Alex and the Druids’ Eclipse: A Cornish Tale

By Carolyn Griffin

After witnessing a total solar eclipse high on the Cornish cliffs with his father, Jory, ten-year-old Alex Pitts tumbles from the familiar, safe world he knows into one filled with uncertainty and danger.

Summoned by the ancient druids to the time of Merlin and King Arthur, Alex is sent to recapture a magical cauldron. This journey takes him on a long and perilous quest to a lost island, and into a world of witches, giants, and age-old rituals that evolve into a living nightmare. His only comfort is the enduring love and relentless loyalty of a wolf.

Alex and the Druids Eclipse throws open a portal to a time long past, to a land where lore and magic reigns.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Jun 22, 2017
• ISBN: 9781480847057

Carolyn Griffin

Carolyn Griffin, a wife, mother, and grandmother is a writer who lives in Tucson, Arizona. She enjoys arts and crafts, crocheting, drawing and painting, church and family activities, and especially story telling. She has spent much of her life writing and sharing with children. A child’s soul can be touched by the words of a story, and that is the desire of her heart.

Book preview

1

PRISMS, SPARKLING LIKE FLAWLESS DIAMONDS, REflected off the rolling Atlantic in the bright morning sunshine as Alexander Pitts ran across the soft, springy turf covering the coastal headland toward the village and his father’s office. Today was going to be an amazing day—a day of all days! Today he was going to see a total solar eclipse.

How many people in the world are lucky enough to witness this awesome event? Alex wondered to himself.

He slackened his pace, bringing himself to an eventual stop. Turning his smiling face toward the sun, he closed his eyes and welcomed the warmth and brightness that radiated onto his skin. It was actually going to happen here—right here on his home ground.

Alex was excited. No, that was an understatement. In fact, he couldn’t really think of any words that would describe this feeling.

Today was August 11, and today was a day he sensed he was never going to forget as long as he lived. It was a bizarre instinct, but he felt he had been born specifically to witness this spectacle. That belief, for a fleeting moment, strangely disturbed him.

Alex was almost out of breath after running down the steep cliff path that descended from the towering headland to Penmellyn. The village of Penmellyn was nestled securely in the shadow of a behemoth rock. Its only vulnerability was the Atlantic Ocean, but even the ocean’s high rollers soon lost their fight as they smashed against the base of the cliff face before softly entering the little cove.

The village was small compared to some, consisting only of a parish church, a pub, a general store, and a post office. It was a community where each person knew his or her neighbour, and this alone was enough to make a boy careful about what he was up to, because he knew if it was bad, his mother would soon hear of it. During the summer months, Penmellyn was teeming with tourists, and Alex and his best friend, Aidan, had made some great new friends.

Alex pushed open the weighty glass door leading into the reception area of his father’s office. His bubbling enthusiasm illuminated his elfin face as his hand pushed back his dark, tousled hair from his flushed cheeks.

He glanced toward Jenna, the receptionist, a dark-haired, slim, unfriendly woman who must have been at least thirty.

She’s almost as ancient as my parents, thought Alex to himself.

The atmosphere was, as usual, viscous and substantial, stemming from Jenna’s grumpy disposition. He felt uneasy in her presence, but he had heard his father speak highly of her to his mother and often remarked on her capabilities as an assistant. Jenna raised her eyes as the door opened, nodded to a seat in the far corner, and turned her head back to the computer monitor, which seemed to hold her rapt attention.

Huh, thought Alex as he sat himself down in the corner chair. What a cow.

The décor in the reception area was light and airy; it was only Jenna’s presence that made the whole room seem like a morgue. Alex dug into his pocket for his brand-new iPhone and soon became absorbed in the realms of Lifeline 2. It was several minutes before he became aware of loud, angry voices, voluble yet muffled, extending into the reception area through the heavy oak door of his father’s office.

Alex threw a confused look in Jenna’s direction. This was so unlike his father, who was mild-mannered, friendly, and generally a happy man. Jenna did not blink an eye; those ice-blue eyes remained fixed on the computer screen. Alex frowned, surprised by her lack of reaction but reassured himself that everything must be all right. He couldn’t believe this was a usual occurrence, but it made him ponder how well he knew his father. He sure hoped his father was okay in there!

The raised voices became mute to those not privy to a ringside seat. Alex tried to get back into his game but eventually gave up and placed the device back into the pocket of his sweater. He stood up and walked over to Jenna’s desk. Nervously clearing his throat, he bravely asked if his father would be long. Alex gave an involuntary shiver when, without cracking a smile, her ice-cold eyes met his in an insolent stare.

Her voice was a mutated whisper. He knows you’re here. Go and sit down.

Alex was bothered by her contemptuous attitude, but he wasn’t going to let her ruin his day—this day of all days.

Alex and his father had talked about the eclipse for weeks. They had dissected their plan at least a hundred times. Where would be the best place to park, stand, and get the best vantage point? They had finally decided Porthilly Downs was the right spot to watch the solar eclipse and planned to drive out at eleven o’clock this very morning. It was now one minute to eleven, and Alex was itching to get going. He had been a little worried when he had awoken that morning. The sun had been shining brightly, but a dark-red hue had bled across the sky to the east, and the old saying red sky in the morning, sailors take warning had bounced around in his brain. But in his heart, he knew this day would be perfect. He knew nothing would spoil his observation of a total solar eclipse.

At precisely eleven, Alex’s father opened the door to his office and walked out into the reception area. Relief washed over Alex. He jumped up from his seat and ran toward his father.

Hey, big guy, are we all set to go?

Alex looked at his father curiously. He doesn’t look as if he’s just had an argument, thought Alex, his forehead crinkling in bafflement. He looks just like he normally does. For the span of a nanosecond, he pondered on the strangeness of the situation.

Snapping his attention back to the reception area and hoping his father hadn’t noticed his distraction, Alex glanced quickly around the room and cringed as he met Jenna’s glowering eyes.

Nothing new or strange there, Alex thought to himself. Same old venomous crab.

At last, Alex and his father set out. It was not easy for Alex as he tried hard to contain his excitement. Then he noticed, with great concern, dark clouds starting to form in the west as the car sped through the narrow lanes and up onto the downs. Hundreds of vehicles were scattered across the windswept turf, and people were moving around, trying to find the best viewing platform to bear witness to this spectacle.

Alex became worried that he and his father would not be able to see the eclipse through all these people; however, those thoughts quickly disappeared when large drops of rain landed on his head. If it rained, it wouldn’t matter where they stood; no one would see the eclipse through the clouds.

Alex stood still and upright, frozen like a granite monolith, eyes tightly shut, waiting for the next drop of rain to fall. After what seemed like an eon but was actually less than a minute, Alex dared to open one eye. No rain? he questioned incredulously. He cautiously opened the other eye and ventured a glance at the sky. The clouds still hung there, suspended in the colourless firmament, but at least it wasn’t raining!

His father was talking to someone Alex didn’t know, so he made his way to the cliff’s edge and sat down on the damp grass. This was the only way he could guarantee he wasn’t going to be pushed aside. Above the wind and noisy crowds, Alex heard his dad shouting his name.

Down here, Dad! he yelled at the top of his voice and was pleased to see his father’s tall, thin form appear through the commotion and head in his direction. Now all they had to do was wait until the sun passed high over Cornwall around noon.

Alex glanced eagerly at the crowd surrounding him and was happy to see his excitement mirrored on every face standing there. Soon silence fell among the crowd as the light level began to drop and darkness quickly descended on the expectant mass. Alex pushed his sunglasses over his eyes just as the clouds parted and revealed to Alex Pitts, aged ten years, four months, two days, and fifty-eight minutes, the moon as it totally eclipsed the sun.

2

JORY PITTS, AS ENRAPTURED BY THE HISTORIC SIGHT as his son, removed his protective glasses.

Well, Alex, what did you think of that? he asked, glancing down at the spot on the heather where his son had chosen to sit during the eclipse.

Jory blinked in surprise; Alex was not there. Calling out to his son, he spun around and quickly scanned the rapidly dispersing crowd. He expected to see Alex making his way through the groups of eclipse enthusiasts, but he was disappointed.

Thinking the boy must have returned to the car, Jory edged his way through the crowd, but upon reaching the vehicle, he realized this was not where Alex had headed. Fearing the worst, Jory’s concern turned to anger. Why would Alex run off when there were so many people around—and strangers to boot? He hung around the car for probably the best part of an hour, but there was still no clue as to the whereabouts of his son. Leaving the car, he hurried back to the cliff’s edge and peered cautiously down over the craggy rock face to the narrow shingle beach below.

Jory felt his heart beat faster. His anxiety level started to accelerate as troubling images flooded his mind. The beach, from this vantage point, was deserted. The only sound engulfing his auditory senses was the rushing sound of the wave action sucking back through the shingle on the empty beach. He couldn’t leave here without searching every conceivable area Alex might have hidden. He felt an urgency to get down onto the narrow shingle shore and search the beach. Without giving any thought to his own safety, he scrambled and slid down the treacherous cliff path to the beach below. Jory searched every cave, every washout, every nook, and every cranny, but still, there was no sign of Alex.

He was baffled. He phoned his office. He phoned home. He tried to be cautious about how he worded the question of whether or not Alex had arrived at either location, especially not wanting to set alarm bells off in his wife’s head. He felt his whole body stiffen with despair as he was told no, Alex was with him, wasn’t he? Jory was afraid to leave the downs just in case Alex came looking for him there, but it had already been three hours since the eclipse and the downs were now deserted. He climbed back up the steep path to the car and sat in the driver’s seat, engine running, staring toward the open sea. Like a ticker tape, thoughts ran wildly through his confused mind.

He sighed heavily, finally realising that sitting there was not going to find Alex; he needed to look elsewhere for his son, so the baffled father steered the vehicle out onto the road and drove along the same route they had taken that morning, in the hope that he would find Alex making his way home.

Even though he drove at a snail’s pace, it wasn’t long before Jory pulled into Penmellyn. He first stopped at the office. Jenna would have left for the day, but his partner, Piran Godolphin, in the small firm of Carrick Architecture and Designs was evidently still in his office, as Jory could see his car in the small carpark behind the building.

Tapping lightly on Piran’s door before gently opening it, Jory entered the cluttered space.

Hey, Jory, what’s up? I thought you had other plans today.

I don’t suppose you’ve seen Alex, have you? Jory’s distress was painfully evident on his face and in his crumpled deportment.

Not since he was here this morning. Piran, glancing up from his desk, noticed Jory was not smiling, but instead looked tense and worried.

His jovial expression immediately changed to mirror his friend’s concern.

What’s wrong? he asked cautiously and then leapt from his chair to steady Jory who stumbled slightly before leaning against the mantle of the big marble fireplace that dominated the room.

Alex has disappeared. His voice was plain and understated, almost a whisper.

What do you mean? Disappeared? Piran asked in surprise.

After the eclipse, he wasn’t there anymore. What am I going to tell Stephie? Anguish wrenched the words from his mouth. Stephanie Pitts, known to all as Stephie, was Alex’s mother and Jory’s wife.

Piran led Jory to the leather chesterfield, sat him down, and listened to his account of the morning’s events. Nothing notably odd had happened until after the eclipse. Piran frowned, his mind working overtime. He knew they had to work quickly if, heaven forbid, the boy had been abducted.

Get Stephie down here. I’ll call the police. I know the locals will all want to help with the search too, so the sooner we get things started, the better chance we have. Chance? What chance? Why did I say that? Piran glanced quickly at Jory, hoping he hadn’t picked up on the bad choice of words. No, Jory was too taken up with the thought of telling Stephie her only son was missing.

Jory picked up the phone and dialled home. He cleared his throat and, trying not to sound grim, put on what he considered his normal voice as Stephie picked up the phone.

Steph? It’s Jory. Can you spare a minute and come down to the office please?

Stephie’s sharp, inquisitive mind was already jumping. Why? Is anything wrong?

We’ll talk as soon as you get here, and don’t drive fast, he added as an afterthought, knowing how she would want to be there now.

Before long, Stephie pushed through the front door into the reception area where Jory and Piran were deep in conversation. As she entered, they both looked up. Taking her hand, Jory led her into Piran’s office with Piran following close behind. Glancing from one to the other, she suddenly felt ill as the look of concern on their faces hit her. Gripping his wife’s hands, Jory stuttered out words she never wanted to hear in this lifetime or any other.

Stephie, Alex is missing.

What do you mean? she whispered. "What do you mean?" This time her voice was louder, with a slight note of hysteria.

Jory explained how everything had been fine until after the eclipse when Alex seemed to disappear off the face of the earth.

The police will be here any minute, Piran cut in, in an effort to break the stony silence that pervaded the atmosphere of the room.

Stephie could not talk. Her mind raced with possibilities, none of them good. Her boy, where was he? She wrung her hands in despair. Looking up at Jory, she saw him struggling with a huge sense of blame as he tried to intuit the reason why this was happening to them.

Why weren’t you looking after him? she cried at Jory, tears flowing freely down over her delicate features.

It wasn’t long before the local police constable entered the building. Jory again related the preceding events as the constable diligently took notes.

What is your first course of action? the tearful Stephie asked, hoping he would say the whole British Army, Navy, and Air Force would be deployed immediately.

Well, ma’am, no one is considered a missing person until twenty-four hours have passed.

But he’s a child! Stephie cried. He could have been abducted, and you’re going to waste all this time because that’s the policy of the government? I cannot believe I am hearing this!

The constable shuffled his feet and looked at the ground. Things like this just did not happen in this quiet backwater, and frankly, he didn’t know how to deal with it. He knew what he was saying was stupid. He knew Alex, as he did all the kids in the cove, and was aware this was totally out of character. Alex was a good kid and would never run off intentionally. Removing a radio from his leather belt, the constable radioed his superior, explained the situation, and asked if a search could be made for the missing boy. The sergeant agreed a search was crucial and informed the constable to hang tight; he was on his way and would muster villagers and neighbouring forces to help.

On relating this information to Stephie and Jory, Alex’s parents felt hope, something they had not felt up to now.

When the sergeant arrived, he had several villagers with him. He had put out a call on the local radio for volunteers to help with the search, and more people were arriving by the minute. He quickly dispersed the search parties and the assisting police personnel to various areas within a five-mile radius of Penmellyn. Stephie and Jory wanted to join the search, but the sergeant kindly told them to go home in case Alex showed up there.

Are you crazy? Stephie exploded. I cannot sit at home waiting! Do you know how that would feel?

Turning to a young police woman, the sergeant instructed her to go to the Pitts’ home to ensure the other children were okay, as they were no doubt wondering what was up with their parents.

The local store offered its attached café area as a central location for the search, so Piran locked up the office and headed over to make sure everyone knew what was happening.

When the softly falling dusk turned day into night, there was still neither sight nor sign of Alex.

3

BLYTHE LIFTED HIS STRONG LUPINE HEAD TO THE SKY, inhaling the ozone-laden air as it drifted in from the sea. A solitary herring gull wheeled overhead, riding on the flow of the breeze as it streamed over the land, its grey-white form soaring and dipping high above the white-topped waves. Its mournful repetitive yeow calls reverberating off the high cliff face as it scoured the ocean for shoals of pilchards. A grey overcast sky had blown its way inland from the sea, colouring the world with hues a lighter shade of black. Even the sand pushing up through the pads of the wolf’s paws seemed grey today instead of the incandescent shades of ecru, gold, slate, and crystal as was its norm.

The large animal loped steadily across the sand, staying close to the cliff, ever watchful for danger, ever mindful of his own vulnerability.

Blythe felt reasonably safe on the downs and along the bordering coastline. He was in his midlife evolution now and had gained much wisdom with age. Suddenly, an unusual scent struck his sensing faculties. He stopped in his tracks, trying hard to make out the differing perceptions but felt confused. There was definitely a vague sense of the presence of man, but not one that was strong or defined. There were other smells too, smells that were alien to anything he had ever experienced before. Blythe stood still and deeply inhaled the damp sea air. The scent was descending from the downs above, wafting down to the strip of sand on which the alpha wolf stood before drifting away out over the sea.

The scent held no threatening portent, but Blythe would take no chance of being captured or killed. He crept slowly and silently forward, up the steep face of the cliff. Over sporadic tufts of sea thrift, furze, and loose rock he trekked with a firm, sure footing until he was within inches of the clifftop where he could just see onto the heather and gorse covered downs. Sitting not ten feet from the cliff’s edge was a young human. Not a human as he had ever seen before; this one had huge, black, shiny eyes.

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Alex was psyched with fulfilment, triumph, and awe. Wow, Dad! he exclaimed loudly as he scrambled to his feet, pulling off his dark glasses.

He stood there on the heath, his jaw slowly dropping in amazement when he realized he stood alone on the high cliffs. He closed his eyes tightly, shook his head, and squeezed his eyes open again. Nope, he was still alone. He yelled loudly to his father—to anyone who might be listening, for that matter—but there was no reciprocating response, only an increased mewing from the gulls far out over the foaming, whispering waves.

Seeds of fear and desperation began to take root in the cortex of Alex’s brain. Where is everyone? He ran up to where his dad had parked the car, but not only were there no cars to be seen, there were no tyre marks or flattened grass to suggest cars had ever been there.

Blythe watched the boy with interest. He no longer had the black, shiny bug eyes; Blythe had watched him as he tore them from his face! His eyes now looked the same as the humans he had encountered throughout his life, but why, wondered the wolf, was he running around and making so much noise?

Alex was scared. He sat down on the grass to try and figure out in his sharp mind what had happened, but try as hard as he could, he could find no logical explanation for this mind-blowing calamity. Pushing himself up, he knew that even if he sat there for eons, he could never fathom why this was happening to him. Alex decided to walk home, and by making this decision, he felt somewhat better.

Setting off up to the road that bordered the downs, he whistled as loudly as he could to try to keep feelings of despair and desertion away.

When he reached the road, or at least where he thought it should be, he was surprised to find only a rough track. Alex stopped, and turning his body a full one-eighty, he spun around in confusion. He must have gotten turned around and headed in the wrong direction, but no … There was the cliff where it should be, and this was the way up from Penmellyn. He was sure of it.

I’m asleep! Alex thought to himself. That’s it. This is all a crazy dream. Shaking his head, he started on the track and headed home, chuckling now and then at the absurdity of it all. The landscape was different somehow. No hedgerows, thought Alex with a chuckle. What a delusion.

Blythe kept an eye on the boy as he headed up across the downs and onto the path used by the humans. Stealthily, and with great agility, the wolf pulled himself up onto the top of the cliff and hunkered down under a gorse bush. Keeping his distance, he crept out of the bush and followed Alex along the path.

He was inexplicably drawn to this boy. He felt a great urgency to protect him—as a parent would—although acknowledging this self-revelation opened up intense feelings of bewilderment. His aged wisdom intuited this was his reason for life—what he had been placed here in this world for. Unbeknownst to him, that day had arrived.

The road from the downs to Penmellyn was about four miles. The grey morning clouds had disappeared, and the day was turning out bright with a clear, soft breeze. Alex, not so much afraid now that he knew this was all a dream, strode out with arms swinging, eager to awaken so he might tell his friend Aidan of his idiotic dream.

He took note of the scenery as he passed by along his way down to the village. He realised that if it were not for the fact that he was following the coastline, he would not have a clue where he was! At one point, he passed a man travelling the track in the opposite direction.

Hello, cried Alex. Am I on the right track to Penmellyn?

The man was dressed in pantomime clothes; he wore a long, knee-length, sleeved woollen tunic that was belted at the waist with a length of braided woollen-like fibres, and hanging from the front clasp were beads roughly hewn of metal. His lank hair hung past his shoulders, his pale eyes darting around in what Alex thought looked to be real fear.

Strange, thought Alex, very strange.

As the man passed him by without speaking, Alex turned around to watch the receding figure who, he saw, was also turning around and taking furtive glances