There they found a friendly cow who provided a bowl of milk as a gift for the fairy queen. The team faced some challenges with a fence that changed from chain links to iron, growing taller and stronger until the detectives found a way to coax the fence into letting them into the site.
The mist surrounding the mound proved an even more challenging foe, but the detectives made it to the cairn at the top of the mound. Their Dragon's Eyes revealed the invisible crevice, and into the mound our team went, following long, winding tunnels deep into the hill. The guard at the door to the Banshee Queen's hall appreciated the sip of milk they offered.
The Banshee Queen Cliodhna (Clee-ohth_nuh) was beside herself. The team's careful protection for their ears was not enough to fight the waves coming from her wailing cries. The detectives had to sneak up on her when her back was turned, and then find a way to calm her so they could talk.
The queen revealed that her precious baby birds were losing their color and songs. These rainbow-colored birds reside on the enchanted island of Tir na nOg, across the sea. They feed from the apples of immortality there, and their songs bring healing and peace to the living. Our team agreed to travel to the island, to find out why the birds were losing their color and their songs.
They traveled to see the ghost of Oisin the Poet, one of the few mortals to travel to the fairy island of Tir na nOg who returned. Along the way, they had some serious yarnball games with the invisible One-Footed Hoppers. The hoppers warned them that they were offending the Banshee Queen--a very confusing message at the time.
The team was able to find Oisin's grave, but when they spoke with the ghost, their Secret Keepers began to glow. They narrowly escaped a Changeling's trickery to send them home. Finally, they met Oisin and learned about his story. He told them how he traveled across the sea on a white horse, so they chose to use one of their dragons to make a boat.
The boat set out to sea, but wouldn't you know, it was swallowed by a sea serpent. Fortunately, they found some unusual company in the belly of the sea monster, and managed to solve their problem, the musician's problem -- and feed the sea serpent at the same time. A win-win-win for all involved.
At last, the detectives reached the fairy island of Tir na nOg. They were met by a white cat who gave Ballerina Kitty a run for her money in terms of fright factor. Calm kitty. Crazy kitty. Calm kitty. Crazy kitty. After a battle against the cat and her one-footed minions, the team could sit down to learn the cat's story.
Her name was Aibell (Ay-vel) Her harp was creating the dangerous music that was draining the birds' color and songs. She was mad at Cliodhna, her twin sister, because she was the one who turned her into a white cat. The two had many feuds as sisters, so when Cliodhna arrived, the scene was barely civil at first.
Our team of detectives had their hands full convincing them that it was in their best interest to let go of their feud. They helped Cliodhna realize that leaving Aibill as a cat was not fair -- and would only result in her beloved birds' death. Our clever sleuths came up with multiple ways the sisters could get along again, and all ended well for the Aibell, Cliodhna and the Birds of Peace and Healing.
A very special thank you goes to Oliver for this wonderful adventure. It was inspiring to watch him lead the group through the story. Thanks also to our older detectives who helped make this week possible. Their assistance as honorary CITs really made a difference!
Picture of the birds the detectives made are found on our Facebook page in this album. Photos of the adventure are here.
