THE SECRETS OF THE BOGGY MARSH
THE ADVENTURES OF PADDY AND SEAMUS PART 1
Copyright 2013 Barry Dunn
Cover art and character concept art by
David Brown from David Brown Airbrushing & Design
To find out more about this book and its characters please visit
https://www.paddyandseamus.com
This book is dedicated to my wife and children,
Kathryn Dunn,
James Dunn,
Bayley Dunn.
Thanks Kath for putting up with my moments of vagueness, as I visit my imaginary world and friends and for encouraging me to write it all down.
And thanks to James and Bayley for providing the inspiration to make up stories to make you laugh and gasp.
Thanks also to true friends Chris and Karen Robertson, who read the book and had the courage to provide their friend the tough love and honest feedback that I needed to hear.
Thanks must also go to new friends and creative collaborators,
David Brown, illustrator and visual consultant,
Stephen Thompson, editor.
David, thank you for the beautiful book covers and character illustrations.
Stephen, thank you for your words of wisdom, humor and guidance. I love getting your edits back and working through them.
Table of Contents
Pronunciation guide for names and places
Excerpt from the Aelfin Oracles
Chapter 1: Damanta Mallaithe
Chapter 2: Two Months Later
Chapter 3: The Rainbow
Chapter 4: The Guide
Chapter 5: Betrayed
Chapter 6: Hag Head
Chapter 7: The Task
Chapter 8: The Guardian
Chapter 9: The Scream
Chapter 10: Escape?
Chapter 11: Secrets Revealed
Chapter 12: Two from One
Chapter 13: The Hunt
Chapter 14: The Race for Home
Chapter 15: Crossing the Line
Chapter 16: Home
Chapter 17: Flash Back: What really happened in Boggy Marsh
Chapter 18: The Next Day
Chapter 19: A Bit of History – Part 1
Pronunciation guide for names and places
Name Phonetic pronunciation
Siocháin she-a-kawn
Aelf eye-ilf
Aelfin eye-il-fin
Paddy pad-dee
Seamus shay-mus
Mody mow-dee
Damanta Mallaithe da-man-ta mall-eye-th
Bajii bah-gee
Excerpt from the Aelfin Oracles
Two from one shall come
With little grace
With little favour
Three lives lost
Will be returned
By unknowing saviors
As evil’s hand
Walks the land
And covets rebirth’s keys
Chance and luck
Will bow to them
To service nature’s pleas
When all seems won
And friends are gone
Beware, the end is near
The binding life
Will start to wane
And magic disappear
The She will call
And they will come
To lands in need of nurture
For all the peoples
Two from one shall come
To unlock the future
Chapter 1: Damanta Mallaithe
Paddy and Seamus walked at a steady pace through the fields of a place they didn't know. They had left the Great South Road that morning, choosing to cross the countryside rather than following the road.
The two boys had been travelling for months and had passed through many villages and small towns on their journey. The treatment they had received at each of these places had been the same. They had been allowed to stay for one night, before being encouraged to move along.
While growing up in their own village, they had often wondered why only their own people lived there and why there weren't other types of people living there too. What they had discovered, as they’d travelled, was that all villages and towns were like that. Each place allowed only people of the same race, breed or color to live there. Visitors and traders were welcome, but only for very short periods.
The boys walked up a gently sloping hill, but were stopped dead in their tracks when they saw what was on the other side. Where they had been walking, the land was covered with beautiful lush green grass and splendid trees, many of them bearing edible fruits. What they saw on the other side of the hill couldn't have been more different.
Before them, stretching into the distance as far as the eye could see, was a misty swamp. Blackened, sickly trees poked up through the mist in many places, but at no point could the actual ground be seen through the mist.
“That's odd,” Seamus said, taking in the view. “It's a beautiful summer’s day, but that swamp is still all misty and foggy. You would think the sun would have burnt off the mist by this time of day.”
Paddy shivered. “I don't like the look of that place, Seamus. I vote that we go around it.”
“Agreed,” Seamus said, with a nod. No matter how hard he looked, he couldn't see anything through the swirling mist.
The boys turned and walked along the ridgeline of the hill, keeping well away from the edge of the swamp. After another hour of walking, Paddy nudged Seamus, pointing away from the swamp at something he spied in the young, healthy trees below them.
“Is that a house down there?” Paddy asked.
“I think so,” Seamus replied. “Let's go down and see.”
The boys walked cautiously down the slope towards the house among the trees. They had learnt the hard way that not everyone welcomed visitors.
“So, what are youse blokes s’posed to be?” a voice said loudly, from behind them.
Paddy and Seamus turned quickly in surprise. They hadn't seen another person for days and they hadn't heard anyone coming up behind them.
Standing, leaning on a stout staff of dark polished wood, was a person of a type that neither Paddy nor Seamus had ever seen before. He was much taller than the boys, and looked to be strongly muscled. While his head was, what Paddy thought of as normal looking, the person's neck was covered with bright red hair. Paddy also realized that what he had first thought was checkered brown and blue clothing was, in fact, fur.
“We're Leprechauns,” Seamus answered.
“Youse don't look like no Leprechauns I ever heard tell of,” the person responded. “Aren't Leprechauns s’posed to be dressed in green suits and hats? And where are your beards? Every story I ever heard about Leprechauns always banged on about the beards.”
Paddy and Seamus shared a knowing look. They had experienced this sort of stereotyping before. For Leprechauns of their age they were slightly taller than most, yet they were both quite physically immature. Neither of the youngsters showed any sign of growing the beards that Leprechauns were famous for, and rather than being dressed in green suits, they were dressed in sensible Lincoln green shirts and mottled brown travelling trousers.
Common stories about Leprechauns typically describe them as dressed all in bright green suits and wearing green top hats. This amuses Leprechauns greatly, as they actually prefer shades of red and brown as a color for their clothing. Not knowing where the stories came from, but tickled with the idea of continuing the myth, Leprechauns would often choose to wear ‘the greens’ when dealing with strangers.
Paddy gave the stranger a friendly smile. “The green suits aren't practical for travelling. They're more of an 'about town' thing.”
“And we haven't started growing beards yet; we're still a bit young for that,” Seamus added.
The man ran a hand through his mullet-style hair, as he looked the boys over and considered what they had said. “Right-o. What's it you want ‘round here, then?”
“Is there a town or a village nearby?” Paddy asked, politely.
“We're looking for somewhere to stay for the night,” Seamus added. “Is there an inn or something like that around here?”
“There's a village, sure enough," the man replied slowly, “but there aint no inn.”
“Is there somewhere else we could stay the night? Do any of the villagers take in travelers, or allow them to sleep in barns, or the like?” Paddy asked.
“You'd have to be talking to the Respected Mother about that,” the man replied. “Glute's the only one who can say if youse can stay or not.”
“Very good. How do we find this respected Glute person?” Seamus asked.
The man chuckled in a way that made Paddy feel like they had just made a mistake of some sort. Closing his eyes for a moment, the man stood very still and seemed to be concentrating. Opening his eyes again, he said, “Wait here. Glute's on her way. She'll deal with you from here.”
“Thank you,” Paddy replied, uncertainly.
The man turned and walked away from the boys. “Keep those good manners working for you and youse will do ok,” he said, over his shoulder with a grin.
Seamus waited until the man had disappeared among the trees and then whispered to Paddy, “Was it just me, or did that seem weird to you?”
“Yeah, I wonder what this Glute is going to be like,” Paddy answered.
The boys didn't have to wait long to find out. As they turned to look back to where they had seen the house, a six-foot long slug slimed its way out of the trees, heading towards them. The sight of the approaching monster made Paddy’s and Seamus's eyes widen with fear.
“Please do not be alarmed,” a warm and motherly voice sounded in the boy's minds. “I am Glute and I oversee this village.”
The slug slimed to a stop in front of the boys, the upper part of her body rising to face them.
Paddy and Seamus had never seen a slug this size before. It was just like a normal slug only much, much bigger. Unlike normal slugs, this slug had a face and while it wasn’t hideously ugly, it was the type of face only a mother could love. The eyes were a watery, musty yellow and the mouth looked like it had been flattened by a Giant’s fist.
“Hello. My name is Seamus and this is Paddy,” Seamus said, remembering what the strange man had said about manners.
“There was a man here who said we needed to ask you if there was a place to stay in this village,” Paddy added, nervously.
“There is no accommodation for visitors in Damanta Mallaithe,” the warm voice said in their minds. “And the people who live here are very fussy about maintaining their privacy, so you won't be offered a room by those who live here.”
Paddy shrugged uncomfortably. He could hear Glute’s voice in his head, but when she spoke, he noticed her mouth didn’t move. “Oh well,” he said, thinking that he and Seamus should move on quickly and get away from these strange people.
“There is, however, an unoccupied three-room hut that no one is using at the moment. You could stay there for the night,” Glute advised.
“Thank you, Glute. We've been on the road for quite a while and we'd enjoy having a hut for the night,” Seamus replied, happily.
“Very well. Please follow me and I will take you there,” Glute's voice said, in their heads. She seemed genuinely pleased that they would be staying. “Oh, in case you haven't met a Heebee Geebee before, you need to be aware that my slime is a strong acid that stuns living things. When you follow me, walk to the side of my slime trail and make sure you don't get any slime on you.”
The giant slug lowered her torso to the ground with a ripple of her skin and glooped away.
Paddy and Seamus exchanged a worried look and then followed Glute, taking care not to step on her slime trail.
Paddy leaned close to Seamus as they walked, and whispered, “Did you notice the way her eyes didn’t seem to be looking at us when she talked to us? I wonder if she has trouble seeing?”
Glute's voice sounded in the boys’ heads. “I can see just fine boys. I just see things a bit differently from the way you do, the same way that I can hear you with no ears,” she said, clearly amused.
Seamus punched Paddy on the arm and glared at him. “Mind your manners,” he mouthed silently.
“Glute, we haven't heard anything about the village of Damanta Mallaithe. What is it like here?” Seamus asked, wanting to move past Paddy's embarrassing moment.
“Damanta Mallaithe is far from a normal village,” Glute said, her voice echoing in the heads of both boys. “Oh it contains most of the usual shops that folk might want to purchase goods from. We have a butcher, a baker and, yes, even a candlestick-maker. The nights in Damanta Mallaithe are as dark as they are anywhere else and most folk like a little light in the evenings.”
Glute undulated around a tree and veered to the left. “Where Damanta Mallaithe differs from most normal villages is in the nature of the folk who live here. The folk who live in Damanta Mallaithe like their privacy, and they like to keep their distance from their neighbors.”
Paddy and Seamus followed Glute through some trees. They passed a solitary house. In fact, the more they walked the more the boys realized that all the houses stood apart from all the other houses; no other hut, house or dwelling of any sort was in clear sight of any other. Usually villages were communities where houses clustered close together and neighbors were friends and were part of each other’s lives. This was very different.
“Are all the people here like the man we met?” Seamus asked. He was worried about how a village full of people like that man would treat them.
Glute's voice was soft and reassuring. “Oh no. He is a Bogan. He and his wife are the only Bogans here. The other Bogan people live way out to the west and never come this way.” Glute changed direction and led the boys deeper into the village. “This village is unique. It is the only village where people of different races live together.”
Paddy and Seamus eyed each other skeptically. How could that possibly work, they wondered?
Glute guided them through more trees and wobbled to a stop near a well-made hut. “This is it,” she said, rearing up to face the boys. “You are welcome to stay here. The hut is clean, and you will find it has most of the things you need. If you want fresh food, just follow your noses and you will find villagers happy to sell or trade what they have.”
“Thank you, Glute,” Paddy and Seamus said, together.
“Make yourselves comfortable and I will check in on you tomorrow,” Glute said, as she turned and slimed away.
⚔
The next morning, Paddy and Seamus woke before the sun had risen. They’d had their best night's sleep since leaving home. The hut was everything Glute had said it was, and more. Two of the rooms had comfortable beds and the main room combined a fully kitted out kitchen with dining and living spaces.
As the sun came up, the boys left the hut and did as Glute had recommended. They sniffed the air and followed their noses. The smell of fresh baked bread lured them through the village until they reached a house that had to be a bakery. The front door was open and delicious smells sailed out to greet them.
Paddy and Seamus entered and found the biggest man they had ever seen standing behind a counter bagging bread rolls. The man was well over 6 feet tall, heavily muscled, with medium length, shocking white hair. Paddy made a discreet coughing noise to get the man's attention.
The man looked up and smiled invitingly when he saw the boys.
“Hello. You must be Paddy and Seamus. Glute told me you might come by today,” he said, putting a bag of rolls to the side.
“Hello,” Paddy replied. “Yes, we are Paddy and Seamus. We're looking for the baker.”
“Well, you've just found him,” the big man said, with a grin, as he came out from behind the counter. “I'm Frosty,” he said, sticking out his hand.
Seamus took the offered hand and shook it firmly. “Hi, Frosty, I'm Seamus.”
“Which makes you Paddy,” Frosty said, turning to shake Paddy's hand. “What can I do for you boys today?”
“We'd like to buy some of your baked goods,” Seamus said, taking an instant liking to the big man.
“And if you could tell us where to go to get some other supplies, that would be much appreciated,” Paddy added.
Frosty the baker turned out to be much nicer than the Bogan they had met the day before. He let the boys sample a variety of his goods and sold them what they wanted at fair prices. He also gave them clear directions on how to find the other supplies they needed.
After spending the early part of the morning shopping, Paddy and Seamus returned to the hut and prepared the first fresh meal they'd had in days that didn't involve picked fruit. They were just finishing their food when they heard Glute's voice in their heads.
“Hello, boys, is now a good time to talk with you?”
Paddy and Seamus pushed their empty plates aside and hurried outside to see Glute. The giant slug was waiting for them by the front door.
“Hello, Glute,” they said, together.
Glute's skin quivered, as she rose to face the boys. “I hope you had a good night and that you were treated well by the villagers this morning.”
Paddy nodded to Seamus, as if to say that he should speak for them. “We want to thank you Glute. The hut is comfortable and the villagers were very helpful. In fact, we were wondering if we could stay for a couple of days?” Paddy asked, politely.
“We've been travelling for months and this is the first place we've been made to feel welcome. It would do us good to spend a few days resting up in the one place.” Seamus added.
“We have money and we're willing to pay for the use of the hut,” Paddy said, hopefully.
“You are welcome to stay as long as you like, and payment for the hut won't be necessary.” The tone of Glute's voice gave the impression that she was pleased at their request. “However, there are some things you need to know and some rules that you must promise to follow, if you want to stay, even for just a few days.”
“That sounds more than fair,” Paddy said, happily.
“You may change your mind when you hear what I have to say,” Glute replied, her voice taking on a serious quality. “Damanta Mallaithe is not what it seems.”
“We met some of the villagers today and they seemed all right,” Seamus replied. “And the baker, Frosty, was especially nice to us.”
“Well, it might surprise you to find that the people who live in the village of Damanta Mallaithe have all been cast out by their own races, tribes and villages. Damanta Mallaithe is the home of the homeless, a place where those who will find no welcome anywhere else can live in peace.” Glute paused to see how the boys responded to this news.
Paddy frowned. “You said there were rules?”
“Yes, there are three,” Glute replied. “The first is the most important. You must never ever ask another villager where they came from, or what they did before they came to the village. Each person living here has come from somewhere else, and their reasons for coming are their own. Respect the privacy of the other villagers and they will respect yours.”
“What else?” Seamus asked.
“The other two are like the rules of any other village. You must not cause harm to anyone, and if the need arises you must help to protect the village from attackers.”
“Sounds reasonable,” Paddy said, nodding his acceptance.
“We can do that,” Seamus agreed.
“Very well,” Glute sounded pleased again. “You must give me your oath that you will obey the rules and pledge to respect the privacy of the other villagers.”
Paddy and Seamus gave Glute their solemn promise.
Glute nodded, accepting their pledge. Her body rippled, as she turned to glide away. As she did so, her voice echoed in the boys’ heads. “Oh, there is one more thing you should know: Damanta Mallaithe has a dark history, and that history is responsible for its name. In the old language, Damanta Mallaithe means Damned.”