Date: Mon, 19 Feb 1996 19:35:00 PST Reply-To: Mike Goldman Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Mike Goldman Subject: Counterfeit Friends (11/22)--HL Story BTW: Apologies...my computer has now officially changed personalities and it appears to have deleted the "credits" sectin. The two songs in the previous section were "Changed the Locks" (Lucinda Williams) and "Fire of the Newly Alive" (Rosanne Cash). Things seemed to be on an even keel. Duncan informed Richie about Joe and Rory and, of course, Richie decided his next practice bout with Rory was the perfect time to tweak her about it. After ending up sitting on his butt in about two minutes flat, he whined that he thought she had been in a monastery for the last twenty years. Rory responded that, surely, he didn't think she'd spent *all* that time in prayer and meditation. The band had been playing several nights a week for some time and one Friday afternoon, Rory came in early to spend some time on a song she'd been writing. Blinking as she entered the dimly-lighted club from the winter sunshine outside, she was surprised to see Duncan sitting at the bar with Joe. "Hi, Mac." she greeted him. "What are you doing down here?" "I was in the area." he said noncommittally. Rory nodded. It could happen. a voice whispered in her head. "Why don't you come look at this?" he invited, "Maybe you can tell us what it is." Puzzled, she walked over to the bar, but first kissed Joe hello before looking at the object placed on the bar. It was a letter-size envelope with her name "O'Riordan Malone" written in block letters on the front. Wincing at the use of her full name, Rory turned the envelope over in her hands, but there was no postmark, return address or other identifying information written there. Feeling something inside the envelope, she turned it over and a small shape wrapped in a piece of paper fell into her hand. She shook open the paper and a small gold coin with a hold bored through it dropped out onto the bartop with a clinking sound. Duncan picked upthe coin as Rory smoothed out the paper. "What is that?" Joe asked, looking at the two short lines written on it. Duncan looked at the paper, "It looks like Irish to me," he said airily. "Maybe Rory could translate for us." Rory's hand involuntarily clenched the bar rail. Duncan and Joe were looking at her expectantly. "It says 'Is aisling tri neallaibh do deineadh areir dom IgCorcaigh go deanach ar leaba im aonar*.," she said shortly. "But what does that mean?" Duncan asked. *Oh Macleod,* she thought, "*you are *really* pressing your luck.*" Speaking out loud, she said, "It means 'A vision in dream was revealed to me last night in Cork, a late hour, in my solitary bed." "What kind of thing is *that* to write?" Joe asked. Rory shrugged. "Maybe it's some frustrated poet wanting to try out as a songwriter for the band." Her voice sounded high, thin and unconvincing to her ears. "But the coin," Duncan said, "being so old, it's fairly valuable. Seems like a funny way for a 'songwriter' to introduce himself." He kept looking steadily at her, twirling the coin in his fingers. "Doesn't it?" "How the hell should I know?" Rory snapped. "Some unknown person leaves a note in Irish and an old coin on the bar and I'm supposed to become Karnak the Magnificent? I've got no clue." She turned on her heel, went over to the stage, and began savagely moving speakers and cords around. Duncan kept staring after her. "Hey Mac," Joe said, touching him on the arm to get his attention. "Leave her alone, alright? It's probably a little nervewracking to have some unknown person leaving her notes like that." A loud thump from the stage made him wince. Mac looked down at the coin again. "Oh, I'm sure if she thought about it, she could probably figure out who it is." * = Irish lyrics are from "The Big Fellah" (Black 47) =========================================================================