Chapter 16: Modron and Miracles

The gathering winds marked the edge of a huge snowstorm that moved slowly from Ohio into Indiana. During the dark hours before dawn, the storm swiftly dumped half a foot of powdery snow on the houses, lawns, and streets of Hawthorne. With another eight to ten inches forecast by late-afternoon, school was canceled for the day. Upon waking and learning of their good fortune, the Hawthorne and Mitchell children eagerly looked forward to enjoying a day spent building snowmen, throwing snowballs, and sledding down the gentle slopes of a nearby hill.

Even more than he wanted to enjoy the snow, Gerallt wanted to privately thank Matt again for everything he'd done to prove their innocence. So shortly after breakfast, he bundled up and headed next door to his friend's house.

"Isn't it great?" Matt asked, as he led Gerallt into his room. "Back in Oregon, we always had to go up into the Coastal Range to see this much snow."

"Ayuh, it's nice," Gerallt agreed, although he'd often seen similar snowfalls from the nor'easters that had blown through Maine. "You know, Matt, with everythin' that happened yesterday, I nevah got a chance tah really thank you foah the fantastic way you captured Colin, Clayton, and Dylan's confession. I'd nevah have been able tah wire an alarm clock tah a tape recordah like you did."

"Aw, Gerallt, it wasn't really that hard. For as long as I can remember, I've been taking things apart to see how they worked. Most of the time, I can even put them back together again. We were just lucky that I had an old alarm clock and a microcassette recorder to work with. If I only had the new ones with circuit boards instead of mechanical parts, I don't think I could have done it."

"Well, anyway, I really wanted tah thank you. I'd have gone crazy if I'd had tah remain in my room foah the whole month."

"That's okay, Gerallt. Besides, you were the one that gave me the idea to secretly record their conversations. So, is everything back to normal at home?"

"Even bettah. Mothah totally trusts me now. And last night was the first time I can remembah seein' her smile since Fathah died. I think she likes your fathah."

"I think Dad likes her, too. Did you notice the way they both kept glancing at each other when they thought no one was looking? And it's the first time I've seen him ignore his work since we got here."

Matt paused, suddenly remembering what Gerallt had said when they were trying to figure out how to trick Colin, Clayton, and Dylan into confessing. "So, did your mom ever give you back whatever it was that she confiscated from you?"

"Yes..." Gerallt replied warily.

"So, what was it?"

"I'm sorry, Matt, but it's a secret. I can't tell you."

"Well, so is what I did to the alarm clock and tape recorder, not to mention the help we got from Tina and Sarah," Matt said, frustrated and beginning to become angry. "The whole last few days have been full of secrets, and now you're trying to tell me that you don't think I can keep a secret?"

"No, it's not that. You just don't know what you'ah askin' me tah do. This is a lot more than just a secret between friends. It's even more than a Hawthorne family secret. You're asking me tah go against our customs, tah break a code of secrecy that's been drilled intah me every day for as long as I can remembah."

"Gerallt, either you trust me, or you don't," Matt said. Then he smiled. "Besides, now you have to tell me. You can't give something that kind of a buildup and then just leave me hanging. Come on. Show me."

Gerallt hesitated and then made his decision. "I guess you've earned that right given everythin' you did tah get it back for me." He undid the top button of his shirt and pulled out an amulet that was securely attached to a sturdy silver chain around his neck. About two inches across and a quarter inch thick, it was a heavy golden disk engraved with strange symbols around a large, green gemstone at its center. "This is my gift from the Goddess. My amulet is what enabled me tah break the chair and control the seagulls."

"Whoa," Matt whispered. After stepping forward for a closer look, the look of awe on his face was replaced by one of skepticism. "Don't get me wrong. I know you're not lying, but you've got to prove that it's real. You have to show me some honest-to-goodness magic, something that's obviously supernatural and can't be confused with some weird coincidence."

Gerallt thought about it for a few seconds before replying, "Okay, Matt, but remembah. I'm dependin' on you. You've got tah keep it secret and nevah tell anyone. And I mean nevah, no matter what."

"I promise." Matt walked over to his bedroom door and locked it. "Besides, who would ever believe me? Heck, I won't believe it until I see it with my own eyes."

"Okay, Matt. So, what would convince you?"

"How about levitation? Can you make something of mine float right in front of my eyes?"

"Sure. That's one of the easiest things I can do. What do you want tah see float?"

Matt reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin. "How about this?"

Gerallt placed his thumb on the green gemstone in the amulet's center and intoned "Magna Dea, fac, quaesumus, ut nummus ascendat!" The coin slowly rose from Matt's hand until it hung suspended in the air a foot in front of his eyes.

"Whoa!" Matt said with a mixture of disbelief and amazement on his face. "Can I touch it?"

"Sure, but be careful. It'll get pretty warm if I keep it floatin' foah very long."

Matt reached up and gently touched the coin. "Hey, you're right. It's warm." He paused for a second. "What language was that? It sounds a little like Italian."

"Latin. Now, look at this. Magna Dea, fac, quaesumus, ut nummus verset!" Slowly at first, the coin started to spin, twirling faster and faster until both sides merged into a blur. Matt could feel warm air from the coin blowing on his face. "Magna Dea, fac, quaesumus, ut nummus descendant!" The coin dropped to the floor, bounced once, before rolling under Matt's bed.

"That's amazing! So, how did you do it?"

"You don't understand. I didn't do it; the Goddess did."

"No. I'm serious. How did you do it?"

"I told you, Matt. I didn't do it. Even the amulet didn't do it. The goddess Modron did. Magic is really just another word for miracle."

"Like in the Bible kind of miracle?" Matt asked incredulously.

"I suppose so. Hard tellin' if what's written in the Christian's Bible really happened. All I know is that the Goddess is real because her gifts are real and her miracles are real. You just saw three of them yourself."

"But... But how does it work?"

"You saw how it works. When I hold one of Modron's sacred gifts, and I properly say one of her prayahs usin' the old language, the Goddess will answer my prayah. There are quite a few prayahs, but Mothah hasn't taught me all of them yet. But you have tah say it right. Your prayah will only be answered if the amulet accepts you, and you're touchin' it with your bare skin."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing," Matt said, shaking his head in disbelief. "It just doesn't make any sense. There has got to be some rational explanation; this violates everything I've ever learned in science class."

"So, how would you explain what you just saw?"

"I don't know. But I do know one thing. You have to tell me more about the amulet and the goddess... What did you call her?"

"Modron." Gerallt paused, nervously realizing that he'd already said too much, even though he really wanted to say more. "What I am about tah tell you is somethin' that we ah nevah permitted to share with outsidahs. If I am going tah say any more, then you have tah absolutely sweah that you won't breathe a single word of it tah anyone. You can't tell youah fathah, youah sistah, and foah the love of the Goddess, not anyone in my family. If the wrong person finds out, I could be shunned, cast out, or worse."

Although Matt wasn't sure exactly what being shunned or cast out meant, he could clearly see that Gerallt was telling the truth. His friend was obviously scared and really believed every word that he said. "Okay, I swear," Matt said solemnly.

"Not good enough. Not for this. You can't just sweah on nothin'. You have tah sweah on somethin', on somethin' important, on the most important thing that you can."

Matt thought for several seconds before answering. "I swear on the memory of my mother."

Gerallt looked closely at Matt, searching for any hint of hesitation or wavering. He saw none. "Okay, Matt, I'm going tah trust you. Some of what I'm going tah tell you is history, and you can probably find it in a book. But most of what I am about tah share with you is written in the Holy Book of the Goddess and has been passed down from generation tah generation." Gerallt told Matt the story of his people.

"My ancestors were Celts who lived in the Roman province of Britannia during the reign of the Roman Emperor Trajan. They lived in a small village in what is now Wales in the southwestern part of the United Kingdom. Like their ancestors befoah them, they worshiped the many Celtic gods and goddesses: Aeron, the god of battle; Belenus, the god of healing; Brigit, the goddess of fire; and Cernunnos, the horned god of fertility and wealth. But most importantly, they also worshiped Modron, the great mother goddess."

Gerallt briefly closed his eyes. When he opened them, he began to speak as if quoting word-for-word a story that he had heard countless times as a young child.

"It began durin' the summah of Trajan's ninth year as Emperor, or what is now known as 107 AD. Late one night, immense flashes of lightnin' and the great boomin' sound of rollin' thundah woke the people in the village. They went outside expecting tah see mighty Taranis, the god of thundah, wield his weapons across the clouds, but the moonless sky was clear and covered with stars. Tah their amazement, the people saw a Fae light in the woods. Most of them were frightened of the Fair Folk and ran back intah their huts tah hide. But a few of the bravest men and women gathered up their courage and went intah the dark forest hopin' tah see the fairies dance and sing. They followed the lights, but they found none of the Fair Folk when they reached the sacred oak grove on the shores of the nearby lake. Instead, they saw a beautiful woman whose gown glowed softly in the night as if woven from moonbeams and starlight.

"The Great Goddess spoke to them saying, I am Modron, and I have heard your prayahs. You who are brave shall be my druidae, and I shall teach you my secrets and the rituals you must perform for me. You shall bring me offerings as I command, and I shall give you sacred tokens of my power and protection. These gifts shall enable you tah perform miracles in my name.

"And so it was as the Goddess said. The druids and druidesses made Modron offerings of the plants and animals she desired and did her biddin' in all things. In return, the Goddess gave them sacred wands and amulets, and she taught them the propah ways tah pray so that she would answer theah prayahs. The villagahs loved and worshiped the Goddess who cured them when they were sick, granted them good harvests, and protected them from outsidahs. She even saved them from some of the worst abuses of the Romans. The small village prospered and grew.

"Thus, it continued for many years until one fateful day in the year 212. The Goddess announced tah her druidae that the time had come for her tah return tah the other gods and goddesses in their eternal home in the Otherworld. She charged them tah guard her secrets, follow her rituals, and keep her sacred gifts safe, passing them down from mothah tah daughtah and from fathah to son until the day she would return. That night, she led her druids and druidesses back tah her sacred grove where she had first appeared. She said goodbye, and those who accompanied her fell instantly intah a deep and dreamless sleep. When they awoke, the Goddess was gone.

"After Modron left, life continued for a while almost as it had befoah. The druidae made their offerings and performed the rituals. They prayed to the Goddess with their wands and amulets, and the Goddess answered theah prayahs just as befoah.

"But all was not like it was befoah. Often, when the children grew sick, the druidae could not cure them. Sometimes the harvests failed, and the people endured great hungah. The villagahs prayed, but most of their prayahs went unanswered. The people who had worshiped the Goddess felt abandoned and grew afraid.

"Then, in the year 312, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, and worship of the pagan Celtic gods and goddesses was outlawed. Adopting the new faith, the people turned against Modron's druids and druidesses whom they had grown tah envy and feah because of their 'magical' powers. Finally, in the year 330, a new Christian priest came to the village and roused the people's angah against the old gods. The villagers cut down the oak trees in the sacred grove and burned the houses of Modron's followahs, forcing them to flee for theah lives.

"My ancestors were driven intah hiding, forced intah keepin' their deepest beliefs and sacred relics a secret from all around them. Evah since that day, we have remained apart from othah people, livin' in our own villages so that we could practice our faith in secret. For hundreds of years, we have hidden our true beliefs and sacred relics, and pretended to be good Christians around outsidahs to avoid bein' persecuted as witches."

Gerallt paused, remembering his parent's countless warnings to stay away from outsiders and never ever do anything that might divulge his people's existence. For centuries, these had been their two most unbreakable commandments. Yet, that was exactly what Gerallt had just done. He had placed his safety, the very safety of his people, in the hands of his best friend.

"Matt, outsidahs tortured several of my ancestors intah confessing they were witches before killing them. Some were drowned, some were hanged, and many were burned at the stake. We have good reasons for secrecy and will not speak openly or perform our rituals in front of outsidahs. We have suffered too many years of terrah because of it. That's why we live apart. We have grown self-reliant, able tah grow our own food and make our own clothes. Like the Amish and Mennonites, we druidae have learned tah live in the modern world but remain apart from it."

"Dru-ee-deh?" Matt asked, trying to pronounce the strange word.

Gerallt nodded. "I have shown you what only a very few outsidahs have ever seen, and now you know my family's greatest secret. Ahnt Vivianne, Mothah, and Gwyneth are druidesses. I am a druid, and Gareth and will be a druid when he comes of age. This amulet is one of the sacred gifts that the Goddess gave tah our ancestors nearly 2,000 years ago."

"Wow!" Matt said, staring at the amulet with its shiny gemstone surrounded by the ring of strange symbols. He remembered an old Indian-head penny that his grandfather had once shown him. Over the years, it had been worn down to the point where he could barely read the year the coin was minted or make out the individual feathers of the Indian's war bonnet. But the gold encircling the large green gem was smooth and shiny with no scratches obscuring the amulet's strange markings. "Hey, your amulet looks brand new."

"But it is. The metal doesn't tarnish and looks like gold, but it's extremely hahd and almost impossible tah scratch. Even so, our amulets and wands ah sacred gifts from the Goddess. That's why we take such good care of them." Gerallt paused to return the amulet to its hiding place beneath his shirt."

"So, what can you pray for? Can you pray for anything?'

"I know how tah pray for lots of things, but the amulet does have its limitations. Although my prayahs can float a coin, they can't lift a cah. And we can't change the original set of prayahs the Goddess gave us or add any new ones."

"Well," Matt said, "You've given me a heck of a lot to think about. You haven't convinced me that a Celtic goddess is answering your prayers, but you have proven that whatever is happening, it's real, and that you can actually control it. And you know what?"

"What?"

"I think we should definitely give Colin, Clayton, and Dylan a welcome back party when they return to school next week."

"Me, too," Gerallt agreed. "So, what do you have in mind?"