I heard the tapping on my bedroom door and Mom's voice and realised that I had returned to the Midwest. My first concern was Brenda's brooch and my hand dropped to my pocket. The brooch was there and I marvelled once again at the detail I had somehow achieved in fashioning it.

There was no doubt that my girl would love this as a present and for now I stashed it away, in amongst my socks and underwear.

I'd felt something else in my pocket and I pulled it out now to find that it was the stone I'd found beside the gold. I hadn't really examined it before, simply slipped it into my pocket. Now I took some time to look at more closely.

It was smooth to the touch and shiny, like black marble. The stone was about the size of a golf ball and, as I looked at it now, I realised I had seen it before.

Many of my dreams when I had been younger had featured this very stone. I had always been holding or touching the stone before I had taken to the air to fly. That suggested the stone was significant in some way. Why it hadn't featured in my recent dreams before now I didn't know, but it was here now.

When I held it up closer to my face I could see some faint markings on the stone. There was also a sense of power throbbing at the heart of the stone. This wasn't the same as the power of the Road. I tried to identify what felt different about it but it was hard to put into words. The power seemed more personal somehow. There was a link between the stone and me that wasn't like the link I had with the Road. This was more ... I don't know, intimate maybe.

Closer study of the markings allowed me to identify them as a small scene - almost like a nativity. It was definitely a baby lying in a crib of some description but I couldn't make out any more than that.

I returned the stone to my pocket for now and got up to head downstairs before Mom shouted for me again.

The last few days before Christmas passed quickly. I shared all of the details of my second trip to Gael with Brenda. She, of course, interrogated me once again to find out all of the important things that I'd forgotten to mention. The story of how I had healed Big-Black brought tears to her eyes, but I kept the gold and the brooch a secret, for now.

I did share the stone with her. Brenda studied the stone too and she asked me what significance I thought it had. I still hadn't been able to figure that out. There was just the sense of power coming from it, and the feeling that it was personal to me ... but other than that, nothing.

"I've got a really good magnifying glass at home. Let me take it away to have a look at it?" Brenda asked.

I shrugged to let her know I was okay with her request and she slipped the shiny black stone into her pocket to examine later.

There was the usual carol singing and turning on the town's Christmas lights. St Ann's also had a Christmas formal, and Brenda had begged me to accompany her.

Women conspire sometimes to make men feel completely inadequate! My Mom and Brenda were doing exactly that, as they made plans together for the dance. Mom splashed out on a new suit for me to wear and even ordered me to get a haircut. St Ann's was a prep school, after all.

It was as if I hadn't managed to get through nearly eighteen years of my life being able to think for myself. Have you taken a shower? Did you remember the corsage? Straighten your tie. Go polish your shoes again! Don't be late picking her up. Don't be late taking her home.

Mom even insisted on trying to teach me how to dance properly. Well, that was one idea that cost her dearly! After I had trodden all over her toes she gave me up as a hopeless case, and offered Brenda her sympathy.

I already thought my girl was the cutest thing in town, but when I picked her up to take her to the dance my heart almost burst from my chest. She was wearing the simplest of black dresses that somehow enhanced her beauty more than I thought was possible. It was elegantly cut around the neck and shoulders - leaving just the right amount of décolletage to make it interesting!

The black complimented her pale skin and the brown of her hair and eyes. Even her freckles seemed to have been made to contrast with the dress. There was only one thing I could think of that would make the whole picture look better and I dashed out of the Thomas' house and raced back to my own to get it.

Brenda and her folks were a little surprised that I had run off and they were just beginning to think I had got cold feet about the dance when I returned. Walking up to my girl I pinned the stallion brooch just above her left breast and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

"I was going to save this for Christmas day, but it was made to go with that dress. I hope you like it," I whispered to her.

I didn't try to correct her pronunciation of the stallion's name - it was close enough. Instead I simply nodded to let her know she had guessed correctly.

"But how did you manage to find..." she started to ask, then realised that talking about Gael in front of her folks was definitely not a good idea.

Mrs Thomas came over to investigate and soon she too was oohing and ahhing over the brooch.

"The detail is incredible, Sean. And the gold is such a lovely colour. You're a very lucky girl, daughter mine," she said.

I looked at my girl and for the first time noticed that there were tiny flecks of gold in her brown eyes. The brooch was a mini work of art, there was no doubt about that, but its beauty paled into insignificance when compared to the girl wearing it.

As soon as we were out of her house and in my Mom's car, Brenda wanted to know how I'd managed to find the brooch. I told her the story of finding the gold and of how the power had taken over to fashion the gold.

She shook her head in amazement and I could see a little tear of happiness gathering at the corner of one eye. Like a typical boy I tried to lighten the mood.

"Come on, let's get to St Ann's. It's time I trampled all over your feet for making me wear this stupid suit!"

We managed to enjoy the dance, and despite my Mom's worries I didn't destroy Brenda's feet. I even managed to get her home on time. Lots of Brenda's friends admired her brooch, and she showed it off proudly. The prep school crowd was a bit stuffy for my liking, but we got along all right, with Brenda acting as a bridge.

I managed to meet up with my girl on Christmas Day, and Brenda handed me a neatly gift-wrapped present. I ripped open the paper (and yes, she did give me a dirty look for not appreciating the effort she had put into wrapping it!) and found two hardback books. One was on herbal and homeopathic remedies, and the other was the National Geographic book on everything you need to know about plants. The books were both beautifully illustrated and I knew I would get hours of enjoyment looking through them.

Christmas dinner was just for Mom and me, but she still went all-out and made a fancy meal with all the trimmings. We had roast rib of beef, roast potatoes and three different vegetables. Dessert was a fresh-cream gateau.

Mom did one of those annoying adult things by telling me we couldn't exchange presents until after I'd helped her clean up after dinner. For once I wasn't too annoyed, as she had worked really hard preparing the meal.

Once the dishes had been rinsed and stacked in the dishwasher, we made hot chocolate and sat in the family room next to the Christmas tree. Mom went first and she handed me a bulky package covered in shiny red paper.

I showed the same lack of appreciation for Mom's neat wrapping and shredded the paper to find out what was inside. Brenda and Mom had obviously been talking to each other, as Mom had got me a fancy kit for making medicines out of plants and roots. There was a mortar and pestle, a pill-maker and a range of glass tubes and jars. There were also a number of agents to help breakdown ingredients to make solutions.

I leant over and wrapped her in a hug then passed her one of the presents that I had bought for her. The lumpy, messy, wrapping would have given anybody a clue that this present had been wrapped by a male of the species.

Mom tried to impart another lesson by unpicking the sticky tape along the seams/joins in the wrapping paper and then carefully folding the paper. I knew she wasn't going to re-use the paper in the future, but she could have, given how careful and deliberate she had been.

The present was a soft leather briefcase that she would find useful for her work. It was black and the saleswoman in the shop had assured me it was feminine looking so should be appropriate. Mom liked it and told me so.

"Oh! It's lovely, Sean. Mmmmm, I do love the smell of new leather," she said, and held the briefcase up to her nose for a deep sniff.

The second present from Mom was certainly a surprise - it was a professional kit for painting in watercolours. It was not something I would ever have thought to ask for. As far as I could remember I had never thought of taking up painting, much less said anything of the sort to Mom. This appeared to be wholly Mom's idea for me.

"You have a natural affinity with nature, Sean. You have green fingers and can make a landscape out of a garden by the way you get things to grow. I just wondered if that skill might extend into being able to recreate the beauty of nature through painting. I've paid for some lessons for you, too, just to get you started."

That was the end of the surprises as we exchanged other small gifts. I gave Mom a book and a CD she had been hinting at and she reverted to being the sensible parent by buying me a thick pair of new gloves and some practical things for my business, like new pruning shears.

Brenda phoned before I went to bed. She described how the day had gone for her and her family. Her parents had spoiled her rotten as usual, and she took ages to tell me about all of the presents she'd received. Grandam Barnes in particular had outdone herself this year, it seemed. She had given Brenda a four-wheeler of all things. My girl raved about this mechanical marvel for quite a while before she wound down.

"The best present is the brooch, though, Sean. Mordew looks beautiful, I wish I could see him for real. I can't believe you made this all on your own."

From the way she said it I knew she must have the brooch in her hand while she was talking to me on the phone. There was another little sigh of appreciation at the other end of the phone and I smiled. It had taken me a while to come up with the present, but in the end I think I'd done a good job!

I'd zoned out a little and I came back to reality when I heard Brenda was talking once more.

"I looked at your stone with my magnifying glass. You were right; it is a nativity scene that's carved on it. There's something else though - another little carving. It's much fainter than the first one but I think it shows a boy flying and he's surrounded by birds of some kind."

I was beginning to suspect that the baby in the crib and the boy flying might in fact be me, but I didn't share that with Brenda just yet.

Eventually I heard Brenda's Mom shouting to tell her she'd been on the phone long enough. We wound up our talk and I promised I'd see her in the morning.

Mom had already taken herself to bed. I walked round making sure all of the windows and doors were secured and that the lights had been properly switched off. Once I was satisfied, I trudged upstairs, brushed my teeth (I'll talk about that more, a little later in this story!) and got ready for bed.

I had already decided earlier in the day that I had to visit Charles and Grandma again, since it was Christmas Day. I had decided to try something on this trip, too. I had prepared things in advance.

There was a small backpack sitting on the end of my bed. I wasn't intending to take much - for one thing I was unsure whether it would affect my ability to fly. Inside the backpack was half a dozen apples (for Big-Black of course), some assorted seeds (I'd noticed the Gaels were limited in what they grew) and a small flashlight.

I pulled the backpack on and then lay down on my side. I closed my eyes and sought my link to the Road. I found that this was becoming easier and within moments I was flying above the shimmering ribbon. I glanced over my shoulder and smiled to see the backpack was there.

Okay, that worked. But that was just the trial for what I was about to try next. Before I could put my plan into action, the eagles appeared, and took up station on either side of me. They squawked their welcome, and I greeted them in return.

I had come to learn the names of the eagles that frequently followed me around and I called to their leader and his two lieutenants now.

"It's good to see you again noble Aquilaire and you Buteoni and Accipiter. My thanks for coming to welcome my return to Gael."

"The honor is all ours, my Prince," Aquilaire replied. Buteoni and Accipter squawked their agreement.

"Please, don't fly too close for a moment, as I'm about to try something for the first time," I called to them.

When I was sure they were far enough away from me I focused and produced an image of the stone in mind.

There was a shriek as Brenda appeared in the air. The eagles squawked with surprise and Brenda continued to scream. Her nightshirt was streaming in the wind and the stone was in her hand. She was screaming because she had suddenly woken up to find herself high up in the sky and beginning to plummet downwards.

I quickly grabbed her free hand to stop her falling and she seemed to notice me for the first time. Her head was darting from side to side as she tried to come to terms with what appeared to be happening to her. She had gone from a deep sleep to flying above the Road with no warning whatsoever.

In her shock, Brenda dropped the stone. Accipiter squawked and swooped to catch it with his beak.

I laughed loudly and flew higher, pulling her along with me. If the same had happened as on my last trip, I knew I probably appeared as only eight-years-old to her now.

"It is me, Brenda. I've brought you to Gael. I've brought you into my dreamtime so you can meet Mòr Dubh!" I told her.

The experience was too much for her and she said nothing more until after we reached the circle of stones and Grandma's cabin. Accipiter swooped low and dropped the stone so that I could catch it and I called my thanks. I handed it back to Brenda.

The colour was returning to her face but her head was still jerking from side to side as she tried to take in everything around her at once.

I didn't think Brenda was actually looking for answers to her questions and she had probably had enough time to recover by now.

She didn't resist when I took her hand and led her down past the cabin towards the settlement. I could see that she was staring at the shape of the cabin, recognising her own family's cabin in the woods.

There was no sign of either Grandma or Charles, so we weren't delayed. It took only a few more minutes to reach the village. We skirted it, avoiding the people as much as possible, as we headed to the horse pens.

Brenda recognised the big stallion while we were still a long distance away. She gave another squeal and pulled away from me, running towards the pen.

I could sense the stallion become aware of first myself, and then Brenda. His head came up. His nostrils flared. His ears pricked and stood straight up. I heard his thoughts from where I was.

"So, you have returned, Sean. And what is this you have brought with you?"

"Be nice to her, she's my mate."

"She is too big for you, my friend. Anyway, you're too young to be thinking of such things ... at least for a two-legs."

"It's a long story, Big-Black. Everything here is not as it seems. What is beyond any doubt though, is that I would give my life for this girl. So treat her right!"

Mòr Dubh snorted, but I knew he understood. He could no doubt sense the feelings I had for the cute brown-haired girl. Our exchange had taken only moments and Brenda was still running towards him squealing with excitement. Big-Black cleared the rails from almost a standing jump, his powerful hindquarters catapulting him forward.

Brenda suddenly grew quiet and her headlong run toward the pen came to an abrupt halt, as she saw the stallion clearing the fence and come galloping right at her. Her romantic notions were all gone for the moment as she imagined herself to be in real danger. I was inside the horse's head and I knew what he had planned for her. A smile came to my lips and I kept walking.

I already knew Mòr Dubh was a show-off. When I rode him he often came to a halt by rearing up on his hind legs and swinging himself violently around the way he had just come, hooves flashing. He didn't do that this time, perhaps because Brenda already looked scared. Instead he planted all four hooves and lowered his head as he skidded to a stop. It almost looked like the stallion was bowing to her. He held the pose until Brenda snapped out of her paralysis and flung her arms round his neck.

"Mordew! You beast! You did that on purpose to frighten me, and to show off! You were magnificent though, and look at you! So beautiful, so powerful."

When I reached them, the stallion was unashamedly batting his long eyelashes at my girlfriend as she stroked his nose and his neck.

I swung my backpack within reach and pulled out one of the apples. It seemed like a good idea to let Brenda give him his first ever taste of the fruit so I gave it to her and nodded in the horse's direction.

Big-Black snuffled the apple when she held it out. I could tell he liked the smell of it and he carefully took it from her outstretched hand with his big teeth. Brenda giggled as the horse crunched and chomped the apple then searched in the grass at her feet for the few pieces that had escaped from his mouth.

By this time Brenda's squeals and shrieks had brought people running from the village huts. The villagers knew better than to get too close to Mòr Dubh, though, and they hung back. Charles and Grandma had no such worries and they pushed through the villagers to get to us.

"Sean! Welcome back," cried Grandma as she hugged me. "By the mother but you're getting too big to pick up boy!"

"Grandma and Charles, I'd like to introduce my girlfriend, Brenda Thomas," I said.

They both turned to look at Brenda closely. Grandma simply looked a little doubtful, but I could see that Charles had sensed from me who Brenda was and more importantly, where she was from. It was Charles who spoke first.

"I can't say that I'm surprised, Sean. Despite the fact that it has never been done before, I guessed from your earlier questions that you wanted to do this. Welcome to Sean's dreamtime, Brenda," he said.

Grandma wasn't sure what was going on but she decided to hug Brenda anyway. Behind her the stallion snorted, clearly uncomfortable now with so many people around. He turned his back on us and trotted away. This time he didn't return to the pens but instead he continued on into the distance. I smiled. That was nothing to worry about.

We left the village and walked back up the hill to Grandma's cabin. She spent the rest of the day gossiping with Brenda and I was left once more amazed at the capacity for women to meet and instantly talk themselves hoarse. When Gwendolin found out that Brenda was from the 'other-world' she realised that I had done something unique. Thankfully she didn't make a big thing of it in front of Brenda.

"On my last visit I found a stone. It didn't feel like an ordinary stone. In fact, it held power of some kind. I sensed it was somehow related to me and my life. I took it back to the 'other-world' with me and discovered it had some carvings on it."

"Brenda has it. I think her holding it was the key to me being able to pull her into the dreamtime with me," I said.

I took my life in my hands and interrupted Grandma and Brenda to get the stone from my girl. When I handed it over to Charles' he treated it like it was the most precious thing he had ever held. A low whistle escaped his lips.

"I have heard stories, tales from childhood. There are legends older than I care to remember that claim each of our kind has a birthstone - all of them different. No one has ever found their birthstone although some have searched for their whole lives. I believe that this is your birthstone, Sean."

"It does a number of things. The kind of stone it is tells us something about you and the abilities and power that you have. The carvings are not made by any hand but they will continue to appear as your life progresses. You have a thing in the 'other-world' called a diary. The stone is a bit like that. It will record all of the most important events in your life.

"According to the legends, a little bit of you is inside this stone. That is probably why you feel a connection to it, and why you have been able to use it the way you have.

"But this is almost as much a mystery to me as it is to you, youngling. As I say, no one has ever found their birthstone before, and consequently there is little lore in existence. If I didn't believe what I have been shown your future holds before, I do now," said Charles.

Of course, this was another of those annoying occasions when Charles wouldn't tell me what I wanted to know. What had he been shown of my future?

"Eventually, youngling. I will tell you eventually. You still have much to learn before you're ready for that."

The only other thing of note that happened before bedtime was that I found that the flashlight wasn't in my backpack when I hunted for it. Brenda was convinced that it had simply dropped out somewhere, but I had the beginnings of a suspicion. My suspicion was linked to my previous conversation about Physics here in Gael (or its absence!) with Charles. That was something I would need to test on a future visit.

There could have been some awkwardness over sleeping arrangements that night, but there wasn't. It was a measure of how Brenda felt about me that she was positively excited about sharing sleeping furs with me. As I was only eight-years old at the moment, she didn't need to worry about her virtue!

It was wonderful to cuddle up to my girl for the night. This was the first time we had slept together.

It was all the more devastating therefore to wake up in the morning and find that she was gone.

"Think about it, youngling. This is not her dreamtime. She was her full age when you brought her here. Chances are, time was passing normally for her in the other world. If that is the case then your ages would quickly become out of step."

I hated it, but Charles' words made sense. With my chin dropped onto my chest, I took stock. Each of my previous visits had lasted two years here in dreamtime. That meant that if the same pattern continued I would have a further four visits after this one before I caught up with my age in the other world. If Brenda remained here with me, she would age ten years and be twenty-eight, ten years older than me.

If Charles was right, Brenda's family would also realise she was missing and that would cause a lot of pain. I squared my shoulders and decided I would just have to throw myself into my studies. It was some consolation to know that only seconds would have passed when I returned to the other world, so Brenda wouldn't have long to wait before talking about her first visit to Gael and her first meeting with Mòr Dubh.

All of the excitement of the past day had pushed something else out of my head but it came back to me now.

"Charles. Aquilaire of the eagles called me his 'Prince' yesterday. What did he mean by that?" I asked.

"All in good time, Sean. All in good time. Now, let's get back to your lessons, youngling."

Chapter 8