Magic and Myth

A Magical Midnight Dance
Time is different in the Otherworld, in fairy-­ land: what may seem like only hours there could be years in our human world. It is also said that, once you dance with the fairies, you hear their music forever more. Beware the enchantments of that magical land . . .
Paul sat up in bed. He could hear music coming from outside. He knew it was late because the house was very, very quiet, and the moonlight, which slanted in through his window when he went to bed, was now spilling in through the glass pane on the other side of the room.
He got out of bed, tiptoed over to the window, and peered out. The full moon lit everything in a ghostly silver-­white light and somehow made the shadows seem even darker.
But he could see no one.
He listened hard, trying to pinpoint the direction of the noise. It was thin and high, like a pipe or flute, or maybe even the delicate sound of a harp ­and it seemed to be coming from the little clump of trees that lay at the bottom of the field.
Paul shivered, not with the cold but with excitement. He crept back to his bed and pulled on his shirt and trousers, grabbing his cardigan as he slipped from the room.
In the next room, his big sister Brona tossed and turned in her sleep. She was dreaming about a waterfall and the musical sound it made as it splashed into the pool beneath. And then she dreamt that she was standing on a plank of wood that was being tossed around on a stormy sea. Suddenly the wood tilted and she fell off ­and woke up. Paul was shaking her.
Wake up, wake up, he whispered.
What s wrong? she mumbled.
Music, he said excitedly. I can hear music ­outside.
What time is it? she demanded, realizing how dark the room was.
Oh, it s very late. Everyone s gone to bed, and the moon is beginning to sink.
It must be three in the morning, Brona said angrily, pushing herself up into a sitting position. She was a year older than her brother, ten years old to his nine years, and

An authority on mythology and folklore, Michael Scott is one of Ireland s most successful authors. A master of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and folklore, he was hailed by the Irish Times as the King of Fantasy in these isles. Look for the six books in his New York Times bestselling The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series: book one, The Alchemyst; book two, The Magician; book three, The Sorceress; book four, The Necromancer; book five, The Warlock; and book six, The Enchantress. You can visit Michael Scott at dillonscott.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.