The Illusion Of Bridal Veil (Chapter One)

Chapter One

It can happen only neath the Blue Moon of October when it is full and bright against a clear, starry sky.

This is a story about a boy named Izzland Marsh, aka, Izzy, who was in the habit of climbing out his bedroom window, usually at night, and wandering off on an adventure, the kind of adventure only boys like him can have and that most adults cannot fathom as real. Most thought Izzy was an incredible story teller with an imagination too big for his young mind.

He lived with his uncle who was his guardian by default, being the only living relative that would take in such an ill-behaved boy. At fourteen everyone thought he should know the difference between reality and fantasy.

It was on the night of a full blue moon in October when Izzland Marsh sneaked out and found his way to the Kagawong River where it feeds into Mudge Bay.

This is what happened.

As anyone knows, who has walked along the Kagawong River, there are a wonderful well marked trails, one on each side of the river that are joined by a bridge about half way along toward Bridal Veil Falls. By day light it is beautiful, but by the light of a full blue moon it has a special kind of beauty and mood, a magical mood in fact that few save to most aware ever experience, seldom an adult, if ever.

The river runs essentially, north, and south. Izzy took the east side of the trail as far as the bridge. As he reached the bridge and looked down into the rushing water he spied a very large fish, a little too late for the chinook to be running and more startling it glowed in the moonlight like a rainbow. But that was only the half of it. It seemed to Izzy that the fish stopped and looked up at him, its mouth moving as if it was trying to talk, which of course couldn’t be because everyone knows fish can’t talk, at least not in any way a human could understand.

Then the fish, very distinctly waved excitedly at Izzy with its left pectoral fin.

With a flick of its tail the fish set off up river and as quickly as he could Izzy followed. He couldn’t really see the fish any more, just the glow under the water. But every now and the then the fish was slowed by a ridge of rocks and had to fight its way past it. Izzy thought a couple of times that he should go into the water and help it but remembered this was a natural struggle for all fish running the river during the spawn.

At last the came to where the river opens into the water falls pool. Bridal Veil Falls gleamed brilliantly in the light of the full moon and the roar of the water seem louder than it did in the day light. Izzy stood on the bank of the pool watching the fish circle round and round. It seemed to be getting brighter. Then, it stopped right in from of Izzy and looked into his eyes. The fish’s eyes sparkled like blue diamonds in the moon light and ever so slowly it opened its mouth wide.

It the left pectoral fin was waving him near.

Izzy stepped into the water and leaned down. When he looked closely into the fish’s mouth he was amazed to see a shiny piece of crystal.

Cautiously Izzy reached out and picked the crystal out carefully.

“It’s a key.” He said delightedly and the fish jumped and once again started swimming in circles around the falls pool, jumping high out of the water several times and waving with both fins, urging Izzy to follow it. The fish seemed to edging toward the falls.

Just like Izzy would do he waded in then swam, following the fish to the falls.

Much to Izzy’s surprise the fish jumped up on to a ledge behind the falls.

Izzy climbed up…and it got better…

The fish balanced itself on its stomach using her fins. The she fixed her eyes on Izzy, and for a second it seemed like she was going to talk. Instead of words though a there came from her mouth a long thin shard of crystal.

Izzy took it gently in his fingers and examined it, discovering the gem was a delicately carved key, much like the old skeleton keys his uncle still used in the house.

When Izzy fixed is eyes on the fish again she was laying on her side gasping her last breath. Like all spawning fish she had given up her treasure and her life.

Izzy knelt down and stroked her scales gently, sadly watching her brilliant colours fade as she slipped into her eternal sleep. After a minute Izzy did what he thought was right and tipped the fish back into the water and it disappeared into the froth of the falls.

Izzy got to his feet and was about to go ashore but just a that moment a moon beam, as blue as sapphire cut through the falling water like a laser and struck the rock behind the falls. It sounded to Izzy that there was a crack. Then a small chip of stone flew into the air and, it seemed, vanished in midflight.

Izzy drew close to the wall, bent a little at the waist and saw there, a keyhole just the right size for his key.

“Now what’s this.” He whispered, then carefully fit the key into place.

He turned it right, but nothing happened. Then he turns the crystal key to the left and something clicked, then the outline of a door formed in the stone.

“Wow. It's magic. Uncle said Manitoulin was a magical place, but I didn’t think he meant real magic.” Izzy said quite loudly but it was drowned out by the crashing water.

Izzy carefully and cautiously pushed on the door and it swung open easily and silently. For a long time, he could do nothing but stand there and stare struggling to understand what his eyes perceive.

To Be Continued