Cathal the King’S Magic Food

By Robert Collins

Cathal was king of Munster, and Fergal was king of Ulster, with an intense rivalry between them as both wanted to be high king. Fergals sister, Leah, fell in love with Cathal and sent him delicacies. Fergal summoned his wizard and ordered him to perform his mystical practices so that whoever eats them will never again have a days health for the rest of his life.

When the apples entered Cathals stomach, they turned into worms, but one large worm consumed all the others. From then on, Cathal was constantly ravenously hungry, and he ate the food belonging to everyone in his palace and in the areas he travelled through.
Ronan, a medical student, eventually realized the monster could be evicted by the same way he had entered it, by fasting and appealing to the power of the church. Ronan convinced the king to fast and give him apples based on religious numbers. One was for God, 3 was for the Trinity, 4 for the books of the gospels, 5 for the books of Moses, 8 for the beatitudes, 12 for the twelve apostles, 13 for Christ with the apostles.

Ronan eventually got Cathal to fast to save Ronans soul from damnation. The demon was eventually evicted by holding food up to Cathals mouth but refusing to let him eat it. The palace was set on fire, and the demon was destroyed within it. The demon appeared like a lizard swaying in Cathals mouth before eviction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Nov 6, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496995278

Robert Collins

Two people with different cultural backgrounds and ethnicities met at a European and Balkan music and dance ensemble named Koroyar and their lives became intertwined, combining their gifts to continue exploring life as an avenue of creative expression. Robert Collins has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, and has been an educator in the Los Angeles area for thirty years. He studied writing with Joan Oppenheimer in San Diego, with Cork Millner privately, and also in the Santa Barbara Writer's Conferences. Elizabeth Herrera Sabido, at the age of sixteen years, began working as a secretary at the Secretaria de Industria y Comercio in Mexico City where she was born, then she was an educator for twenty-six years, and a teacher of international dance for The Los Angeles Unified School District. She has also studied Traditional Chinese Medicine, and is a Reiki Master Teacher. Attracted by the Unknown, the Forces of the Universe, and the human psyche, during their lives they have studied several different philosophies. Elizabeth has been involved with various religions, Asian studies, and Gnosticism with SamaelAun Weor, and Robert has explored spiritual healing practices in Mexico, and studied with Carlos Castaneda's Cleargreen and Tensegrity. Elizabeth and Robert start their day at four-thirty in the morning. They enjoy playing volleyball and tennis, and in the afternoons play music, alternating between seven different instruments each. Their philosophy of Personal Evolution has led them to explore over 110 countries between the two of them such as Japan, Nepal, Egypt, Bosnia- Herzegovina, the Philippines, Turkey,Russia, etc.

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© 2014 Robert Collins. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/05/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-9526-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-9527-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014919264

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

About The Author

CHAPTER 1

A long time ago, a very long time ago, hundreds of years before any Dane placed his foot on the soil of Ireland, except with a manacle of iron on it, there was a handsome, young, noble king in Munster, and Cathal was his name, Cathal Finnegan. There wasn’t a man in Ireland as handsome as he. He was in excess of six feet in height and so well formed and proportioned accordingly that you would think if you saw him alone, that he was not even six feet at all. He was so strong that not one of the noble men of Munster could swivel his sword, or carry his spear to battle, or handle his axe. In wrestling there wasn’t a man who could shift his feet from the ground, and furthermore, in running, or in jumping, or in dancing, he was as light on his feet as a hound or a deer. He was strong in battle, wise in advice, merry in company.

His palace was at Cashel in Munster. There was wealth and plenty in Munster and on Munstermen during his time, until a terrible misfortune befell him. While Cathal was king of Munster there was a king in Ulster, living in Aileach to the North, and Fergal Dunne was his name. There was jealousy and ill feeling between both provinces and both kings, to see whether Cathal or Fergal would become the high king of Ireland.

There were two old hags, an Ulster hag and a Munster hag, who were frequently inciting both kings on. The northern hag used to say ‘the destroyer of Munster, the destroyer of Munster is Fergal Dunne, the High king of Ireland. From the Skelligs of legend, to Cashel of the crowds, calf or cow he will not leave."

The southern hag, in answering the Northern hag used to say, Let him remain in the north, let him remain in the north. Cathal is visiting with thousands. If he should meet Fergal on his way to Aileach in battle, forever he will never return.

Fergal had a sister, Leah Dunne, and there wasn’t in Ireland a more beautiful young woman. Cathal heard accounts of her beauty, and he fell in love with her, although he had never seen her. She heard of the nobility and handsomeness and strength of Cathal and she fell in love with him, although she had never seen him. Such was the situation between them, and everyone who went north from Munster to Aileach, the young woman questioned them until she got exact knowledge from them on Cathal’s life and health, and how he looked.

In the same way when anyone came south from Ulster to Cashel in Munster the king of Cashel questioned them until he got an exact account of how the young beautiful woman was, and how she looked. It wasn’t long until the young woman began to send fruit and apples, and other such dainties, from Aileach south to Cashel, to Cathal, illustrating the extent of her love for him.

It wasn’t long until Fergal heard the dainties were being sent to Cashel. He didn’t like it at all. He sent word to his sister that he wished to talk to her.

Is it true, what I hear, he said, about you and about the king of Cashel? She didn’t speak.

Choose one of two things, he said. Tell me the truth and you will have my blessing, or deny the truth and you will have my curse upon you" She was scared lest the king’s curse befall her, and she told him the truth.

When will you be sending your next message to Cashel? he said.

She told him.

Send to me first the things you will send south to Cashel.

She gave him the apples and the fruit and the dainties which she intended sending south to Cathal.

Leave them here, he said. She left them. He called his wizard. He came.

Perform your mystical practices on these, so that whosoever eats them will never again have a day’s health for the rest of his life.

That is evil, said the wizard. I would not like to do that to anyone.

I will reward you well for it, said Fergal.

The wizard did what he was asked. Fergal called a messenger and he told him to bring the apples and other dainties south to Cashel in Munster and to give them to Cathal to eat.

And, he said tell Cathal that they have come from Leah herself and it is to illustrate the amount of her love for him that she has sent them, and it would give her great mental satisfaction, if you were able to tell her, that you saw Cathal eating them with your own eyes.

The messenger departed and he brought with him the fruit and the other dainties, and he arrived at Cashel. It wasn’t long until he had a chance to talk to Cathal. He told him his story and he showed him the apples and dainties. He told him what love Leah had for him, and how happy she would be when she would be told that Cathal liked the apples and the other sweets.

And she told me Your Highness, he said, not to depart, if possible until I had seen you eating them with my own eyes

That will not delay you too long, my son, said Cathal. Cathal began to eat the apples and he devoured them. As soon as Cathal had eaten the apples the messenger travelled the roads of Ireland as fast as he possibly could. When the apples and the fruits entered Cathal’s stomach they turned into worms in his body and those worms were demons from hell. There was one large demon among them, and he swallowed all the others. Then he swallowed all the food and drink in Cathal’s stomach. A great hunger and thirst came over Cathal immediately. He began eating and drinking, but eating and drinking would not remove the hunger and thirst. That was how the demon gluttony, the Demon Food Monster came to be in the stomach of Cathal Finnegan, the king of Cashel.

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CHAPTER 2

Then Cathal began to grab plates from all sides of the table and to eat all the apples on them with ravenous voracity. All those assembled were amazed, but no one pretended anything. They gave him all the other plates as fast as he could finish them.

It wasn’t long until the other foods began arriving. In the same way that Cathal had devoured the apples he equally devoured the other foods, so that those present were scared that he would burst. There wasn’t the slightest indication, however, that he would. No matter what amount he consumed he was as thin as if he had been completely fasting for two days. Before the dinner was half over, more food had to be prepared.

When all the food in the palace had been prepared and placed on the table and eaten, Cathal was still hungry, and those assembled there were quite hungry, because Cathal only left them a small amount of food. But whatever hunger was on them, when all the food was consumed they had to stop.

It was the same story with the wine and the beer, and with all the other types of drinks which were brought to the table. Cathal scarcely allowed anyone a drink. While one hand used to hold one goblet while he was drinking from it, the other hand was stretched out grabbing hold of another goblet, and he didn’t mind from whom he was taking the goblet. The company thought that he would be drunk instantly, and that then, perhaps, they would get a chance to drink a drop themselves, but they were wasting their time if they expected anything of the sort.

Cathal was drinking and drinking, but there wasn’t the slightest sign of drunkenness appearing on him, no more than if he was swallowing milk. It wasn’t long until there was an end to the supply of drink, just as there had been an end to the supply of food, and the thirst had not been removed from Cathal, no more than the hunger had been, and as regards the company, if people ever had been hungry after the thanksgiving after the meals they certainly were.

There was something worse than hunger on them, however, after thanksgiving. They were full of sadness and sorrow. Something terrible had happened to the king, and what could they do? Who would be their leader to advise them henceforth? Who would order them in battle when the enemy would come?

It wouldn’t be too long according to them, when the enemy would come, when it would be heard throughout Ireland that the king of Cashel was in the position he was in. They took advice as to what they should do. That was the sad advice. That was the advice without knowledge. No one knew what was the proper thing to do, as no one knew, what the cause of the terrible misfortune was. They emerged from the discussion as blind as when they entered it. Each leader went home to his own place to