In the Dreaming Read online

  Book

  5

  In the Dreaming

  Isobel Bird

  Contents

  HarperCollind e-books Special Feature Mask Making Ritual

  Chapter 1 “This is it,” Kate said, getting out of the car.

  Chapter 2 “Tyler!”Kate called out to the boy…

  Chapter 3 The music was coming from somewhere ahead…

  Chapter 4 Annie hurried down the path back to the cabin.

  Chapter 5 The Faerie Queen looked down at Kate.

  Chapter 6 Who are these people? Cooper asked herself…

  Chapter 7 “But I have to get the rest of my costume…”

  Chapter 8 “So you’re here with Annie and Cooper?” Scott asked…

  Chapter 9 Cooper had never seen anyone move as quietly…

  Chapter 10 Annie stood and followed Robin Hood.

  Chapter 11 It was getting late. The moon was high overhead…

  Chapter 12 As she darted through the forest…

  Chapter 13 The Holly King walked slowly through the woods…

  Chapter 14 “Where are we going?” Kate asked the two children.

  Chapter 15 Cooper hit the water with a splash.

  Chapter 16 “They were killed,” Annie said before…

  Chapter 17 “Come on. We’re going to miss it if we don’t hurry.”

  About the Author

  Credits

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  Mask Making Ritual

  In the Dreaming takes place on Midsummer’s eve, also known in Wicca as Litha or the Summer Solstice. This is the shortest night of the year, and traditionally it is known as a night of wild magic. At Midsummer all the rules go out the window. The night is said to belong to the faeries, the wild people of the woods, and anyone who meets with them is supposed to be in for some strange adventures. Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream – upon which In the Dreaming is partly modeled – is perhaps the most famous portrayal of what can happen on this magical and wonderful night.

  One of the most fun parts of Midsummer is that it’s all about magic and enchantment. And one of the most fun ways to celebrate Midsummer is to hold a celebration where you and your friends become the magical beings you want to be. How? By making widowsmasks. Annie makes a hedgehog mask in In the Dreaming (something I did once!), and it leads her into an adventure she could never even imagine.

  Using masks in ritual and celebrations is a wonderful way to express creativity. Masks can be manifestations of how we see ourselves or would like to see ourselves, and they can also be used to represent characters from stories and legends, or deities that might be invoked in ritual.

  Masks can be as simple as a paper plate decorated and tied around the head with string, or a paper bag transformed with paints, glued-on objects, and anything else you can think of. I have taken a simple Halloween masquerade ball mask (the kind that covers just the eyes and nose) and used hot glue to affix holly leaves all over it, making a Holly King mask that was a big hit at a Solstice party. A friend of mine made a fantastic Crone mask by gluing a wild tangle of raw sheep’s wool to a plaster cast of her own face. The possibilities are fairly endless.

  My own favorite kind of mask to make is the traditional papier-mâché kind. This is very easy to do, and the resulting masks can be decorated in all kinds of ways.

  The basic supplies you need for this kind of undertaking are:

  newspapers

  white glue

  warm water

  a bucket or bowl to hold the water/glue mixture

  some kind of form to place the papier-mâché on

  gesso (This is a pasty substance used to preparecanvases for painting. It is readily available in art supply or craft stores.)

  anything you like for painting or decorating

  Note: If you actually want to wear your mask on Midsummer, be sure to start making it well before the day. Masks can take several days to create because of the time it takes the papier-mâché to dry. Also, once you start making masks you might find you want to make more than one.

  Start by deciding what kind of mask you want to make and what basic form you will need to fashion it. If you’re making a simple flat facemask that will tie on, you can use a paper plate or plastic dish as a form. But most people want to make more complicated things. For example, if you want to make a mask that will fit over your whole head, you need to start with an object that is the approximate size, and preferably larger than, your own head. I have used large balloons and even children’s beach balls for large masks. The important thing is to use something that, when the papier-mâché dries, will be easy to remove. Balloons are great because you just pop them and pull the pieces out. Beach balls are harder, but they work. So do things like plastic jugs. Rubber balls are bad, because the glue tends to adhere to them, making removal difficult. You can use forms made of cardboard or sturdy paper, but keep in mind that the base will probably have to stay part of the mask.

  If you want your mask to have additions like horns, a snout, protruding eyes, a beak, or anything like that, you will need to find appropriately-shaped objects to form them on. I have used plastic containers, old bottles, cans, cardboard tubes from toilet paper and paper towels, and even egg cartons to good effect. You can form things like horns out of heavy paper rolled into cone shapes and secured with tape. I once made some wonderful twisting horns out of lengths of foam pipe insulation slipped over spiral forms made of coat hanger wire. Once the papier-mâché dried over them, I slipped the wires out, and the resulting horns were lightweight enough to be glued fairly easily to the main head of the mask.

  Glue, tape, or otherwise attach your shapes to the main body of your mask. You can tape cups and egg cartons right to balloons if you’re careful. You can also make additional features separately and affix them later. For example, while I usually make large eyes or noses directly on the basic form, I generally make horns separately and glue them on when the main head is done.

  Once you have your basic form, the rest is fairly easy. Tear the newspaper into strips about 12-2 inches wide and anywhere from 3-4 inches long. You might want to make some very small, narrow strips for smaller areas and bigger pieces for larger areas. I find that plain old newspaper works best for papier-mâché, but I have also used heavy brown paper and even tissue paper, although the tissue paper is very hard to use and takes many layers of application to be useful. If you want your paper to be the final finish (the glue will dry clear) then choose something pretty. Otherwise, don’t worry about it. You’ll be covering up the foundation anyway.

  Once you have a nice pile of paper strips, it’s time to mix the paste. Take a bowl and add some white glue, maybe four or five tablespoons to start. Then add about twice that amount in warm water. Mix it well, so that you have a thin, white paste. The paste should be sticky, but not lumpy and not overly runny. It’s not hard to make the paste, so use your judgment about how much water to add.

  You’ll be surprised how little paste you actually use for an average-sized mask, so don’t go crazy and use the whole bottle of glue. I usually use about a fourth of a bottle per mask.

  Once you have your strips and your paste, the rest is easy. Dip a strip of paper into the paste. Don’t let it sit in the paste, or it will become soggy. Just run it through the paste so that both sides are covered. Let the excess drip off, or run it through your fingers to remove extra paste.

  Now place the strip on your mask form, smoothing it on with your fingers. Start at any point you like, but remember that you might need to hold the mask in your hand at some point while working on it – work accordingly so that the point you hold is the last point you cover.

  Work over the entire mask, applying pieces of pasted paper
. Be sure to overlap edges, as this forms a sturdier base. Don’t worry about making every edge perfect, either. Excess paper can be easily cut away when the mask dries. Use the same technique to make horns, ears, snouts, etc.

  Once the whole mask is covered, let it dry. This can take from a few hours to overnight, depending on how much paste you used, how heavily you applied the strips, and what the conditions of the room are.

  When the mask is dry to the touch, apply a second layer of strips. Continue this process of drying and applying strips until the mask is very sturdy. I generally put between four and five layers of paper on a mask. Larger masks will need more layers, as they need the extra support.

  If you haven’t already attached items such as horns, ears, snouts, etc., this is the time to do it. Affix them in whatever way is easiest. Then cover the places where these items join the main body of the mask with more strips of paper. This hides seams, and also makes the mask as a whole much more solid. Horns especially need extra support, so put two or three layers of pasted paper on to help hold them in place. If your mask is one that fits over your head, make sure that there are holes in the place you will be looking through. Sometimes this place is the actual eyes of the mask. But other times your eye holes will need to be in the nose or even neck of the papier-mâché head. Try your mask on at different stages to be sure you know where your eye holes will need to go.

  When the whole mask is dry, remove the underlying form if you can. If you’ve used a balloon, simply pop it and pull the pieces away. Some forms, like plastic containers, often pull away easily, but others, such as beach balls, may have to be cut out. If there are any rough edges, or if you need to reshape the mask so that it fits over your head, simply cut away the excess material with scissors.

  Now that you have a mask, it’s time to cover it with a base coat. I use painter’s gesso, which goes on very easily with any paintbrush, covers newsprint and any colors found in the paper, and leaves a smooth, hard finish. If you put enough layers of gesso on, you can even sandpaper it to smooth out any wrinkles that may be there.

  It’s important to remember here that your mask doesn’t have to be perfect. The newspaper will always leave wrinkles and imperfections in the surface of the mask. Don’t worry about it. Paint and other decorations will help disguise those things.

  Once you’ve applied enough layers of gesso so that you’re happy with the finish, decorate your mask in any way you like. Use paints, sequins, pinecones, feathers, shells, flowers, wool, colored paper, or anything else you like. I once made for a friend a wonderful Green Man mask out of holly leaves, which I affixed to a basic mask form with a hot glue gun. Let your imagination run wild, and try everything.

  Now you’re done. If you’ve made a simple face mask, you will need to be able to tie it on. Make holes in the side of the mask and tie pieces of ribbon through the holes. If you’ve made a mask that fits over your head, just put it on!

  Celebrate Midsummer by dressing up in costumes and your masks. Act out a favorite story or legend, or simply have a big party and enjoy this magical night. Also, you don’t have to use your masks only at Midsummer. That’s only once a year, but there are plenty of other times when masks would be good additions to your magical work and play. Remember – you create the magic when you put your imagination to work and create something fun and fantastic.

  – Isobel Bird

  Follow the

  with Book 6: Ring of Light

  “Come on,” Kate said, grabbing Tyler’s hand and pulling him up the front walk to her house. “It’s not going to be that bad.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Tyler joked as he followed along behind her. “You’re not the one spending the day with your girlfriend’s parents for the first time.”

  Kate stopped at the door and turned to look at her boyfriend. His black hair was, as usual, tousled but adorable, and his eyes, a peculiar deep gold color, sparkled in the July sun. Her parents had met Tyler a few times and seemed to like him, but she was still a little nervous. This was the first time they’d all be together for more than half an hour. Tyler was the first guy she’d brought home since Scott, and they’d thought that Scott was the perfect boyfriend for her. They hadn’t understood when she broke things off with him, and she knew that might make them particularly critical of Tyler, who had replaced Scott as the guy in her life.

  “Don’t worry,” she said, reassuring herself as much as she was reassuring Tyler. “They’re going to love you.”

  Tyler grinned. “That would be nice,” he said, “but the only one I need to love me is you.”

  Kate rolled her eyes, but inside she was thrilled to hear Tyler say that. Only recently had either of them said the L-word, and it was still new to her. Every time Tyler said it, she felt like she was the most important person in the world.

  “I do love you,” she said, leaning up and kissing him.

  Just as their lips met, the front door opened and her father’s face appeared.

  “Am I interrupting something?” he said gruffly.

  Startled, Kate pulled away from her boyfriend and instinctively wiped her hand across her mouth in embarrassment.

  “Hi, Daddy,” she said, trying to keep her composure.

  “Hello, Mr. Morgan,” Tyler said, doing a much better job than Kate was of pretending that they hadn’t just been caught making out. “It’s nice to see you again.”

  Mr. Morgan reached out and took Tyler’s offered hand, shaking it firmly while looking his daughter’s boyfriend up and down carefully. “Nice to see you again, too,” he said evenly.

  Avoiding her father’s gaze, Kate slipped past him and into the house, drawing Tyler after her. She hustled him through the living room and into the kitchen, where her mother was rushing around doing ten different things at once as she prepared the food for the cookout they were having.

  “Hi, honey,” Mrs. Morgan said as she turned from checking something in the oven and went back to chopping celery at the counter.

  When she saw Tyler standing behind her daughter she stopped what she was doing and smiled at him. “Hi, Tyler,” she said. “I’d shake hands but I’m afraid they’re covered in barbeque sauce, flour, and who knows what else.”

  “That’s okay,” Tyler said. “I get the idea, and whatever it is you’re cooking, it smells amazing, so the trade-off is more than worth it.”

  Mrs. Morgan looked at Kate. “This one’s a flatterer,” she said. “Watch out for those. They’ll get you every time. I should know—it’s how your father got me.”

  Kate blushed. “Well, everything does smell great,” she said, trying to change the subject. “What’s on the menu?”

  “The usual Fourth of July picnic spread,” her mother replied. “Hot dogs, fried chicken, corn on the cob, potato salad, baked beans, and chocolate cake.”

  “I smell something else,” Kate said, sniffing the air around the oven. She opened the door and peeked inside, where she saw a pan of lasagna sitting on one of the racks.

  “Lasagna?” she said suspiciously. “You only make lasagna when—”

  “When Kyle’s home?” a voice behind her finished.

  Kate wheeled around, letting out a squeal of surprise when she saw her older brother standing there, a huge grin on his face and his arms held open. She ran to him and wrapped her arms around him as he picked her up and swung her around.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked when he finally put her down. “I thought you were staying at the university this summer to work.”

  “I am,” Kyle said. “But I have a little time off. Besides, I had to bring you something.”

  “Bring me something?” Kate said. “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, it’s just a little present I picked up on the way here,” Kyle answered mysteriously. “Want to see it? It’s out back.”

  Kate looked at her mother, who was also now grinning wickedly.

  “Do you know about this?” Kate asked her.

  “You’ll just have to go
and see for yourself,” her mother said, pretending to be busy ripping up lettuce for a salad.

  Kate headed for the back door with everyone following behind her. She had no idea what Kyle could be talking about. It wasn’t her birthday or anything, and she was surprised enough to see him home for the Fourth. What else could he have brought with him?

  She burst through the screen door and stepped into the backyard, looking around for her big surprise. What she saw was the barbeque, the coals already glowing, and a picnic table piled with paper plates and plastic utensils. Then she noticed that someone was sitting in one of the lawn chairs that had been set out. When she realized who it was, she gasped.

  “Aunt Netty?” she said, not believing her eyes.

  “The one and only,” said the woman in the chair as she stood up. “Surprised?”

  Kate darted forward and hugged her aunt tightly, all the while laughing with delight. She couldn’t believe it—her favorite aunt was standing in her backyard.

  “I told you I picked up something you would like,” Kyle said teasingly.

  Kate turned to Tyler, who was standing in the doorway silently watching the goings-on. “This is my Aunt Netty,” she said happily.

  “I got that part,” Tyler quipped. He stepped forward and shook the woman’s hand. “I’m Tyler,” he told her.

  Aunt Netty raised an eyebrow and turned to her niece. “Not bad at all,” she said. “I see you inherited the Rampling women’s good taste in men.”

  She turned back to Tyler and smiled. “Don’t take me too seriously,” she said. “I’m just teasing.”

  “No problem,” Tyler responded. “I happen to think Kate has pretty good taste in men myself.”

  Everyone laughed at his joke. Kate, who still hadn’t let go of her aunt’s hand, was looking at her closely. “You cut your hair,” she said. “It used to hang down past your shoulders.”

  Aunt Netty shook her head. She was wearing a straw hat, and her hair barely touched her shoulders. “I didn’t like all of that hair hanging in my face,” she said. “Do you like the new look? I think it’s kind of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”