Kathleen

They have a tradition in Ireland – if you need answers, go take a walk in the rain. Kathleen will cleanse you with her waters, and you will find what you seek. As I looked out of the window of the bus, grey clouds loomed overhead and I smiled. Finally.

“Do you think it’ll rain?” Bryce asked as the bus rolled over bumps and potholes and our bus driver, Liam, said something entirely unintelligible over the intercom.

“I hope so,” I said, touching the cold glass with my hand. “Don’t say that!” Max said, glaring at me over his glasses, the way he always did when he was annoyed. Alyssa laughed and said, “Yeah, if it rains, we won’t get to see any faeries or leprechauns!”

“The faeries and leprechauns have better things to do,” Bryce said, fiddling with the settings on his DSLR camera. The bus slowed to a stop and Liam said, “O-o-o-kay,” which we all assumed just meant for us to get off the bus. All we could see through the windows was the edge of the road we were just on and a hill in front of us. Rubbing sleep from our eyes, we got off the bus and started climbing the hill. As we did, a soft drizzle gently pattered our heads, eliciting groans and complaints from everyone. But, when we got to the top, we all stood still.

A deep, blue lake backed by a wall of purple and grey mountains lay below us at the bottom of a set of rolling, green hills. The water shimmered as the rain pierced its surface, and clouds veiled the peaks of the mountains, making them look even bigger. Horses, cows, and sheep roamed the grassy hills, and a small town was nestled into the valley, its white buildings like snowflakes against the green backdrop.

I felt the water dripping down my face onto my neck and shoulders and down to the rest of my body under my loose, grey sweater. I took a few steps forward, spread my arms out wide, and looked to the heavens. Kathleen.

She heard me. I know she did. I asked her to watch over me as I made the life-changing decisions that would follow over the next few years. She did, and here I am.