Chapter 11 : The Stone

'Well, tomorrow is the big day, old girl, ' Tom thought to CJ, as he looked at his wife, who was washing the dishes at the sink.

CJ huffed at her master's apprehension. There was something that rippled just beneath her master's calm exterior, that upset the small dog.

"Baby, CJ and I are gonna take our last walk under these old stars, for a while. So don't wait up for us," he said as he leaned over and kissed his beautiful wife on the cheek.

Bets had been feeling the tension building up in her husband, and came to the conclusion that Tom was on edge, because of the move, tomorrow.

"No worries, Hun. I'll wake you in the morning once breakfast is done, so you can sleep in a little," she replied smiling back at the love of her life.

Tom nodded, opened the back door for CJ, and followed her out into the darkness. With the enhancements to his eyes, the darkness was more like the hour before the sunset, he could see everything around him, but the shadows in the moonlight were pitch black even to his vision.

Moving quietly through the conglomeration of both semi trailers and storage pods that were to be loaded tomorrow, Tom and CJ wove their way through, past the barn and into the natural woods beyond.

A jackrabbit looked nervously at the two of them, and then scurried off with a thump of its huge feet into the high grass.

CJ whined, she really wanted to find out what was on the rabbit's mind, right then; but she knew her master was heading to their spot, and would brook no dilly-dallying around, right now. Looking at the rabbit as it popped its head out of the grass in the distance, she huffed at it, and quickly followed her boss into the darkened woods.

Tom's mindshield was at the strongest power he could make it. What he was doing out here tonight required no interruptions from those he loved, including his new skinny friend and company, up in the starship.

Finally, the man and dog stepped into a small clearing, a little over sixty feet across. In the center of the clearing sat a stone. It was carved in the shape of a four-leaf clover. Each of the clover's leaves were large enough for a person to sit on. The carved stone weighed well over a ton. It looked both ancient and out of place in this Texas woods, surrounded by wild oaks and mesquite trees.

Tom sat down on one of the clover's leaves. He picked CJ up setting her on the one beside him. Looking up at the brightly lit sky above himself, made Tom sigh with resignation.

'It has to be Wendi that takes on the Promise, since she'll be the last O'Fergus left on the planet, here, ' he thought to himself, as his hand rubbed across the edge of the clover leaf, where he was sitting. 'I just hope that she will be serious about this responsibility, and keep it to herself until her son is old enough to pass the Promise onto.'

His thoughts were a little melancholy, as he realized that this would be the first time in O'Fergus' history, that the protector of the stone would be a female.

"Ach, no need ta worry, me laddy. Tho she be a fine lass of ya own blood, us Wee Folk have decided it's aboot time ta look to the wee stars, ourselves," a voice said in a thick Irish brogue, beside him.

Tom's head almost snapped off, as he went from looking at the stars above to little man sitting on the cloverleaf beside him. A Wee Folk (Leprechaun, to the rest of the world) sat looking up at those same stars, above. To make it even more unreal was the fact the wee magical being was wearing a crown, and his robes were forest green. The gold inlay was in the shape of the very stone where the three of them were sitting!

Tom quickly slipped off the ancient stone and kneeled before the King of the Wee Folk,

"I am truly sorry, Milord, for my failings in your stone's protection, I had hoped to have more time to find another protector."

The king waved his little hand nonchalantly at the human's words.

"'Tis not your own fault in the matter, me boy. 'Tis the workings of a higher power, which has brought this circumstance into being. Protector, you and your kin have leave to call me by my given name, which is King Domhnall"

The King slowly lowered his gaze from the heavens and onto the kneeling human before him.

"Your kin have guarded the stone for over a millennia, and ne'er gave us any cause to worry. Surely you don think us Wee Folk have forgotten your dedication and help, after all this time, me lad?" He asked as he smiled at the man.

"It never entered my mind to doubt you, Milord, it's just that ... Well, it's been a while since any of my clan have seen any the Wee Folk, much less the King of the Wee Folk himself, your Majesty," Tom managed to force the words from his stumbling mouth.

King Domhnall slapped his tiny hand on his leg exclaiming loudly, "Ach, 'tis true that we have been in hiding from this modern world, where magic is either looked as illusion, or worse," the King said. There was a touch of sadness in the King's voice. "That is why we, as a people, have decided to seek a journey with you on your new voyage to the stars and beyond me boy," the King said as he smiled.

He thought of the intro on a favorite show he used to watch, of course he changed the saying a little, while looking at Tom.

"I, King Shamus Domhnall of the Wee Folk, will boldly go where no Wee Folk has gone before!"

"Whaaat!" Tom shouted, forgetting who was standing on the cloverleaf in front of him. He quickly lowered his voice, looking at the beaming King. "Are you certain, Milord? You truly want to leave this planet? There is no coming back to this world, once we are set down onto the new world!" he cautioned the little king.

"Ach, just like the good steward that ye are! Ye are always thinking of others me laddy. But have no fear. This decision to leave this modern earth, was not without a lot of contemplation by all those involved. Yes, all the Wee Folk would leave with you, and the stone, to the new world," King Domhnall confirmed nodding his tiny head.

An entirely new set of headaches latched onto the ones Tom already had floating around in his mind.

'How the hell am I going to hide this news from the rest of my family, much less Dregg and Falash?' he thought, rubbing his temples as the pounding started to pick up in his noggin.

CJ whined as she read the worry on her boss's face, yep that was the look he had after he lost a fight with his female boss. And since she wasn't out here right now, CJ was confused. She jumped down off the cloverleaf, and was ready to do her part, licking the boss into feeling better about whatever was bothering him.

"Oh, me laddy. It won't be so bad, now. I know ya worry aboot all the Wee Folk being seen by so many eyes, and such; but 'tis not a problem at all, for us, to be sure," the King said, smiling at the Stone's protector.

"Oh really, Milord? And just how will I hide all the Wee Folk on the ship from prying eyes?" Tom asked, rubbing his head even harder.

"Well, to be certain, it would be a worry for ye, if it 'twas it was any other magical creature but us Wee Folk. But you forget aboot da stone, here, me laddy," King Domhnall said, lithely bending over and patting the huge four leaf clover stone on which he stood.

Tom's head slowly ceased pounding. He looked at the small king, who was smiling with a knowing look.

"I always wondered about the importance of the Stone ... besides the fact that it was ancient, that is," Tom replied as he thought of the information past down from father to son for over twenty generations of O'Ferguses.