He came back a few hours later with his fiddle, a pot, some utensils, my horse, the sheep, and the goat. He’d decided to leave his horse on the main island and have his friend take care of it until he came into town. The animals roamed freely on our little island and I was happy. Ailin went to bed early but, I went outside to watch the sunset. You could see it from our sun room but I preferred to watch from a special place outside. I found a small ledge and sat down. The sun made the water turn a brilliant orange but finally became less confident and turned from red to pink to purple all in the span of a few minutes. I caught glimpses of some seals and once, Allana who looked regretful. I liked to think she was sorry for what she had said and was watching out for me. I stayed out breathing in the salty sea air until the moon was high in the sky. I reluctantly headed back and went to bed.
Something sizzled in the kitchen. I trotted out of the sunroom and into the kitchen. Ailin shouted “I’ve got eggs for you Keela!” He laughed at my shocked expression at his outburst. He slapped a scrambled egg on a plate and handed it to me. He served himself and we both sat down at our table. He then poured some milk into our glasses. It was cold and didn’t taste like goats milk. As if he could read my mind he said, “Cow’s milk. The friend that’s taking care of my horse gave it to me.” I ate my egg and drank greedily. I saw Ailin take a thimble out of his pocket and pour milk into it. Utterly confused, I asked, “Ailin what’re you doing?” He answered, “My mam used to do this when I was young. She would pour milk into a thimble and set it outside. She said that we were feeding the faeries. She thought that if you fed the fey, especially in the winter, they would give you good luck. I think that we need some good luck around here with you getting lost and your little spell and whatnot.” I grinned at the thought of a tiny person drinking from a thimble. He got up and set it on the windowsill of the kitchen. He walked back and plunked into his chair. “So Keela, I think we should get married soon.” My heart raced. “How soon?” He sighed and answered, “Very soon. I’m not meaning to be rude but the whole town is talking about us. I just want the old gossips off my back that’s all. But we can wait.” I felt bad for not realizing that Ailin had been getting harassed in town. “Sure Ailin we can do it as soon as you like but I need a dress and everything.” He nodded towards the bedroom. I quickly got up and looked in the drawer. Surely enough, there was a lovely blue dress. Of course, it wasn’t as beautiful as my Coasting dress but it was a close second. The dress was light blue and long and flowy. It seemed to be made out of silk. I took off my plain dress and put the one for the wedding on. I waltzed out into the kitchen and Ailin smiled ear to ear. I gasped and said, “We’ll have it at sun down precisely where you proposed to me.” Ailin nodded. “I’ll go today and invite my friends and I’ll invite a few women who I think you may like.” I nodded and he was out the door in a flash. I stood in the doorway, watching him race down to the boat. He was gone in an instant. I clambered down the hill facing away from the direction Ailin had gone. I found myself in a meadow full of waving green grass and wildflowers. On one side, there was a gently sloping decline leading straight to the sea. One of the hills stood guard over this little paradise. I sat down in the grass and it was almost taller than me. The grass made a soothing whish as the breeze danced through it. I lay down and the rustling of the grass and the sighing of the ocean put me to sleep.