The Field They Saw That Day

Wiping the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand, the old man exhaled in relief as he stood upright to observe his handiwork. With skin tanned from decades of working under the sun in the fields south of Tara, he decided to put his skills to the test and do something he wished to do for years now. Using an unclaimed stretch of land in the mountainous region between Tir Chonaill and Dugald Aisle, after many weeks of work, the dirt path connecting the two locations were now flanked by a sea of sunflowers going as far as the eye could see – their radiance further highlighted by the summer sun beginning to set. 

“You did a good job, kid. Thanks for the help.” The old man said, turning around to look at the boy near him. He was likely no older than 16 – his hair was short and pink and his skin a dark brown – and he was quietly staring off into the field of sunflowers. The man smiled and looked back at the field. “Believe it or not, if I were 20 years younger, I could have done this whole thing myself!” He said, before glancing back at the boy. The old man learned that though the boy’s eyes seemed as if they were closed, he was either perfectly capable of seeing, or he had some other method of interacting with the world, judging by how expertly he helped him plant and nurture the sunflowers. 

“Of course, sunflower seeds never really made it this far up Erinn.” He continued, eyes back on the field of flowers. They swayed ever so slightly as a light breeze swept by the area, making that evening summer heat just a bit more comforting. “I had my doubts about those Fomorian traders, but they’re honest-to-Morrighan traders. I know some folk still have their doubts about them, but hm …” He stroked his wrinkled chin, his fingers running over short, white stubbled hair. “Maybe we can make peace with the Fomor. Heh, maybe even in my lifetime!”

Looking back at the boy once again, it was now that he found himself eye-to-eye with him. It left the old man a bit unnerved – despite being the same age as his grandson, those hazel brown eyes that stared back at him had the look of a person who saw a lot of what life had to offer. There was an unease in his gaze, though the old man doubted the boy was aware of it – even he seemed conflicted. And it was moments like this that reminded that man that despite appearing to be the same race, they were different. 

The boy was a Milletian – a person not from this world. And it was evident in how he worked – the old man had never quite seen anyone work as hard or as long, without necessarily needing to rest. Even in his prime, he’d have been unable to keep up with the sort of progress that the Milletian made. It was as if it were second-nature to him – wielding those gardening tools as if he were born with them. 

What stuck out to the old man the most were the two antlers that grew from his head. From the antlers grew what looked to be white-pink flower petals, and these petals occasionally dropped from the antlers only to be replaced by another, equally white-pink petal. He had asked a few days back about the antlers and the boy replied with “Don’t worry about it”, before asking for a break. It was the only time the old man had seen him actually take a break during his work.

“Oh, sorry. I was rambling again, wasn’t I?” The old man said, giving the boy a grin. 

The boy shrugged and shook his head. “That’s okay.” He seemed to inspect the old man for a moment longer before turning back to the field. 

“What do you think?” The boy asked. 

“It’s amazing.” The old man said, looking at the field once again. “We did it.”

“You did it.” The boy quickly said in response. The old man tilted his head in confusion, but the boy didn’t meet his gaze, once again staring at this field.

“It was you who asked me for help, after all. I only did as you asked. You provided the seeds, the water, the tools. And, most importantly,” The boy said, now turning back to face the man. “You had a vision. You remember why you wanted to do this, right?”

The old man stared at the boy for a moment, shortly before happily letting out a chuckle. “But of course.” He said. “For my wife. I don’t think I mentioned it, but many years ago, when we were both still young, we saw a field like this.” There was a brief pause. “We’re not young like we used to be. I’m certainly no longer as spry as I was, and my wife has been having problems with her memory as of late. But, if there’s anything I want her to remember, it’s … it’s this.” 

The boy opened his mouth to speak, but found himself interrupted by a shrill whistling noise that came from behind them.

“Oi, Ereint! Old man!” yelled a voice in the same direction. The two turned around to spot a wooden wagon pulled by a brown horse and was carrying two humans – one was younger, with green eyes and a serious expression on her face, while the other was much more wrinkled but wearing a soft, warm expression, with a pair of glasses resting on her nose. 

“Oh, it’s Cloud. Fancy seeing her here.” said the boy referred to as Ereint, raising a hand in the air to wave at them before looking back at the old man expectantly. The old man looked at the wagon in disbelief, blinking before turning back to meet Ereint already looking at him.

“What?” was the only word he could manage. 

Ereint smiled and tapped his nose. “You forgot you mentioned she also had difficulty walking.” He said. “It’s why you said you needed help. This was the kind of task the two of you would do together, right?”

The old man opened his mouth to speak but the sound of the horse and the wagon were enough to force a second interruption, and soon the newcomers were upon them. The younger human in front quickly dismounted from the seat of the wagon and complimented the horse before turning to the two by the field of sunflowers. Her hair was a blonde-white and she had freckles on her tanned skin, looking as if she were in her late teens.

“Ereint, get busy.” Cloud said, raising a hand in greeting at the old man. “A scene like this goes well with tea, don’t you think? There are some chairs in the back. Why don’t you set it up while Gramps and Gramma have a moment?” Ereint softly exhaled through his nostrils before shrugging, giving the old man glance before heading off to do just that.

“Why do you do it, Ereint?” Cloud asked as she shoved a piece of chocolate in their mouth. It was dark now – the sun had set and they quietly departed from the elderly couple, leaving them a note that both the wagon and horse were theirs to keep. They were on a bench near the outskirts of Dunbarton, sitting under the night sky. The air, though cooler, was still warm. “They’re not gonna remember us in a few years.”

Ereint shrugged. “I’m not sure.” He paused for a moment to take a sip of his iced tea. “Have you ever seen a field like that?” 

“The sunflowers?” She asked, tilting her head to think. “Not really. But there are lots of other picturesque things out there, right?” 

Ereint nodded. “True. But we get to see things like that all the time. After a while, it kinda loses its appeal.” 

Cloud snickered. “Sure you’re just not getting old?”

Ereint scoffed, shaking his head before he continued. “No, but really.” He said, placing his drink on the beach and resting his hands on his lap. “We’re Milletians. We don’t have to fear death, or not seeing something. We can always try again. But them – the Tuatha de Danaans – they’ve only got one shot at it. One try.” Ereint paused, and looked into his lap. 

“I’m listening.” Cloud said as she slowly took his glass of iced tea from his side. “Go on.”

“Even if they don’t remember us, they’ll remember other things. They’ll know some kids helped them plant that field of sunflowers. Maybe they’ll think it was their grandkids, even. But that doesn’t matter to me, because I’ll know that I helped them to see the field they saw that day, once again. And I think … I think that’s nice.” Ereint said, looking over at Cloud in time to catch her downing the rest of the iced tea. 

“What?” She asked. “I was listening, yknow.” She said with a grin. “It cost a pretty Ducat to buy both the wagon and the horse, and you just gave it to them! I think this is the least you could let me have.” 

Ereint stared at her for a moment giving her a dry chuckle in return. “Fine, fair point.” He said, before leaning back on the bench to stare at the stars. 

“I think I get it, though.” Cloud said, placing the empty glass beside her on the bench. “Things matter more when there’s a chance you’ll never get to experience it again, huh?” There was a silence before she sighed. 

“The field they saw that day … ” Cloud said, glancing over to Ereint before looking up at the night sky. The stars shone bright, contrasted with the inky darkness of the sky, and a meteor streaked across one part of the sky to the next, in search of some far off celestial body, no doubt. “… Must have been nice.”