May 10th 2022

It’s hard to comprehend the horrors we encountered in North Dakota. It’s even more difficult to understand that our world is full of creatures outside the confines of reality. When I set out on this assignment, I was looking to expose the illegal hunting of endangered species. Bring justice to those who believed they were greater than the law. That now seems like a fool's errand. How can someone worry about such an insignificant matter? From a young age, I knew that the noises at night could be worked out with logic. A creaking in the attic, the house is still settling into its foundations. Shrill screams late at night, just some foxes calling to each other. The feeling that something’s watching you as you turn off the lights and run upstairs, it’s just your mind playing tricks on you. Hard to imagine a fully grown adult sprinting upstairs to his bed once the lights are off, but I have taken three steps at a time each night since.

We left the forest when dawn broke. All eight of us walked as if we were trailing a hearse. I suppose you could say we were. The team from base camp came and removed any evidence of the night before. The bodies of Ellie, Levi and Lucas were being transported ahead of us. Crane spoke to us beforehand outlining the procedure that would occur if any of us were to perish during these trips. The Venetores didn’t stay hidden in the shadows by doing things half assed. They had already arranged cover stories for each individual that was invited. The Sanders family, who had majority stake holdings in a big pharma company, had already given notice of their plans to retire to the Bahamas. Photos and title deeds of a property were already being doctored to embellish the story. We reached the camp and put our gear into the truck that would transport it to our next location. We were each given tickets for separate flights into Dublin airport over the next few days. Once we landed we would be pick up and travel to Galway. Recent sightings have indicated Banshee activity in a town called Athenry. Galway is known for its music, arts and stone walls but we wouldn’t be engaging in any of the local festivities. With my initial role in this operation no longer required, let alone worthwhile, I decided to continue with this group to document the paranormal creatures of the world.

I arrived in Dublin and was met by Arthur. Arthur was one of the Venatores who was with us in North Dakota. We had a few hours drive to Athenry so we had time to kill. I asked Arthur about how he ended up being involved with Crane and the others. Arthur was an older man, his face showing signs of wrinkles. Judging by his tanned skin, he spent a lot of time working outside. Arthur told me how he used to farm back in the states. He was a dairy farmer who had took over the family farm when his father retired. His first encounter with the supernatural was on a trip in Argentina. His uncle was worried Arthur was missing out on seeing the world and looked after the farm while Arthur and his friend went on a three month trip across South America.

“ Our last stop before heading home was in the north western region of Argentina. We were staying in a small village which lived off the surrounding farms. I was fascinated how they operated the farms by hand. With little to no machinery they were able to produce so much. The night before we left, one of the locals asked us if we would help look into the disappearance of some goats. Two had gone missing in the same number of days and the village suspected some foul play. We set off into the evening in search and stumbled across a petrified goat two fields over. The local lad started to get flustered and tried to head back to the village. I wasn’t sure what to think, this goat was now solidified. When the shouting in Spanish began I started to get a bit nervous. There was a rustling from a nearby bush and we saw a large snake like creature emerge. Its eyes burned brightly in the night sky. One of the guys went to step backwards away from the noise but was petrified on the spot.

“What did you do then ?” I asked. I was still coming to terms with my first encounter with something I couldn’t rationalise.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“What else do you do?” Arthur said sheepishly. “I ran like the devil was on my heels. At the time I was just fearful of my life. Even now with over ten years in this field, basilisks are not to be taken lightly.

We arrived just after dusk. The moonlight illuminated the stone work of the castle walls. We pulled up outside and unloaded our bags. Arthur lead the way through the gates. We entered into the castle ground, lush with emerald green grass. The castle itself was quaint, not the majestic structure described in fantasy novels. It was built with a purpose and would be our base of operations. The keep itself was large and spacious. Crane was sitting in a camping chair adding to the smoke from the open fire. The smell of burning kindling and cigarettes met us as we entered.

“Ahh Mr Marley, glad you could make it.”

The remaining members were setting up their beds or seeing to there gear. Caleb was sharpening a golden blade that caught the reflections of the flames.

“That looks a bit fancy for hunting.” I pointed to the ornamental looking weapon he was inspecting

“A blade of pure gold is the only thing that can stop a Banshee.” He handed me the blade, it felt heavy in my hand. I swung the blade in an arc, feeling the weight shift through the swing.

“Not the most balanced weapon” I frowned

“That may be true.” he smiled, pulling out his own from a sheath on his side. He slid the blade on top of his fingers to show the equilibrium close to the handle.” But it’s priceless in this situation. Just make sure you don’t hit anything other than the banshee, this metal is too soft for standard use.

I set up my sleeping bag next to Joshua and JJ. The latter was telling anyone who would listen about his extensive knowledge on Banshee folklore.

“ It is said that the Banshee is a symbol of death here in Ireland. She is also known as the woman of the fairies.” I could tell his knowledge on the subject matter was limited to the top search on Google. “Her wailing is a foretelling of death of a loved one. If you hear her call, a relative or someone close by will perish that night.” JJ announced, he held himself like a professor giving a lecture to an adoring class.

“Good pair of earplugs should sort that problem.” Crane tossed a plastic sealed bag to each of us in turn. “ Put these in and get some rest. Tomorrow morning we are meeting with a family who have been plagued by the Banshee of Athenry for over a decade.”

After a hearty breakfast of sausage, eggs and bacon we set off into the town to meet with Brian and Emily O’Connor. They moved to Athenry nearly thirty years ago and settled into the community. Brian opened a pub soon after and they started a family. There obviously was little to do in Athenry when they first moved since they had ten children in twenty years. Brian was a stout man, with a warm smile and a belly fitting of a publican who regularly sampled his products. His eyes told the truth, full of sorrow and sleepless nights. His wife was easier to read, the bags under her eyes weighed heavily upon her. A picture of all twelve of them, hung on the chimney breast, showed a happy family, enjoying the serenity of a summers eve in rural Ireland.

“That picture was taken not long before Fiona passed.” Brian noticed I was studying the photo.” Hard to believe there’s only four of us now.” The Banshee had taken the lives of three of their children before Brian had sought help from the local priest. He thought if he blessed the property the lady in grey might move on. It wasn’t until the next year that they heard her call again.

“ we started wearing ear plugs at night and leaving the radios on. Anything to drown out her wailing. We were broken, mentally and physically. I could tell she was still trying to claim more of my family, some nights I would wake to goosebumps so intense they felt like stones on my skin. I knew she wasn’t finished. We had only angered her more. We got through another year using these methods but then one day I was opening the bar and I heard her. The next morning Cillian didn’t wake.”

Crane put a supportive hand on the man’s shoulder.” We”ll do what we can to rid you and your family of this deadly curse.”

Brian smiled weakly.” God I hope you do, if not I’ll have to take other precautions.” He pointed to his right ear. It seemed to have been mutilated by some sharp object. It didn’t take me long to realise the wound was self inflicted.