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"All things return eternally, and ourselves with them"
Nietzsche.
"And he that cannot apply New Remedies must expect New Evils."
Francis Bacon.
"If it's magic ye want." The leprechaun pointed at her four apprentices, "then it's magic ye've got."
Helen did not believe in leprechauns. But half a day ago she didn't believe in vampires either and that opinion had been subject to change.
"You're..."
"Aye. A leprechaun. And yes I know I'm female, and no there aren't many female leprechauns and though I'd love to answer all your questions were are getting a little short on time.
"What does she mean by that?" Neve asked one of the newcomer with bright red hair.
"She means that it's only a matter of time before it gets here and we should be ready. My names Edele by the way."
"I'm.."
"Keavy, Lindsay and Sinead." Neve nodded. "Bewitched."
"Yeah."
"Alright then." Uma interrupted. "I've heard of you and I'm going to ignore preconceptions and believe in magic. But I think you'd better tell us what's going on and by the sounds of it fast."
"Right." Keavy turned to her sister, "Where do we start then?"
"Well we don't have time for everything. Just the basics."
"Well," Keavy began, "I guess it started when..."
***
Luckily no one found out. If any pictures of the four girls, all naked and sleeping in the same bed, had ever got out then it would have been a scandal the likes of which the tabloids had never seen. Fortunately they each went back to their rooms and avoided the mess. They didn't talk all that much about it, mostly because they couldn't remember anything that had happened. That in itself was disconcerting but they were unharmed so that made things a little better. None of them were pregnant either which came as a further relief. Time rolled on, show after show and the event was almost lost in their memories, which were hazy at best. They might have gone on living their lives had not fate prescribed a different path.
Gwen was a leprechaun. She was female. She was two feet tall. And she was lonely. It didn't make any sense that she was only lonely now. After all she'd been living alone for longer than she could remember and it had never bothered her before.
She knew what it was that bothered her.
It was them.
It was four human girls who despite being put in a situation which might have destroyed them were STILL best of friends. In fact it seemed that they were better friends now than before Gwen had meddled with their lives. Gwen needed help.
Unfortunately a leprechaun finds it difficult to get psychiatric advice. Most institutions spend their time convincing people that the little folk DON'T exist. So Gwen had only one place to turn and that was to someone she hadn't spoken to for longer than she could place. That was what had brought her here, standing beside a lake.
"Come on out you old geezer. I know you're around here."
"No need to shout Gwen. It hardly maintains the air of mystery." He spoke to her calmly the wisdom of years bearing on every syllable.
"Sorry."
"Never mind. You folk have always been the jumpy type. No offense."
"None taken." She folded her legs up underneath her, hovering above the ground. "You know why I'm here?"
"I'm wise not omniscient."
"There are.. these girls. Four friends. Two sisters. They sing."
"Anything I'd have heard of?"
"Er.. Bewitched."
"Ah. The pop girls. Catchy stuff."
"You've heard them?"
"Well people have radios around her you know. What about them?"
"Well.. I.."
"Oh Gwen you didn't get them... oh you did."
"Well they enjoyed it. And it didn't bother them at all."
"But it bothered you."
"Well that's just it. The fact that they just got on with their lives like that. I can't believe it."
"And this bothers you because?"
"I don't know why that's why I came to you."
"Then I'll tell you. It bothers you that you don't have friends like that."
"I'm a leprechaun. I don't need friends. Besides who are you to talk about solitude?"
"Ah But I like solitude."
"So do I."
"Really Gwen?" his voice was filled with sarcasm.
"Look when I took them up to (she spoke a word in the old tongue) they were wild. It was remarkable."
"You took them there?"
"Yes. But.."
"You took them there even though you know only those with the gift can walk that land."
"Well technically they didn't WALK. They did lots of things but walking wasn't one of them."
"Gwen. You should know that only those who had the gift could ever enter that place."
"I know but .. well I was just having fun."
"Gwen. I'm not criticizing your actions. I've known too many leprechauns to do that. What I mean is that you COULDN'T have taken them there, even with your powers unless..."
"Unless they were... born witches?"
He nodded silently.
"But humans lost that power centuries ago. Even modern pagans only have a vague idea of the true path. And for all of them to be like that it would have to be a huge chance.."
"Or perhaps fate. Those born with the gift of magic don't always know it. And for them to find each other... and for you to find them... I think the stars have plans for you my dear.."
"You can't mean that I.."
"Who better to teach them magic than a magical creature."
"But I can't tell them the truth!"
"Magic is all about truth Gwen. You must know that."
He started to move away.
"But how can I tell them?" she asked desperately. "How!"
But there was no answer. All she was calling to now was the unbroken waters of Loch Ness.
"Pretty good show tonight." Edele puffed as they exited the elevator.
"Yeah, not bad. Nothing like a home crowd I guess." Keavy smiled, wiping sweat from her brow. Even Dublin was hot under stage lights.
"Hey." Sinead pointed to a bucket outside her room. "What do reckon that is?"
She knelt down to see a bottle of champagne in ice. "From an admirer of four magical girls." She read the card. "Well don't look a gift horse in the mouth I guess. Care to come in for a drink?"
"Why not." Lindsay shrugged.
The four girls entered the room. There was a woman sitting on the bed. She wore green. She was two feet tall. "Girls," she began, "I have a story to tell you."
They took it well. At least, they took it better than they might have. They didn't punch her.
"So," Edele repeated, her face tending towards the color of her dyed hair, "You did all that to us for a joke."
"Um.. yeah." Gwen bit her lip, feeling a strange sensation she'd never felt before and guessing it was guilt.
"You enjoyed it." She added weakly.
"You made us enjoy it!" Edele growled.
"Well actually no. I made you do it... The enjoyment was all yours."
"Look, I don't know who you think you are, I don’t care if you're magical or not but don't tell us what we did or didn't..."
"I enjoyed it."
"What?" Edele turned to her sister in disbelief.
"I enjoyed it. I mean in retrospect it's a little perverted but.. We had fun.. You had fun sis. As much as it kills you to admit it we all liked what happened, otherwise we wouldn't have done it. It's like Gwen
said, we gave in to our desires."
"I don't believe this! Linds? Sinead?" she turned to her friend to see the looking awkwardly at the floor.
Edele let out and exasperated cry and stormed out of the room.
"Irish temper." Sinead said after a silence.
"I.. I have something to teach you girls.." Gwen explained.
Edele walked along the street, ignoring the cold Celtic winds which cut through her denim jacket like razors. She was to annoyed to be cold. Annoyed with life, with her friends, with a creature that shouldn't
even exist. It was crazy. She knew it. But that didn't make it any better. She stopped beside a river side and sat on a stone, listening to the silence. She had managed to avoid the fans somehow and she was
grateful for it. She liked the silence. She needed to think. But then she didn't like what she was thinking either. She was thinking that things were alright, that there wasn't anything wrong with what had happened. She remembered everything that had happened. She remembered being tied to her bed, helpless as Gwen drove her to orgasm again and again. What was worse was that when she remembered she felt her body reacting again. She HAD enjoyed it. She knew it was the truth. She just didn't want to admit it yet.
"Sis!" a voice called out.
Edele turned, looking around the street behind her. It had been Keavy’s voice yet there was no sign of her sister.
"Hey Edele!"
Edele recognized Sineads voice too but there was no sign of them. Then she turned to look in front of her.
The voices were coming from across the river. Half way across the river. There, walking on the dark waters were her three friends, dancing. Beside them hovered the leprechaun. She was smiling. Not a smile
of mischief or contempt. A smile of pride. And of hope. She flew across the waters to Edele.
"Come on in. The water's fine."
"I can't." Edele stammered.
"Sure you can."
"But. It's water."
"So? Edele. Look at me."
"I.."
"Look at me. Look at me Edele. Look at my eyes."
"I don't think.."
"Don't think Edele. Don't think. Just relax. Relax. Don't worry so much. Stop worrying. Stop telling yourself what should be happening. Just relax."
"Relax.." she repeated, her eyes feeling heavy.
"Relax. Edele. Relax. Forget all your worries. Let them fly away. Just let them fly away. Good."
"Good." Edele repeated.
"Can you feel those doubt slipping away?"
"Yes."
Good. Just let them all slide away. sliding away. No more doubts. No more fears. Does that feel good?"
"Yes."
"No more burdens weighing you down Edele. You feel free don't you?"
"Free."
"You feel so free and light with no more worries weighing you down. You feel like you're flying"
"I'm flying."
"Edele. Open your eyes."
The girl blinked. In front of her she saw the fairy, floating. Then she looked down and saw the water running beneath her feet. She cast a disbelieving look back at the fairy.
"I'm flying!" she repeated.
Gwen nodded happily. Her teaching had begun.
***
"Well," Keavy began, "I guess it started when..."
"Look Keavy," Uma cut in, "I don't think we need to know all the details of your lives. Just tell us what going on out there at the present time."
"Fine. You want it in plain terms. The source of control for the entire human race is heading towards this city. It'll be here in less than an hour."
"What is it?" Uma demanded, feeling frustrated.
"From what we saw it was a ship. Like a huge shadow."
"In the water?"
Lindsay shook her head. "In the sky. We saw the banshees fly from it and chose to follow them. We guess they'd be heading towards the center of free will."
"You mean us?"
"Yeah."
"So those things," Helen tried to get her head around the situation, "were sent to incapacitate us. And you just vaporized them like that?"
"They're magical constructs. They can be dissolved like salt in water."
"Okay, "Billy thought it over, "Put these patches on by the way, they'll increase your defense against the effect from this.. whatever it is. Where did you see it?"
"Over the pacific. We passed it on our way here." Edele explained.
"Took the long way from Ireland did you?"
"Actually we were in Tokyo when this happened. And if you're wondering it's the same everywhere. Humanity has been put on standby."
"So why did you come here?"
"We.. well Gwen told us to."
"It just felt right." Gwen shrugged. "I'm a leprechaun, we act on impulse."
"Okay," Billy thought aloud. "So you passed this.. ship.. Could it be alien?"
"Aren't you getting a little X-files here?" Neve remarked.
"Yeah," Chris quipped, "why don't we just stick to all the rational vampires, zombies and leprechauns then."
"Well think about it." Billy continued. "An alien invasion spearheaded by mind controlling humanity."
"Well they sure know a lot about human culture." Helen considered.
"Isn't it a little too detailed to mimic the end of the world as we know it? Why bother with a charade at all?"
Gwen shook her head thinking. "It didn't look like a ship really. "
"Then what did it look like?"
The fairy shrugged.
"A building." Lindsay realized. "It looked like a skyscraper."
"A flying skyscraper?" Uma was incredulous.
"Well it was dark. We didn't see that much."
"What if it didn't come from space." Winona suggested.
"Well where do you hide a flying building. I'm pretty sure a military satellite would pick it up." Uma pointed out as she slumped down on one of the couches. "So Win, where do you hide a building."
"Underground." She answered quickly.
"Winona," Billy explained, "For something the size of the building to unearth would exert huge forces. It would be impossible to go unnoticed."
"Who said it would go unnoticed? Earthquakes in the Middle East?
What if they were part of this?"
"You mean it came out of the desert." Neve asked.
"Well I'm saying it could."
"We'll see it soon enough." Edele cut in. "It'll be here in half an hour."
***
Britney ran, trying to block out the voices which rung in her head. Nothing would make them stop. She'd been running all night, not going anywhere in particular, just trying to escape. But she couldn't. She was exhausted but she refused to stop. Sweat streamed down from her tangled hair, stinging her eyes but she refused to stop. Not until her legs gave out and she tumbled head first into a pile of old boxes did she stop. Even then all she achieved was a restless, fevered sleep.
***
She yawned and rolled over on her bed. Nervously she rose, looking out the window. Nothing had changed. There was no one out there. No one but her. She was alone. Totally alone with no idea what to do next. She did all she could. She curled up in her bed and hoped someone would come.
***
Her eyes slowly flicked open to see the face of her lover close by, still sleeping peacefully. It must be nearly morning. A quick look at her watch proved that it was. But clearly nothing had changed. There was no noise of the city, no traffic, no chatter. The city was silent. The two were the only two people in
the world. And as romantic as the concept had once seemed it now sent a chill down her spine.
***
"It's almost dawn." Neve looked at her watch as she cradled Jennifer’s head in her arms. "Can you use magic to help her?" she appealed to the Irish girls.
"Well.." Lindsay began but Billy interrupted her.
"I don't pretend to know anything about magic and I don't want to question your abilities but.. Neve she'll be fine in a few hours. Maybe she'll have a head ache. But if we go mucking around with her nervous
system then I don't know what will happen. Let her sleep it off Neve. I promise she'll be fine in a few hours."
"We don't have a few hours!" Neve yelled angrily.
Billy sighed. "Stay with her Neve. For now. Take her back with Kate."
Neve reluctantly agreed and lifted Jennifer carefully, carrying her back.
"I say we get to the top of this building to get a good look at this thing when it gets here? Agreed?"
"Agreed." Uma and Helen said in unison.
The three moved to a lift and Winona followed "Going up?"
Chris asked the denim girls as she walked in and pressed the button.
"We'll take the express." Sinead smiled as the door closed.
The elevator seemed to take forever to get to the top floor but finally the doors opened and the occupants spilled out into a small room.
Uma tried the door handle. "Damn it. Locked."
Chris brushed her aside and swiftly kicked the door, smashing the lock off.
"After you." She gestured as the others walked out into the open air.
The four Irish singers were sitting on the ledge of the building, Gwen hovering cross-legged beside them.
Uma began to ask how they got there but shrugged it off.
"Almost dawn." Winona noted, looking a the hint of the sun rising. "We should be able to get a good look at this thing."
The eight women, one man and a leprechaun waited, catching a glimpse of a shape on the horizon. As they watched, in awe, in fear, the shape became bigger and bigger and bigger. It was huge, larger than the tallest skyscrapers, hovering in the sky unsupported. It moved almost silently, the huge displacement of air causing the only sound, a rushing of wind. It was indeed like a building, it's surface illuminated by the morning light. It was a cylinder, standing perfectly upright, every surface ornately decorated with statues and carvings. Even the century old magical creature was awe struck by the massive floating monolith.
"I've never seen anything like it." Helen whispered softly.
"I have." Winona said coldly.
For a second all eyes broke from the building and turned to her.
Winona HAD seen it before. Not in real life but in pictures. And in an instant she felt certain she knew the truth. That it had risen from the desert. That it had come across the ocean.
"What I is it?" Uma asked feeling a chill that was deeper than the cold winds around them.
Winona looked grimly onwards as the citadel hovered above the city.
"It's The Tower of Babylon."
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