The Celtic Symbol Page 5

  She kissed the stone then placed it over his head with the ring just above his chest.

  She pointed to his heart and said, “I’ll be here whenever you need me.”

  When she died, a part of him died with her. He felt angry and empty inside. He turned to his work to cover his pain and loneliness. His children and grandchildren were his comfort. In them he was able to hold onto her.

  He now worked for the Museum of London. He loved his work and research for the museum as well as occasional excavations at the request of several of the universities.

  When he received the call from Dr. McNamara, he was working at a dig outside of Gelston, Scotland, for the University of Oxford. He had been called in as the lead archaeologist to research a village site from the 12th and 13th centuries. They were to uncover and catalogue the artifacts relating to village life. They uncovered the village lines and old well. They found several artifacts that were being cleaned in the makeshift cleaning room.

  He enjoyed finding the old artifacts and tried to picture what it would have been like to live there. The call came just as he was finishing for the day.

  “Hello Sean, its Liam. I need your help with the disappearance of a boy,” said Dr. McNamara.

  “How can I help with that? I’m just an archaeologist so I’m not very good at searching for the living,” said Dr. Ryan.

  “The place where he disappeared seems to involve a buried tower,” continued Dr. McNamara tempting him.

  “A buried tower? Now you really have my attention. Where’s it located?” asked Dr. Ryan enthusiastically.

  “It’s near Cahir,” replied Dr. McNamara knowing he was hooked.

  “What can I do to help the boy?” asked Dr. Ryan showing concern.

  “Besides the buried tower, we also have some kind of metal Celtic plate that was taken from the face of the tower. The removal of the object seems to have started a series of paranormal events including the disappearance of the lad. I need you to research and identify the metal object and possibly excavate and explore the tower. It has a direct relationship to the boy’s disappearance,” said Dr. McNamara confident he would help.

  The existence of a buried tower intrigued Dr. Ryan. The site was near Cahir which was rich in Irish history. As interesting as the dig in Gelston was, he felt more excited about this new find. Dr. Ryan loved to jump in and get in the dirt. It made him feel part of the history he was uncovering.

  “I’ll help you,” he said with excitement in his voice. “I’ll need some time to get things settled here before I can come but I’ll try to be there in about two days.”

  Dr. McNamara ended the call.

  Dr. Ryan couldn’t believe what had just been offered to him. It was the ultimate adventure to be part of a new discovery. He wanted to leave immediately but knew he would need to bring his colleagues up to date on the Gelston dig before he could leave for Cahir. Dr. Ryan called for the other site archaeologist William Flaherty.

  “Bill I have been called to an urgent project and will need to be gone for a couple of weeks. Can you handle everything here?” Dr. Ryan asked masking his excitement.

  “Of course, Sean,” he replied excited to head up the excavation. “I’ll take care of things here. You go do whatever you need to get done.”

  Dr. Ryan went over the university’s expectations and requirements for the dig with William. The archaeologist was more than qualified and would do a good job overseeing the project.

  Dr. Ryan began packing his things and called the airlines for a flight leaving tomorrow afternoon. He could be in Dublin tomorrow night and could leave for Cahir the following morning.

  Dr. Ryan had worked on a few projects with the IPP over the past few years. Some of his archaeology colleagues looked on the IPP with disdain. They weren’t part of the field of archaeology and in their opinion, played on people’s emotions for money. Their work wasn’t based on science but rather superstition.

  Dr. Ryan was more open-minded. Based on his work at various digs, he felt that history and archaeology seemed to have ties to the paranormal. History was full of superstition and folklore that seemed to be intertwined. Some of the mysteries he encountered did not always have a logical explanation based on science. Working on occasional projects with the IPP seemed to give him insight into the unexplained.

  While waiting for Dr. Ryan to arrive, Dr. McNamara and his team continued monitoring and researching the site. They carefully removed some of the dirt around the tower revealing more of its stonework. He also used yellow caution tape to outline the area in front of the cross-shaped slit in the tower that he wanted people to avoid. This area was under constant surveillance by K II meters, a laser thermometer, and a digital camera to warn of any additional paranormal activity. All was quiet for now.

  Patrick, Ansley, and the kids sat nervously in the house waiting for any word about Tevan. They watched the IPP team as they removed dirt from the tower and monitored their equipment that they had placed on tripods. At dinner time, Ansley invited the group to eat dinner with the family.

  “You’re too kind,” said Aine to Ansley eager for a decent meal.

  “It sure looks good,” added Brody as he sat down to eat.

  “It’s the least I could do for you,” said Ansley graciously.

  “We have a guest room for Aine. The couches make into beds if you would like to sleep here,” said Patrick offering their hospitality.

  “That would be nice,” said Dr. McNamara with a smile. “We can keep a better watch on the tower.”

  “Thanks,” piped in Brody and Aine excited to have a soft, warm bed.

  “It sure beats sleeping in the truck,” whispered Brody to Aine.

  The next morning, Dr. McNamara, Aine, and Brody went out back to the dirt mound to check their equipment. To their surprise, they found the equipment lying on the ground.

  “What happened?” asked Aine looking perplexed.

  “I’m not sure. Brody, check the recording on the digital camera from last night,” said Dr. McNamara suspiciously.

  Brody picked up the camera and turned the recording back to about midnight.

  “There!” shouted Aine excitedly as she pointed at the screen.

  The camera revealed a blue light forming near the tower. A form resembling a man appeared in the viewer just before the camera fell to the ground. After a few minutes, there was a flash of red light and the form seemed to disappear.

  “What was that?” asked Aine staring at the viewer.

  “It was a paranormal anomaly, or apparition,” replied Dr. McNamara showing some excitement over having proof of what he already suspected.

  “You mean a ghost?” said Aine realizing what they had seen on the screen.

  “Notice how it seemed to disappear in the flash of red light,” said Brody reviewing the recording intently.

  “Aye, it seems to me that the entity was only able to be in the living world for a short time,” said Dr. McNamara reflecting on the recording.

  The team picked up the equipment and reset the tripods to resume monitoring the site.

  It was mid-morning when Patrick heard a car pull up to the house. He was anxious to meet Dr. Ryan and get his opinion on how to get Tevan back. He quickly opened the door when the doorbell rang.

  It was not Dr. Ryan as he had expected. It was Garda Thomas Bracken from the other day.

  “Good morning Mr. Murphy. I came by to follow up on the disappearance of your son. Have you heard from him?”

  “No we haven’t. It’s been a rough couple of days.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. May I come in?”

  Patrick slowly stepped to the side and motioned for Garda Bracken to come in.

  “I noticed another truck out front and some people working behind the house. Are they looking for your son?” asked Garda Bracken as his eyebrows narrowed. He was suspicious of what they were doing.

  “Aye. They’re here to help find him,” replied Patrick sensing his uneasiness. “Come with me an
d I’ll introduce you to Dr. McNamara.”

  Garda Bracken followed Patrick through the house and out the back door.

  Dr. McNamara and his IPP team were busy monitoring the tower and clearing off some of the dirt from it.

  “Dr. McNamara,” yelled Patrick to get his attention. “Can I pull you away for a few minutes?”

  Dr. McNamara looked over at Patrick and the Garda standing near the back door. He recognized the uniform and was now worried. He did not want interference from any government agency until he could figure out what happened to Tevan and how to get him back. He turned and walked over to the two men.

  “Dr. McNamara, this is Garda Thomas Bracken. He is investigating Tevan’s disappearance and came by to follow up,” said Patrick gesturing towards the policeman.

  “Good morning,” said Dr. McNamara as he shook his hand.

  “Good morning to you sir. Are you a medical doctor?” asked Garda Bracken looking at him suspiciously.

  “No. I’m a parapsychologist. I’m here at the request of the Murphys to find their son.”

  “A parapsychologist? What’s that?”

  “I investigate the paranormal. I’m positive it was something paranormal that took Tevan. Over there is my team.”

  Garda Bracken turned to Patrick and shot him an accusing look.

  “You called in some ghost chasers to find your son?”

  Patrick’s face turned bright red. He could feel the anger swelling up inside him.

  Dr. McNamara was used to this kind of reaction from the uninformed public. He quickly responded.

  “We are not here to film a show or do parlor tricks. We are a legitimate investigative group that has recorded and successfully responded to attacks from the paranormal. The Murphys were concerned that the Gardaí couldn’t help them so they asked us to find Tevan and bring him home. That’s our focus,” explained Dr. McNamara with a stern look.

  “I’m sorry,” replied Garda Bracken. “I’ve seen too many times when people take advantage of others in time of grief or need.”

  “I assure you they’re not here to take advantage of me or my family,” added Patrick as he began to cool down.

  “What have you determined so far?” asked Garda Bracken feeling a little less suspicious.

  “May I show you something?” asked Dr. McNamara as he pointed towards the equipment Brody and Aine were monitoring.

  The three men walked over to the digital camera.

  “Aine, Brody, I would like you to meet Garda Bracken,” said Dr. McNamara pointing to the policeman.

  “Good morning sir,” said Aine with a look of anxiety.

  Garda Bracken nodded towards the two. Brody nodded back.

  “Brody, I want you to run the digital file from last night. The one with the visitor,” said Dr. McNamara as he pointed to the digital camera.

  Brody quickly retrieved the camera as instructed.

  Dr. McNamara pulled an SD card from his pocket and handed it to Brody.

  Brody removed the SD card in the camera and replaced it with the one handed to him. He quickly skipped through the video until he found the footage from the night before.

  “This is video footage we took last night from in front of the tower,” said Dr. McNamara as he pointed to the viewer for Garda Bracken to watch.

  The footage showed a human form coming through the blue light and knocking down the camera. A few minutes later the form seemed to disappear in a flash of red light.

  Garda Bracken watched intently as the form appeared and disappeared. His eyebrows narrowed as he tried to comprehend what he had just seen.

  “Is this some kind of trick?” he asked looking at Dr. McNamara suspiciously.

  “No. This video is untouched. We found the equipment knocked down this morning and this is what we found when we reviewed the footage,” replied Dr. McNamara solemnly.

  “What was that?” Garda Bracken asked shaking his head.

  “It was a paranormal apparition that came from this tower. Whatever it was, it has something to do with Tevan’s disappearance. That’s why we’re here,” said Dr. McNamara gesturing around him.

  The policeman’s demeanor changed. He was beginning to understand what had happened to Tevan.

  “They’re not going to believe this back at the station,” he said shaking his head.

  “That’s why I need you to not tell them. At least for now. If the Gardaí get involved they could hinder any progress we’ve made investigating and getting Tevan back. The return of Tevan is the important thing. Once we find out where he is and how to get him, then we can involve the Gardaí.”

  “I can get into a lot of trouble not reporting this,” said Garda Bracken showing concern on his face.

  “Please. For Tevan’s sake,” pleaded Patrick hoping he would go along with the plan.

  “I’ll keep it quiet for now but please keep me informed,” said Garda Bracken. “Here’s my card. Call me if anything happens.”

  He handed the card to Patrick.

  “Thank you,” he said shaking the policeman’s hand with both of his.

  Thomas Bracken turned and walked over to his car. He sat in the seat for a few minutes contemplating everything he had just learned. He let out a big sigh and started the engine. He slowly drove away towards Cahir.

  “That was close,” said Aine turning to the others as they watched the car drive away.

  “If he hadn’t agreed to go along with our plan it could have hindered our investigation and any hope of getting Tevan,” said Dr. McNamara relaxing a little.

  “Thank you for getting him to understand,” said Patrick showing relief on his face.

  “Now we can get back to work,” said Dr. McNamara to his apprentices. Brody replaced the digital camera on the tripod while Aine checked the other equipment.

  It was early afternoon as Dr. Ryan drove up to the Murphy home. He surveyed the landscape and noted the small plateau the house was built on. He tried to imagine why the tower would have been placed at that location. He parked the car and walked up to the front of the house.

  Patrick answered the door with Dr. McNamara standing behind him.

  “Mr. Murphy, I’m Dr. Sean Ryan,” he said introducing himself.

  “Please come in,” said Patrick moving aside to let him enter.

  “Liam, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen you. How have you been?” asked Dr. Ryan with a smile.

  “Good,” replied Dr. McNamara shaking his hand.

  “Mr. Murphy,” started Dr. Ryan.

  “Patrick,” interrupted Patrick.

  “Patrick,” continued Dr. Ryan. “Please tell me everything you can about the events leading up to your son’s disappearance and anything you can about the tower out back.”

  They sat down at the dining room table. Dr. Ryan wrote down everything Patrick told him.

  He then turned to Dr. McNamara, “Liam, please give me any additional information you have based on your findings and theories.”

  “I think by removing the metal object from the tower, Declan opened some kind of portal to the paranormal. It was from that moment the paranormal events began. The description of the blue light just before Tevan disappeared strengthens the theory. I’m still not sure what it was that took him or why,” said Dr. McNamara as he leaned back in his chair.

  “May I please see the tower?” asked Dr. Ryan trying to hide his excitement.

  “Of course,” replied Patrick giving him a nod.

  Patrick led Dr. McNamara and Dr. Ryan out the back door and towards the partially uncovered tower.

  “Please be careful to not stand in front of the cross-shaped slit in the tower and stay behind the yellow caution tape,” said Dr. McNamara pointing to the location. “I don’t want anyone else disappearing. Especially since we had another paranormal event last night.”

  Dr. Ryan examined the small opening in the tower.

  “This cross-shaped opening in the tower is called a loophole,” said Dr. Ryan instructing the others.
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  He walked around the grounds recreating the events in his mind. He walked around the half circle of the dirt mound, part of which was still buried in the mountainside. He analyzed its size, composition, and position in the countryside. He examined the stone and the clay filled loophole.

  “Liam, may I please see the metal plate taken from the tower?” asked Dr. Ryan as he held out his hand.

  Dr. McNamara provided him with the artifact. He removed it from the plastic bag and studied it intensely.

  “This is an old Celtic shield knot. It’s generally considered a protective symbol. I’ve seen similar objects at other digs but I haven’t ever seen one with an emerald crystal in the center like this one,” he said as he held it up for the others to see.

  He was puzzled as to why a protective symbol would be placed above the loophole of the tower instead of the usual stone gargoyle of a dragon or animal. In addition to uncovering the meaning of the metal artifact, he needed to oversee the excavation of the tower. This was now an archaeological dig.

  Early the next morning, Dr. Ryan called for a small group from the museum to come help with the excavation. He then met with Dr. McNamara and his team.

  “I need your help to start the excavation,” he said reflecting on what he wanted to do next. “I would normally wait for my team from the museum, but given the urgency, I would like to start today.”

  He and the IPP carefully removed more of the dirt from off the tower. As each chunk was removed it was carefully placed in a pile for later examination.

  The next day, the museum excavation team arrived with a large truck full of equipment and materials along with the base trailer. Dr. Ryan greeted the team as they exited the vehicles.

  “Hello Dr. Ryan,” said Brian Corrigan the team foreman as he shook his hand.

  “Glad you could get here so fast,” he responded surveying the line of vehicles.

  “I’d like you to meet a new member of the dig team. This is Euan Atkins. It’s his first dig,” said Brian pointing to Euan.

  “Nice to meet you, Euan,” said Dr. Ryan extending his hand.

  “The pleasure is mine, Dr. Ryan. I’ve heard a lot about you from the team,” said Euan with a smile. He was a young graduate in his mid-‘20s, full of enthusiasm.