
You of all people know there needs to be a balance,
Give and take,
Win and lose,
Otherwise everything's upset,
And you should never ever use this or any knowledge to harm anyone or it will come back at you,
Threefold.
And Davy knew the conversation was over.
All the same,
He felt different.
He and Rose had shared something special,
Rekindled the link which had been lost,
Or perhaps merely hidden,
Through the years.
The moonlight glimmered upon her face and highlighted the silver strands in her hair.
For an instant he saw the girl he had known many years before,
Even more beautiful now,
The fine lines around her eyes etched by tears,
Laughter and feeling.
Thanks,
He ventured.
For what?
Including me?
Thought you didn't really want to do it?
There was a short silence.
You know I did.
Rose turned.
Davy,
She began.
But he jumped down from the fallen masonry in his usual manner and the moment was lost.
Thank you too,
Said Rose quietly.
