Read Online The Secret of Kells by Eithne Massey - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Eithne Massey
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surrounded by the green leaves of summer, and he could hear Aisling whispering to him:
‘Look at the leaves, Brendan, look at how the green shoots fight their way through the rock. The leaves are so weak, Brendan and the rock is sohard. But the flowers and the leaves come back every year, even through the stone. They are the strong ones … they come back. You can be as strong as a leaf, as brave as a blade of grass. You must turn the darkness into light!’
And then, most surprisingly of all, he was in the Cellach’s study and he could hear the Abbot’s voice:
‘You know there will come a day when it will be up to you, Brendan, to do what has to be done. There will be no one else to do it.’
He took hold of those three things: the power of the imagination and the hope of the forest and the strength that comes to those who take up the hopeless task because there is no one else to do it. And he found that he was not unarmed after all. He began to do the only thing he could think of doing; he began to draw.
Frantically, as Crom Cruach writhed and coiled, Brendan took the chalk and drew lines and circles around the serpent, caging it in. With each line he drew, the monster became more and more enraged. Brendan turned and twisted, wriggling as the serpent tried to wrap its coils tighter aroundhis body. He realised that he could look the monster in the eye, the shining crystal that shone out in the midst of all the darkness of the cave.
As Brendan twisted and turned the chalk flew out of his hand and fell down into the black space. It was then Brendan discovered he had been pulled so close to the shining eye that he could reach up and grab it. He took the monster’s eye with both his hands, forcing his fingers into the slime under the lids. The evil head started to fling itself backwards and forwards, trying to escape Brendan’s grip. It was doing its best to strike him with its poisoned tongue. Brendan held on. He held on and pulled as hard as he could.
The monster flung him backwards and forwards with all the power of its body. It was hissing so that great clouds of foul black steam came from its mouth. Brendan knew that he could not keep his grip any longer. But that he had to. He could feel the eye burning his hands as he pulled, as if it were made of fire. In spite of the pain and the terror that gripped him, he did not let go.
As the eye came loose, the monster writhed in agony, coiling itself tighter around Brendan, seeking to crush his bones. It howled a fearful noise that made the rock walls of the cave shudder. And finally, with a roar of pain from the serpent and of shock from Brendan, the eye came out from the socket. Red gore dripped and hissed as it dropped into Brendan’s arms, but the eye itself was as hard and bright as a diamond.
Brendan had done it. He had pulled the eye from the monster’s head.
He fell back, watching in horror as the monster twisted madly. Blind now, it groped in the darkness with its head, trying to find Brendan so that it could catch him in its mouth. But as Brendan watched, the serpent, maddened with pain and rage, caught up its own tail and began to swallow itself, mistaking its own flesh for that of Brendan’s. And so it swallowed frantically and continued to swallow and swallow, until it finally stopped. There was nothing left of Crom Cruach except a green circle of scales and mouth. The monster had destroyed itself. Brendan blacked out.
When he came to, he was at the mouth of the cave. Brendan wondered if he had simply dreamedthe terrible battle. And yet the crystal was in his hand, caught in the blaze of dawn sunlight that lit up the clearing and made it a place of beauty rather than horror. The black leaves had gone from the trees. The grass of the clearing was covered in small white flowers.
‘Aisling!’ Brendan called anxiously, looking around him in an attempt to find her. There was no sign of the little girl. But there was a sign from her. Where Aisling
‘Look at the leaves, Brendan, look at how the green shoots fight their way through the rock. The leaves are so weak, Brendan and the rock is sohard. But the flowers and the leaves come back every year, even through the stone. They are the strong ones … they come back. You can be as strong as a leaf, as brave as a blade of grass. You must turn the darkness into light!’
And then, most surprisingly of all, he was in the Cellach’s study and he could hear the Abbot’s voice:
‘You know there will come a day when it will be up to you, Brendan, to do what has to be done. There will be no one else to do it.’
He took hold of those three things: the power of the imagination and the hope of the forest and the strength that comes to those who take up the hopeless task because there is no one else to do it. And he found that he was not unarmed after all. He began to do the only thing he could think of doing; he began to draw.
Frantically, as Crom Cruach writhed and coiled, Brendan took the chalk and drew lines and circles around the serpent, caging it in. With each line he drew, the monster became more and more enraged. Brendan turned and twisted, wriggling as the serpent tried to wrap its coils tighter aroundhis body. He realised that he could look the monster in the eye, the shining crystal that shone out in the midst of all the darkness of the cave.
As Brendan twisted and turned the chalk flew out of his hand and fell down into the black space. It was then Brendan discovered he had been pulled so close to the shining eye that he could reach up and grab it. He took the monster’s eye with both his hands, forcing his fingers into the slime under the lids. The evil head started to fling itself backwards and forwards, trying to escape Brendan’s grip. It was doing its best to strike him with its poisoned tongue. Brendan held on. He held on and pulled as hard as he could.
The monster flung him backwards and forwards with all the power of its body. It was hissing so that great clouds of foul black steam came from its mouth. Brendan knew that he could not keep his grip any longer. But that he had to. He could feel the eye burning his hands as he pulled, as if it were made of fire. In spite of the pain and the terror that gripped him, he did not let go.
As the eye came loose, the monster writhed in agony, coiling itself tighter around Brendan, seeking to crush his bones. It howled a fearful noise that made the rock walls of the cave shudder. And finally, with a roar of pain from the serpent and of shock from Brendan, the eye came out from the socket. Red gore dripped and hissed as it dropped into Brendan’s arms, but the eye itself was as hard and bright as a diamond.
Brendan had done it. He had pulled the eye from the monster’s head.
He fell back, watching in horror as the monster twisted madly. Blind now, it groped in the darkness with its head, trying to find Brendan so that it could catch him in its mouth. But as Brendan watched, the serpent, maddened with pain and rage, caught up its own tail and began to swallow itself, mistaking its own flesh for that of Brendan’s. And so it swallowed frantically and continued to swallow and swallow, until it finally stopped. There was nothing left of Crom Cruach except a green circle of scales and mouth. The monster had destroyed itself. Brendan blacked out.
When he came to, he was at the mouth of the cave. Brendan wondered if he had simply dreamedthe terrible battle. And yet the crystal was in his hand, caught in the blaze of dawn sunlight that lit up the clearing and made it a place of beauty rather than horror. The black leaves had gone from the trees. The grass of the clearing was covered in small white flowers.
‘Aisling!’ Brendan called anxiously, looking around him in an attempt to find her. There was no sign of the little girl. But there was a sign from her. Where Aisling
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