Five hundred years ago, Lilian came across an old elf in the forest of Gibeon when she went to fetch some firewood to prepare dinner with her mother. She wasn't a kind lady. The old elf was out to give her final blessing or curse to anyone she came in contact with and pass a little test. As Lilian walked passed her, the old elf beckoned on her:
Hey daughter! Could you help me carry this luggage up the hill?
Unfortunately, Lilian winked at the old elf and walked hysterically into the Woods to fetch dried woods.
The old elf, named Hunch, casted a spell that turned half of Lilian's face to go grey while the other part remained normal. The first was to spread down to her fifth generation.
When Lilian returned home, she told her parents how she was stung by some bees, making half of her face turn grey. They became so worried and tried several herbs on Lilian but no changes.
Lilian got married to a missionary from the riverine part of Waterford. She was happy to be married to a lowly but famous man. And to add to it, they will be living far away from Cork, where she had spent all her life.
Lilian and Romeo moved from one missionary field to another and five years later, Lilian got pregnant and gave birth to her first child, Priscilia.
She was so adorable. Lilian discovered that she had the same grey face as hers. She reminds herself of the curse of Hunch, the old elf.
When Priscilia turned six, Romeo and Lilian travelled to Cork to spend the Easter holiday with grandpa. They were to spend three days but ended up spending six. As she was playing around with other kids, they rode their bicycle to and fro the streets one by each.
When it was her turn to ride, Priscilia rode down the lane and a little elf appeared and stopped her bicycle.
I see Hunch had her last spell on you.
After the young elf had said this, he walked like a whirlwind into the streets till Priscilia could not see him again.
Fear gripped Priscilia that she rode the bicycle as quickly as she could and ran indoors to meet her mum.
Mummy!! I saw a talking whirlwind boy who told me that I carry a spell.
Lillian quickly held Priscilia on her shoulders and dragged her into the room to ask her what transpired. After she had given the report, Lilian returned to the living room to continue her discussion with her husband, Romeo.
The countenance on his face made Lilian feel guilty for not having told Romeo about her encounter with Hunch, the old elf. And now, her curse is spreading through her generations.
Still, Likian kept it a secret from everyone. She got pregnant again, this time, she bore a son, Matty. He has the same grey face as Priscilia and Lilian. Everyone who saw them would refer to their grey faces as birthmarks, but Lilian knew it wasn't.
Several years later, Priscilia went to college to study orthodox medicine. She was good at her trade. Matty studied nursing instead. There are no traces of gene history in their DNA to reflect the grey faces. It can't be traced.
When she graduated from college, she was offered a job at the medical centre in Dublin where she would be joining other medical experts to practise orthodox medicine.
Matty had two more years to go in college when he met a friendly lady named Isabella. They became good friends and always looked out for one another before he found out that she was an elf. Since he met Isabella, he had been experiencing good fortunes.
As such, Matty was not ready to step aside. He promised to be with her asking as he won't get hurt.
Finding love in Isabella is the best thing that has happened to Matty since he got admission into the college. She was so caring and homely. One evening, she told Matty to keep it a secret if he wants to get healed from the curse.
Confused, Matty wasn't clear as to what Isabella meant by the "curse."
To make him comfortable and trust her, Isabella told Matty how his mother got cursed by an old elf when she put up a bad attitude towards Hunch, the old elf.
Matty found this rather awkward and stopped seeing Isabella, breaking his promise. Throughout the remaining days in the college, their paths never crossed.
Meanwhile, Priscilia found love at the medical centre. Ken and Priscilia agreed to get married after a short courtship. Their marriage was blessed and the lovebirds returned to Dublin to start a home and build a career in orthodox medicine.
Priscilla became pregnant and her first child was a son. She named him Ken Junior after her husband. Like his mother, Ken Jnr has the same grey face.
Ken had no suspicion too because the grey face looked like a generational birthmark. Sometimes, kids in the neighbourhood call Ken Jnr a chameleon-faced boy. At first it didn't bug Ken Jnr until his father caught a glimpse of it. Then, he asked Priscilia if there was a history of the birthmark in their family.
This was beginning to be a big issue. Matty needed an answer and now Ken is demanding an explanation from Priscilia.
On the day of their graduation, when everyone was happy that college life would be coming to an end, Matty met Isabella with her parents taking photographs. He couldn't ignore her despite knowing that she has some kind of ears covered in the hair on her head.
She walked towards her. It was supposed to be a reunion but Isabella snubbed him, not because she doesn't love him anymore but because he couldn't keep to his promise.
That afternoon, Matty did all he could to get her attention but Isabella wasn't ready for another heartbreak. She just scribbled something on white paper and passed it to him.
I am sorry, we won't be seeing each other again because you failed me the first time, I am not going to be fooled a second time.
Go ask your mother what transpired between her and Hunch, the old elf. That's where the lifting of the curse of your grey faces lies.
That evening, Matty returned home and asked his old mother how it all began. It was a long night as Lilian reminisced how she exhibited youthful exuberance that attracted the grey-faced curse on herself.
Reading through the shower note that Isabella scribbled for him, he asked his mother to take him to the hill where Hunch, the old elf lived.
It was St. Patrick's Day, a day when you can ask for anything and receive it as much as it is with a sincere heart.
On Hunch, the old elf's tomb, Matty spoke such a poetic lyric. It was so touching that Hunch, the old elf, moved to her resting place. Immediately, the grey patch on their faces left.