WFOL 2013 Treasure Hunt

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A treasure chest spilling over with jewels. Text reads: Welcome Treasure Hunters

Well! You've made it this far without mishap, but there's still a ways to go. You're in search of keys, very special keys. You'll find another one hidden within this site.

 In just a little bit, I'll give you some instruction and a clue.


But first, a little diversion ...


A ways to go. Argh! I know how that feels. Some of you who completed the Treasure Hunt last year (and the year before, and, gulp, the year before that) might recall I was working on a story.


This one:

An image of a stone tile carved with an intricate Celtic knot. Text reads: Iron Behind the Velvet

It's been over four years, now. 
It's not finished.

Father's appalled. 
Father is looking at Vincent with an incredulous expression on his face. The text reads: Father says, "Still? Surely you do … something … to hurry - I mean - help her?!"

In it, Vincent has been summoned to the tunnels at the northern perimeter of their lands, those chambers and corridors below Woodlawn and Riverdale and Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx where a satellite community lives. He has to take care of some problems there. Of course. And Catherine and he are only weeks into their **furthered** relationship. 

But it's a magnificent place, wilder than the home tunnels, less conventional - the tunnel frontier - and some of his best boyhood friends live there, friends he'd somewhat neglected for a number of years, so it's not all drudgery. One night he hears music, and discovers a secret stairwell that leads up into a wall walk - a mural passage within a stone wall. 

A dark and mysterious stone cellar, with a flight of narrow steps leading up into a pale light.a photograph taken inside a wall walk - or mural passage - a stone wall built so that someone could walk within its walls and not be seen passing. A secret passage within a stone wall.

Eventually he goes up to listen. 
(Esther Wijnbeek has drawn a lovely illustration of that moment.) 

Esther's drawing of Vincent seated inside the wall, listening as Martin plays music outside in the archway. He's looking at his rose which rests in his palm.

(You can see more of her illustrations for the story, and those of Joan W., Sonia, MLA, and Kat HERE. 
Scroll to the bottom of the page.)



Eventually he goes out …


After that, a bunch of stuff happens. Is still happening. 

The whole thing's giving Catherine a headache.
Catherine is at her desk, her hand to her forehead, looking pained. Text reads: How much long can this possibly go on?

There are some fierce, red-headed Irish women in the story, new friends for Catherine, characters I introduced in I Carry Your Heart.

This is a photograph of a woman with a long, red braid, wearing a white Irish knitted sweater, evocative of Eimear.Photograph of a red-headed woman. Her hair is fly-away, all about and mostly over her face. Evocative of Rosie.

(They haunt my dreams, any more, yell at me to get on with it.)

One of them is married to a man with issues similar to Vincent's. He's in the Emergency Services Unit of the NYPD. He looks a lot like Gabriel Byrne, but even broodier. The two of them really should talk. Soon.

This is a photograph of a broody, young Gabriel Byrne, the actor. The character Flynn looks a lot like this.

There's a lot of backstory … Vincent's, Catherine's (and Jenny's), 
Kanin's, Winslow's … even Mary's.

a photograph of handprints on a stone wall, left in fading red paint.A memory from Catherine's college days, when she and Jenny would meet for coffee. A photograph of a special place they enjoyed, coffee and cappuccino on the table.

A lot of Irish music and lore ...

A photograph of a bodhran player's hands and his instrument. The Irish goat-skin drum is back-lit. It looks like maybe Vincent has taken up playing, as the players hands have claw-like nails in the shadowy image.This is a painting of the Sidhe gathering - the Irish fairy folk who live beneath the earth, a glorious, noble family of magical people, not little winged-fairies, but tall, regal, golden-haird people

All the regular characters, of course,  but a  number of original ones. 

A photograph of an older man with glasses and white hair, sitting at a table with his button concertina in front of him, his squeeze-box. He's obviously at a pub, in a break from the music session.A photograph of the helper, Billy, the man with the hip condition that forces him to use crutches, yet he's an amazing skateboarder, crutch dancer and street entertainer.

Some very romantic places where some seriously gauzy moments occur … 
not really safe for reading at work

a very romantic photograph of an underground bathing chamber, through a key-hole door - a private pool Vincent and Catherine use, and use quite well!A photograph of Catherine taking Vincent into her arms. She has her hands on his shoulders and is looking at him amorously.

But it's still not finished.

And the players are growing restless. 
They want me to conclude the story so they can get on with other things. These have been the longest ten days of their lives!

Obviously I need help - or a clone. (You should see my messy house.)



Catherine has a suggestion for Vincent. 
A vehement, but rather vague suggestion.

Vincent at his desk with his hand covering his eyes; Catherine sitting on Vincent's bed. Text reads: Vincent! You can't just sit there! Do something!

But you know what a responsible, fix-it kind of guy Vincent is.

  Vincent and Catherine on her balcony. She got her head propped on one hand, looking up at Vincent with a curious expression on her face. Vincent leans on the balcony wall, looking pensive. Text reads: You thought of something, Catherine says. Yes, Vincent answers. Catherine says, Tell me.

He's come up with a possible solution, though it's quite the undertaking.

Catherine is gripping Vincent's arm; he's looking all worried. Text reads: Vincent says, "I don't know if I'm up to this." Catherine says, "You can do it. I don't mind sharing you … if it gets the job done."

Nevertheless, he's volunteered to do 'the heavy lifting'. 

***Shirtless***


Want to see? Click HERE.

On the next page, you'll  receive your clue to finding the key necessary to take you on to your next destination. 


***If you would prefer to skip the Shirtless Vincent, 
and go straight to the clue page, Click HERE***



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