Now, you all know that my brothers and I grew up in a household where mentally challenged people were considered "God's special ones". My mom worked (still works) at Michener Centre, so of course she was (and is) very sensitive about how they are viewed and treated by others. In our household, the word "retarded" was an absolute no-no, considered WORSE than the other swear words. In fact, at a slumber party one time one of my friends stupidly used that word, even after I'd warned everyone about using derogatory words like that, and my mom nicely gave that kid a lecture ('nicely' because I could tell she wanted to smack her, haha).
So all my life, I've thought of mentally challenged people differently than most people, and Down Syndromes were no different. But this story I read gave me an even more different viewpoint.
The story (Dark Seduction by Kathleen Korbel) was about Sorcha, the daughter of Queen Mab, queen of the fairies. She was sent to our world to retrieve a special stone and in the process fell in love with a man, Harry. The stone was reported to have been last seen in the possession of this family, so Sorcha spent her time on our side at Harry's castle (he lived in Ireland, of course), getting to know his family, etc. Harry's niece, Lilly, had Down Syndrome. Here is the excerpt from Sorcha's first meeting with her.
"'Lo!" Lilly called, leaning toward Sorcha. "'Lo! 'Lo!"
Harry stiffened. Sorcha caught sight of the little girl in his arms and her eyes went soft.
"Well, and what a great honor this ," she said, stepping closer. "Would you greet this unworthy soul?"
Fury hit Harry like a blast. "Don't you dare," he snapped. "Lilly isn't up to your nonsense."
"Ah, you think I'm after insulting your kin again, don't you, Harry Wyatt?" she asked, reaching out her arms for Lilly.
Lilly, of course, went right into them.
"Lilly has--"
"You call it Down syndrome," Sorcha said softly, wrapping her arms around Lilly. "I know. And you think I would hurt a child who is so precious to the fair folk?"
"Precious?" Phyl asked, her voice small. [Phyl is Lilly's mother]
Sorcha's smile was pure sunlight. "Sure, what do we of the fair folk revere more than pure joy? And where could you find another mortal who could never lose their joy? These cherished ones are the only children who will never grow too old to see us. And they are welcome as revered friends in the land of faerie."
Harry opened his mouth, certain he had something scathing to say. He couldn't get it past the sudden inexplicable lump in his throat. Alongside him, Phyl actually had tears in her eyes. As for Lilly, she'd caught Sorcha's face between her pudgy little hands and kissed her on her nose.
"'Lo, fairy!" she cried.
Harry's heart damn near stopped beating entirely.
"Hello, my cherished friend," Sorcha said, returning the kiss for another bright laugh from Lilly. "And what is your name?"
"Lilly!" she crowed, although no one but the family could interpret it, because of all the L's she still had trouble with.
No one except Sorcha, evidently. "Lilly," she repeated, nodding. "Ah, that's brilliant, isn't it? A lovely flower in a beautiful garden. Are you a flower, my Lilly?"
Lilly preened like a debutante. "Flow-er! Mama, I'm a flower!"
"But of course you are, my love," Phyl said. "Haven't I told you all along?"
Here's another excerpt, Sorcha is out at the stables (the horses are all enchanted with her, of course) and she's helping the older children ride the horses:
That was when Harry saw Lilly. There she was, standing at the fence, her little helmet dangling from her pudgy hands, looking as lost and yearning as he'd ever seen.
"Me," she whimpered, almost to herself. "Me."
There were tears on her face. Ah, damn it. He couldn't stand it. He took a step toward her, but Sorcha must have seen her.
"Ah, mo chroidhe," she crooned, swinging off the great bay and setting Bea down before her. "What is it, now?"
Lilly pointed her pudgy little hand toward where Theo trotted happily atop Starchild. "Ride," she said in a hopeless tone. "Lone."
Sorcha hopped the fence and sat right down at the little girl's feet. "You're wanting to ride, then?"
"She can't, Sorcha," Phyl said. "Not alone. It's too dangerous."
Sorcha looked up, saw Phyl, then saw Harry and bestowed a gleaming smile on him. "Ah, well, that might not be true," she disagreed. "Has she been atop one of the ladies yet?"
"Of course not," Harry said. "Not without one of us holding on to her. She doesn't have the fine motor coordination. She'll never--"
Sorcha waved him off and settled the helmet on Lilly's head. "It's just a matter of asking, Harry Wyatt."
And she walked Lilly to where Starchaser stood patiently waiting by the side of the fence.
"Now then, mo stoir," Sorcha said, buckling the helmet on and lifting the little girl into her arms. "What do you say to this fine, gracious lady?"
Harry knew he should interfere, but he couldn't seem to move. Next to him, Phyl grabbed hold of his sleeve. "Harry..."
"Please," Lilly said in a piping voice, her little hand flat against Chaser's dark gray muzzle. "Carry me."
The horse actually lifted her head, as if considering the little girl.
"Ogbheann," Sorcha crooned with a regal dip of her head, "I ask your favor for this wee sprite here. You see the great heart of her, the pure spirit of her. I give you the greatest honor a fairy can, the chance to guard one of the cherished ones. Will you carry her, then, with all the care you would your queen?"
The horse held still. Everyone in the yard held still, except Lilly, who chortled as she ran her hand down the horse's nose. Then, unbelievably, Chaser bowed her head, as if in obeisance. Before Harry could protest, Sorcha had Lilly on the horse's bare back and was wrapping her pudgy little hands on the filly's mane.
"Now then, mo aoibheann," she was saying to the little girl, "you hold on here, and your lovely friend will do the rest. All right?"
Lilly nodded enthusiastically and Sorcha let go.
"No!" Phyl cried, and started running.
Harry followed right behind. But before they could reach the fence, Chaser set off in the most amazing stately trot he'd ever seen. She moved over the ground as if gliding on ice. Lilly, her little legs sticking almost straight out, held on to Chaser's mane as if she'd done it her whole life, and rode her like a rocking horse.
"Get her off, Harry," Phyl insisted. "She'll fall."
"Ah, no," Sorcha said, walking over. "I swear an oath, that as long as it's your Starchaser who has her, she'll be perfectly safe. Sure, a fairy horse would rather die than harm a cherished one."
"She is not a bloody fairy horse!" Harry said, trying to step past.
Sorcha took hold of his sleeve. Harry spun on her, ready to fight. Then he heard it, and his heart tumbled right over. Lilly, who just moments ago had been standing alone, left behind by what everybody but she could accomplish, what she ached to do, called to him.
"Ha--rry!" she cried, her little voice shrill with delight. "I ride! I ride!"
And then she was laughing. The pure, sweet notes of it skipped through the air like a melody. The horses stopped, each one. Stable boys stepped outside to see and smile. Somehow Harry knew that even his grandmother had heard from her room.
"Yes, my piglet!" Harry called back, his voice rough. "You ride!"
She rode all alone, and she was so happy the sun shone. And seeing that, Harry suddenly wasn't sure what he'd thought could have been dangerous. Chaser literally floated across the ground, carrying that little girl like a precious gift on a cushion, and Lilly, perched motionless atop her, absolutely gleamed.
"Oh...my...God, Harry," Phyl whispered.
"Mama!" Lilly cried out. "See me!"
Phyl was in tears. "Yes, my love. Yes!"
Skip forward a few paragraphs...
"Ah, Harry," Sorcha said with a beaming smile, "I know Saoirce is one of your most lovely horses, but you see, don't you, that she's Lilly's horse?"
"Saoirce?" Phyl asked.
"Her real name, so. Her fairy name. It means Freedom."
Harry was nodding, wiping tears from his own cheeks. "Lilly!" he called. "How do you like your very own horse?"
At his words, Chaser came to a fluid stop right in front of him and waited as the little girl carefully unwrapped a hand and patted her. "Mine!" she crowed.
"Indeed," Harry assured her. "All yours. Saoirce doesn't mind?"
He knew Phyl was staring at him as if his hair was afire. He didn't care. He couldn't think of anything he'd accomplished in his life as satisfying as this.
"Saoirce says it would be her great honor," Sorcha said.
As if in emphasis, Chaser--Saoirce--carefully bent a knee and lowered her head, as if paying homage.
"Then Lilly's horse she is."
And lastly, an excerpt from the end of the book... (I don't know why there's suddenly huge gaps between each line, I did something while typing I guess, that changed line space-age.)
Harry couldn't think. Suddenly the rock was heavy in his hands. Impossibly large, if it was, in fact, a diamond.
"And she has a few more, as well," Sorcha said. "She doesn't want the cherished one to ever find herself in need, Harry. I'm thinking she found the way to do it."
"Lilly isn't the only cherished one, Sorcha."
"Oh, aye, that we know. But she's crossed the world of fairy, and when that happens, she becomes a thread in our weave. We are obliged to protect her."
As if to punctuate Sorcha's words, the queen was even then standing to raise a hand to Lilly's horse, who was literally kneeling before her.
"I honor you, my lovely Soairce," the queen proclaimed, "and make official my daughter's choice of you as guardian for this cherished one. Your name will be linked to hers in the rolls of honor."
Harry was sure the horse shivered. She bent her head to receive the queen's benediction, and Lilly laughed in pure delight. Harry looked back at the glittering egg in his hand. "Good sweet God," he breathed. The thing had to be worth millions.
1 comment:
I really need to read that book, Sax.
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