It was approaching summers end and autumns colours where waiting to paint the landscape and the sun set earlier with each passing day. Declan had finished another late shift in the warehouse where he worked for the past year. Wearily he made his way back to his apartment after a fourteen hour shift. It was rare that he would have to endure this long shift but they were waiting on deliveries from the UK and bad weather had delayed the ferries. His eyes were heavy and his body exhausted as he turned the key in the door. He noticed the lights in the hall and the sitting room were still on (That weird, he taught). His girlfriend Claire was sitting on the couch anxiously waiting for him. Immediately he senesced something was wrong. "Is everything ok babe" he said. Claire stopped him abruptly; she asked "Declan will sit here for a minute, there is something I need to tell you" As he took a seat he noticed thing where missing, pictures gone the book case cleared and the room had a strange empty feeling. "It`s over Declan", she said as her eyes lowered to the ground. She couldn`t look into his eyes as she explained she had being seeing someone else for a few weeks. Declan somewhat flabbergasted and taken back by this revelation didn`t know what to say and before it had fully sunk in she had gone and he was alone sitting in a half empty apartment and what felt like half a heart.
His now ex-girlfriend had graciously decided to make it easier on him by moving out earlier that day while he was in work and was now staying with a "friend" They had been together for three year and he loved her very much and hadn`t once taught that they were in trouble. He spent that night looking at the ceiling wondering what, why and who and was there anything that he could have done. It wasn`t until the next day when he had gotten up to get breakfast that he noticed that his goldfish was gone. Looking at the empty space on the window still, this was when it truly hit home with him that Claire had left "That bitch, how could she take Starbuck?" To Declan, this revealed how little she must had taught of him. "I mean what kind of woman takes a man`s fish"
He travelled home to visit his family for the weekend and was looking forward to catching with everyone at home, and his mother`s Sunday dinner. As he walked in the door he was greeted by his mother and younger brother. "No Claire with you this weekend Declan" as his mother said this she could see his face charge and she knew straight away. He explained what had happen the previous weekend, his mother was furious and seemed more upset then he was. "Don`t you be hiding yourself away, you`ll need to pick yourself up, she wasn`t right for you away."
After recent events he continued with his daily routine and tried to keep his mind from dwelling. He had taken the break up well and was adjusting to the single life better than he had first expected. After his shifts from work he would sometimes walk down by the river as he wasn`t accustomed to going home to an empty apartment. He preferred it at night, when the hustle and bustle noise from the town was gone, you could clearly hear the sound of the water flowing along the banks and lightly cascading over rocks. The glowing lights and reflection on the moon danced hypnotically on the rippling water`s surface. He would sit on a bench by the river, and watch the swans and ducks bobbing on the water as he sipped on a coffee from the later night take away from the centre of town. It wasn`t the best in the world but it was hot and strong.
Declan had been walking by the river most nights after work for nearly two weeks now. He knew most of the regular walkers and runners to see as they passed and he would give a nod or say "Howya" As the days grew shorter and the night got longer there were less and less people around and some nights depending on how on the length of his shift he won`t see anyone. One night sitting on steps near the walkway by the river as he drank is coffee and was checking is email in his phone. He could hear the swans hissing as they do to warn you away. When you hear this you would usually move as they will bite. At first he taught he was hearing things, then he could hear voices shouting, they sounded Eastern European, but he couldn`t be sure. He started to walk towards the noise inquisitively. There was a van with its back door open and two men shockingly trying to grab a swan. Instinctively Declan shouted "Hay, what the hell do you think you doing" the two men ignored him. "Leave that Swan alone" by now he was only a hundred meters or so away from them. The two men stopped and stood looking at Declan. The swan it seemed had tangled itself on something near a bush and Declan headed straight for it to try free it. As he did one of the men shouted something at him. Declan bent down to try pulled on a branch of the bush to free the Swan; it raised its head hissing. He ready himself to take the bite that the swan would surely lash out with, when he heard one of the men right behind him "Mind your business, get lost" Declan replied quickly "You clear off or I`ll have the Gardas down here. What the hell do you think you`re playing at?" The sound of a car approaching and lights came from behind them as one of the man kicked Declan in the stomach followed by a heavy blow to the side of his face. As he fell to the ground he received another knockout blow for his troubles as the two men quickly jumped back into their van and drove away.
Declan on semiconscious but could hear someone "Wake up, wake up" a soft gentle females voice repeated, he tried to open his eyes but his vision as blurred and his eyelids only raised slightly, just enough to see a bright silhouette of a figure with long hair leaning over him. Everything went black again for a minute and when regained conscious fully there was a male Garda shacking him. "Ah, your alive" the Garda said jokingly. "You ok, you look like you had had a going over"
Declan: "Yes Garda, I think so, just a little sore"
Garda: "Good can you get up? We got a call off some noise and taught some kids where down here drinking. What happened?"
As Declan proceeded to tell the Garda what had happened he noticed that the Swan was still near even though it was freed from the bush that held it captive. He asked the Garda was there anyone else around when he found him, that he taught he heard a woman voice. "No one that I saw anyway; lets head back up to the car and I get you home"
He had taken a beating but he felt enormously proud of saving the Swan. He was sore but tiered sleep came easy for him that night. He awoke from a dream only remembering hearing that woman`s whispered voice from the river "Wake up" and pictured a silhouette of a woman standing over him. He sat up quickly in his bed and realized that it was just a dream.
He had gone to work where his black eye was his battle scar from the previous night. During break he and his work mates discussed what had happen. Some of the guys he worked with were from all over Europe. They told him that they had heard of this happening in Ireland and England and explained the some counties people still ate swan meat. The Irish workers were shocked to hear this and were horrified to think that people would eat a swan.
That night he finished work and felt compelled to go down to the river. He picked up his ritualistic cup of not the world`s greatest coffee and stood on the steps leading down to the river walkway. It was already dark and the cold air had brought a mist up from the river that moved with an eerie silence. The river was still and made little noise. Declan went down and sat on one of the benches. He surveyed the area to see if he could locate any of the swans, but there was no sign. Ah couple out for a walk pass him and the man raised his walking stick and nodded his head as a greeting and his partner smiled and said "Hay how are ya" Declan lifted one hand as a half wave and said "Evening" They had passed and the park was empty again except for the mist, Declan and his coffee.
In silence he sat lamenting over the events of the night before, when a light splashing sound broke the silence; it came from a little further down the river, then all was quite. He taught to himself "it must be one of the swans or ducks" but could not see too far with the mist. He stood up to put his now empty paper cup from his coffee into the bin and could make out a figure in the mist coming towards him. A young woman dressed in a long flowing white dress and long golden hair walking gracefully along the path. She stopped at the opposite end of the bench.
She smiled at him and spoke softly "You are ok, that is good to see. I feared that you might have been badly injured"
Declan instantly recognised the voice "It was you! You were here last night"
Smiling as she bowed her she replied "Yes that was me, I`m sorry I couldn`t stay. I am Branwen, and you are?"
Captivated and almost speechless he replied "Declan. I`m Declan"
Branwen: "Pleased to meet you Declan, It was very brave of you to intervene last night"
Declan: "Brave! Ha, I wouldn`t say that, but I couldn`t just stand there and watch that happen"
Branwen: "Well if you had not, we never would have met, so thank you"
They sat together for some time on the bench and both became very fond of his of each other`s company. It was getting was late and the witching hour (mid night) was only minutes away. Branwen kiss Declan on the cheek and explained that she had to go, but would love to meet him again tomorrow night if he could. His cheeks went red and smiled, "of course, I would love to" he said. Branwen turned and hurried off back into the misty night and all went quite. Declan left to return home as he did again he could hear a light splashing sound form the river in the same direction Branwen had left, again he taught to himself "It must be a swan" That nigh he dreamt as he slept of being by the river and Branwen in her white dress sitting on the bench calling him, "come back to me, down to the river we`ll stay" as a wedge od swans flew over heads along the river.
Declan went to work the following day but his mind was clearly elsewhere. He could only think of one thing. Excitedly he anticipated his rendezvous later that night. As he walked down the steps to the river he noticed that there was a mist on the river once more. He saw no sign of Branwen so he sat and waited, time went by and the walkway seemed empty. A figure of a swan in the mist floated past on the river. Then there was light splashing sound as before and he turned, out of the mist in brilliant white walked Branwen. Declan`s eye lit up as he walked towards her. She raised one hand in front of her offering it to Declan; he held it and they walked back into the mist. There was a small flash of white light and splashing from the water`s edge. Two swans now floated side by side down the river.