...she gives the new bartender a wink and heads over to a quiet table next to the fire place.....and waits, "will they come??"
"I do have a question though, has it been so long you have been gone that you do not recognize our beloved Hamm? He trimmed his beard and washed his face last year when a pretty face brightened the surroundings, but he is far from new."
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I am a stag: of seven tines, I am a flood: across a plain, I am a wind: on a deep lake, I am a tear: the Sun lets fall, I am a hawk: above the cliff, I am a thorn: beneath the nail, I am a wonder: among flowers, I am a wizard: who but I Sets the cool head aflame with smoke?
I am a spear: that roars for blood, I am a salmon: in a pool, I am a lure: from paradise, I am a hill: where poets walk, I am a boar: ruthless and red, I am a breaker: threatening doom, I am a tide: that drags to death, I am an infant: who but I Peeps from the unhewn dolmen, arch?
I am the womb: of every holt, I am the blaze: on every hill, I am the queen: of every hive, I am the shield: for every head, I am the tomb: of every hope.
"yer a scholar & a gent, i thank ye for the drink, slainte" she pushes the stool out from the scarred table with her foot " so some female actually caught hamm's eye enough to clean himself up???hhmmm no wonder i didn't recognise the silly ole thing!!"chuckling to herself.
"tis been awhile since lir and i stopped by..." she looks into the fire with a far away look..rousting herself " i remember when this place was full of laughter, music and dance" tasting the fine whiskey *sigh*"yes, i remember.... i have recently spoken to wombat and had hopes that she and my celt would be here afore me."
"so tell me all the news" with a twinkle in her eye she lays her battered penny whistle aside, leans back against the wall " i love a good story, master bard..."
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non nobis domine,non nobis sed nomini tua da gloriam.
Again, the door opens and another familiar face joins the always crowded room...She finds a seat near the window...pulls the guitar out of her case and begins to play........ "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness...."
"Five long years," thought the old bard, now even more careworn and travel weary than before. "Five long years on the road, finding new adventures, learning new songs and stories. I wonder who I will find in my old haunt, the place where I spent so many pleasant hours, and so much coin, with so many dear and dastardly friends."
He pushed open the door and peered into the darkness. No faces visible yet in the black corners of the room, as he waited for his vision to adjust from the bright sunshine outside. He noted that his old favorite seat was open, and creaked into it.
"Wat'll it be, traveler?" groaned a hauntingly familiar voice.
His old eyes turned toward the sound of the voice. "Whisky if you please." he replied to the stunning middle-aged woman behind the bar. Her face looked familiar too, he mused, though he could not bring to mind any occasion of having met her.
"You look as if you've seen a ghost," she grinned as she pushed a glass in his direction..
"Perhaps I have," he mumbled distractedly. "You look familiar. Yet is is five long years since I set foot in this place, and I cannot recall ever having met you."
"You'd be right in thinking that," she replied is a wistful voice. "For I was raised by my mother in a place far from here, and lived there on my own after her passing until last year, when my father died and left me this place."
"You are daughter to old Hamm then?" Amergin babbled excitedly. "You certainly bear resemblance to that old codger, yet in a far more comely fashion."
"I'm thanking ye for that," she replied with a smile." I only met him a few times, and my mother raised me far differently, but folks tell me I'm a lot more like him than you'd expect for all that." She reached out a hand. "Mariel, daughter of Hamm, and proprietor of this dubious establishment. And you?"
"Amergin," he replied, taking the proffered hand. "Bard extraordinaire, at least in my own mind. Songs, stories, cheap tricks. Blessings and curses if you pay enough. Back from years on the road, ready to rest these weary bones for a while."
"Welcome indeed," said the engaging owner, "Let me buy you another drink, and let's hope you can attract me some more customers. It's been slow and dreary all this year. The old ones miss my father, the younger ones are too cheap to buy drinks and food. And no one has brightened the place with music for a good long spell."
"Let's see if we can cure that last one," grinned the bard, taking a sip of the whisky and pulling an aging but obviously well cared for harp out of a worn leather bag at his feet. "Here's one that used to please."
The village looked to be deserted as it was when I left years ago.As I wandered down the street toward the old building where I had spent many a pleasant hour, I stopped dead in my tracks. It couldn't be....I'm so tired I'm beginning to hear things.....Wait....that is music coming from the old place. I pushed open the door and entered the dark room to the sound of a familiar tune....
Welcome then, young one! And don't you have a familiar face? May I introduce you to our genial host, Mariel, daughter of Hamm, and now proprietor of this questionable but beloved establishment?
And Mariel, perhaps a drink for our friend? What'll you have Leenie, now that I've remembered your name?