Sìthiche's Lesson

Away in a town, a bright, sunshiny town in the highlands of Scotland, with little rivers and brooks, there lived two little girls. One girl was called Elaine for her golden curly-top and bright laugh. The other was called Ahearn for her love watching the horses ride across the dewy fields in the morning. Ahearn had flowing hair that shone red in the sun when it blazed down upon their village. Her voice was soft, but not high, and her eye did not smile lest it be upon the leader of the herd. For what she wanted most in the world was to ride on the back of the dappled grey mare and feel the wind in her hair and the sunshine on her face.

Every morning in the spring, the girls would rise at first light, and were sent to collect the eggs in their great straw basket, watch over the small plot where their family's vegetables grew, and tend their small flock of sheep. The other villagers in the town would gather every dawn at the square to sell the things they made or farmed. The children knew Sandy to be the one who would pass them a bit of taffy or peppermint stick from his booth. Aileene would chat with them and make them laugh with the funny way she talked, and Baird would dance for the town while he played his flute or bagpipes. So it followed that Elaine and Ahearn would rather be romping in the square one afternoon after their chores than staying at home. But fate doesn't always comply with children's wishes, and the girls were sent to collect water from the mountain well and wildflowers for a celebration of spring the following day.

Grudgingly, they began to climb up the slopes of the mountains. Ahearn had been there many times before in secret to watch the horses that sheltered in the open plains, and so she lead Elaine to the place best for picking wildflowers and finding the horses. But what is not long for grown-ups becomes years for children, and the jars the little girls carried on their shoulders only added to the weight of the hike. Elaine, determined not to lose the day to bitterness, began to sing a song their father sang to them.

O the summer time has come

And the trees are sweetly bloomin'

And the wild mountain thyme

Grows around the bloomin' heather

Will ye go

Lassie

Go?

Ahearn did not hear the words sung by her sister, for at that moment she stopped in her tracks. No horses stood grazing in the meadow, but a hunched figure knelt on the ground picking flowers with a bright blue dragon-fly whizzing around her snow-white hair that was pulled into a beautiful braided knot. Ahearn's disappointment did not dampen her curiosity, so she nudged her sister beside her who still stared at the sky, singing in a dreamlike trance. "Elaine, look. There's a woman here. A woman I have not seen before." Elaine didn't seem to hear her sister, so Ahearn walked cautiously ahead, setting down her clay jar, and began to pluck the flowers and lay them in the basket that hung on her small arm. She daren't speak to the woman, only a meter away, for she had been taught never to speak to strangers. But presently the old woman began to hum, and then to sing in a beautiful melodic voice that echoed sweetly through the meadow. First she sang of the birds in the trees, then the clear water of the brooks, then the bold cliff-faces on the mountains. She sang of the spirit of the woodland, of the highlands. Of the great kings of old and their steeds, of the poor and happy peasants she sang. By this time Elaine's song had stopped, and Ahearn knelt silently among the flowers, hands folded in her lap. Ahearn listened in awe of the way this strange woman sang, when finally her voice began to get quieter. The dragon-fly at her shoulder had stopped buzzing around her head when the song had begun, and curiously enough, he seemed to be the thing that made the woman stop singing. She turned to look about her at the girls and gracefully stood up. "Oh, hello there. I didn't know anyone else came to this mountain. Pardon my singing."

Elaine found her voice and responded brightly, "We were sent here for water and flowers." The old woman laughed, and Ahearn noticed for the first time the youth in her smile, in her eyes. She asked her, "Where did you come from?" The lady smiled. "I have lived in this land for many lifetimes. Long ago I saw the castles and the knights that you hear of in stories now. Long ago this mountain used to be my home, but I have since begun to travel far distances."

"Why do you travel so much?" Ahearn asked once again. Elaine, now standing quite close to her sister, whispered, "Ahearn. It's not polite to ask questions."

"We may as well since there aren't any horses here. Do you think she scared them away?"

Hearing their loud whispers, the woman explained, "I travel a lot because I tell stories. And I told the horses to leave because I heard from him," Here the woman nodded to the dragon-fly who hovered near her ear, "that we might have company. I told him there probably wouldn't, but since he insisted, I explained this to Merida, the leader of the herd. She is a very good friend of mine."

Ahearn had a sudden longing to hear from this strange woman, much to Elaine's unnecessary distress. "What is your name?"

"My name..." The woman chuckled. "I have been given many names. But the one you may call me is Sìthiche."

"You're a fairy?" Ahearn wondered aloud, surprised.

"I am."

"So you can speak with horses?" Sìthiche nodded. "Yes, I can speak with all kinds of animals. And I know from what he has told me," here again she nodded to the blue dragon-fly, "You have an eye for them." Ahearn nodded and beamed. "Do you think you could call...Merida? Could you maybe please call her so I can ride her?"

Sìthiche sat still in though for a moment. "I will, Ahearn. For your name demands that. But I think you need to hear something first. Elaine dear, would you begin to pick some of the heather? I have something I need to teach Ahearn." Elaine furrowed her brow, but deciding to trust this stranger, skipped away with her basket.

"Now Ahearn," Sìthiche began. "You see the beauty in horses. You see their noble hearts, their spirit. Where do they get it?"

Ahearn thought a moment. "It's just in them, I think. I think they like the things around them. Like the flowers in the meadow here."

Sìthiche nodded and continued, "They see the beauty in the world and it gives them strength. Do you see why your sister smiles and laughs all the time? It is because she sees it too. She sees the small, beautiful things on this earth like the sound of water, the color of strawberries, the touch of grass. The sound of babies laughing, of your mother and father singing. Ahearn, if you only look for beauty in horses, then you will miss so much around you. Learn to smile and laugh at the things at home. This doesn't mean to not be who you are, it means to see who you are meant to be."

Something inside the little girl listening to this fairy's speech tugged on her heart. Thoughtfully and solemnly, she nodded her head and whispered, "I will."

"I'm glad of that, Ahearn."

Some time in silence passed, and the dragon-fly was sent to get Elaine. When both girls again were present, Ahearn asked Sìthiche if she would not stay a while and tell them a story. Sìthiche gazed into the sky and felt the breeze a moment before answering. "I will visit your village tomorrow for the spring festival, and I will tell you a story if you like while you fetch the water. And," she looked at Ahearn with a twinkle in her eye, "If he tells me you have learned to see beauty in everyday things, I just might send Merida to your door."

And so into the evening the girls walked with Sìthiche and listened to her stories, soaking in as much wisdom as they possibly could, and Ahearn from that day forth grew brighter and lovelier, seeing beautiful mysteries behind common affairs, and gaining joy from them.

Watch for the small things, the pretty trifles that make life brighter. Don't let your sights be set on things that will bring you down. Fight the battle to remember what joy and beauty there is in the world.