“Darken Abbey was once a beacon of goodness and hope on this lovely island of yours,” Cosain said. “It stood as a refuge for the poor and the broken and the forgotten, and was run by a group of honourable, upright men – with a little help from some of our angelic number. In fact, I was stationed there myself for quite some time to keep watch over the monks. The abbey has always been a very special place; it was designated by the Atoner Himself as a place from which He could reach out through those He selected to fulfil His purposes. Sadly, however, darkness often has a way of finding its way where it is not wanted, and at Darken Abbey it found its way into the heart of things when a couple of the monks were duped by Craven the Deceiver.”
“Craven?” Phoebe interjected. “We’ve encountered him before, back in Africa! How on earth did he get into the middle of a bunch of monks, and in an abbey of all places?”
“You are right, Phoebe,” answered Cosain. “You have come across Craven before. He is one of Abaddon’s personal favourites; he always has been, from aeons past. Craven has been at Abaddon’s side from the very beginning – if evil knows any loyalty, then Craven comes as close to displaying it as any demon I have ever encountered. He is a fearsome foe, there is no doubt about that, but he is also the most devious and wily of creatures, and latterly he has been despatched by Abaddon to assist Schnither in destroying the Atoner’s plans for you and your parents.”
“So,” said Demetrius, trying to disguise his impatience as he attempted to draw the conversation back towards Darken Abbey. “What did these rogue brothers do that was so bad?”
“To call them rogue is somewhat unfair, Demetrius. In fact, for all intents and purposes, they were good men with honest intentions, but Craven did what he does best – he lied to them, deceived them, and gradually planted ideas and suggestions in their heads until they did what history tells us many good men have done – they gave way to temptation and they fell from grace. Their fall would not have been irrevocable, however; they could have found grace again and the situation could have been redeemed, but Craven was thorough in his work, and the end result was catastrophic.”
Cosain’s face took on a pained expression as if the memories of what happened almost a century ago still haunted him. He paused briefly before continuing.
“Craven quickly sought out the two monks who he knew he could most easily influence – Brother Byron and Brother Ernest were genuine and sincere, devoted to the Atoner and to their brotherhood, but they were young and perhaps lacking in wisdom, so when Craven arrived at Darken Abbey with the subtle but persistent promise of incalculable wealth and riches, and a better, more comfortable life for them, these young monks could not resist forever. Of course, Craven did not appear to them as Craven; no, the troublemaker wormed his way into the abbey in human form, under the guise of a fellow monk – Brother Clarence. At first, Clarence was an incredible help to the hard working monks, and was welcomed as a brother. He was well respected and liked by all the local townsfolk, and for some time it appeared that his entire focus was on helping the poor and ensuring justice for those who could not speak up for themselves. The monks and villagers alike rejoiced that Brother Clarence had joined their ranks and were so thankful for his presence with them.”
Cosain paused again, perhaps to draw breath, or perhaps because he was aware that his tale was already weighing heavily on his young listeners. It was a tale that must be told, however, and so Cosain continued.
“Once he had secured the trust of Brother Byron and Brother Ernest in particular, Craven – or Brother Clarence – chipped away at the unsuspecting monks until finally he persuaded them that there was much more to life than meagre possessions and a lifestyle devoted to simplicity and Godliness. Like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, he whispered persistent ‘what ifs’ to the young monks, and filled their heads with notions of wealth and grandeur. Craven worked incognito to create a restlessness and dissatisfaction in the young monks’ souls that could no longer be satisfied by their desire to serve the Atoner, and they were quietly offered subtle suggestions as to how they could better their lives. At first, Craven persuaded them that there could be no real harm in their racketeering and money making schemes, as the abbey would benefit from their tactics, and he encouraged them in stealthy, underhand agreements with rich local landowners, who would part with large sums of money for Brothers Byron’s and Ernest’s assurance that the abbey would turn a blind eye while the rich got richer at the expense of the poor. Craven whispered his twisted logic to Byron and Ernest, convincing them that what they were doing was not wrong since nobody was injured or killed, but was in fact just good business. You see, that is what the Enemy excels at – selling mortals a teaspoon of truth so they swallow a bucketful of lies, and the two young monks fell for Craven’s trickery.
As time went on and Brothers Byron and Ernest accumulated more and more wealth, they became greedy and no matter how much money they made, it was just never enough. Of course, this was playing right into Craven’s hands, and he was delighted with the results of his mischief making. The wayward monks began to be more brazen in the things they would do for money – it was inevitable that they would get caught because as they threw caution to the wind, they got careless, and eventually Brother Bennett, the abbey’s head monk, got wind of what they had been doing and, with a heavy heart, called in the authorities. Byron and Ernest were arrested, tried and imprisoned for their pilfering and extortion, and Brother Clarence was to be indicted for the role he had played in the whole sorry affair, but he was nowhere to be found – hardly surprising since Craven simply discarded his mortal disguise and disappeared back to the Mooar Mountain once his dastardly task was complete. Very quickly, Byron and Ernest came to realise how they had been misguided and both monks repented, but by then Craven’s work was complete. Local people no longer trusted the monks, whose communal reputation had been seriously tarnished. Brother Bennett blamed himself for not seeing through Clarence’s schemes, and felt he could no longer continue in his role as head monk. He packed up and left the abbey, and although a few tried to step into his shoes and revive the life of the abbey, no-one could fulfil Brother Bennett’s role as overseer and adviser and it was only a matter of time until Darken Abbey shut its doors forever.”
“Greed, bribery, corruption, holding people to ransom – I get how these are all bad things to do,” interjected Phoebe. “But how does it all relate to us? I mean, were there bigger consequences than just an abbey closing down?”
“Ah, yes Phoebe,” replied Cosain nodding his head thoughtfully. “There are always consequences and repercussions when people choose to satisfy self against the Atoner’s plans. The decimation of the monks’ reputation was not the only by-product of the scandal. The removal of the abbey and the good works being done by the monks left a void, and Abaddon seized his chance. He replaced good with evil, light with darkness, angels with demons, and what once stood as a light on a hill bringing hope and justice to this village and indeed the whole island and beyond, was filled instead with blackness and angst. The local people realised too late that in shunning what had been good in their midst, they had created space for its antithesis, and so to this day deceit and injustice and trouble preside where once shone good. When people wilfully reject the light, darkness wastes no time in usurping its place.”
“So, the welfare of Ireland and its inhabitants has been gravely damaged by the closure of the abbey?” Phoebe was beginning to see where Cosain’s history lesson was going, and the realisation of what she and Demetrius and Ella must do was dawning on her.
“Exactly,” Cosain smiled kindly at the brave young girl before him. “You see, Darken Abbey was more than just a building, and it was more than just a group of monks working for good – Darken Abbey was – is – a thin place.”
Ella screwed up her face and bit her lower lip, asking in her expression the unspoken question, which Cosain went on to answer.
“A thin place is anywhere that Heaven and Earth come close, where the Atoner and man convene, and the things that keep them apart become insignificant. Darken Abbey is such a place. It is a special place, chosen by the Atoner for fellowship and communion with those who trust Him. For a time, the Enemy has been able to thwart the potential of Darken Abbey, but it is time for light to come from within its walls once more. Phoebe, the Celtic Justice Mission will in effect pick up where Brother Bennett and his fellow monks left off. What they established over a decade ago was ordained by the Atoner, and will be carried on by your parents.”
A smile played at the corners of Phoebe’s mouth, and she nodded her head slowly. Any nervous or anxious thoughts were being replaced by the thrill of realisation that she and her friends had been afforded the opportunity to help squash darkness and bring the light back to their little island.
“Of course, this will not exactly be music to Abaddon’s ears, he will certainly not relinquish Darken Abbey without a fight. The Enemy took the abbey by force, knowing its importance to the Atoner. And now we must take it back by force.”
Cosain looked at the three teenagers assembled before him, awaiting their response. It was Demetrius who spoke for them all – “Just tell us what to do”.