Solstice - The Goddess Awakens

As the worn sign on the front of the aged building indicated, the Ballyvalley News had been in circulation since 1835, making it the oldest paper in the county. Hasn’t changed much in over one hundred years, scoffed Lola to herself as she made her way around the walnut-panelled counter at reception. Jane wasn’t at her usual station this morning. She must have gone to make some tea, thought Lola as she approached the back office gingerly, hoping that she was the first to arrive. Delighted that she was alone, Lola hung her coat up on the mahogany stand and took a seat at her desk. The new Apple Mac desktop computers offered a stark contrast to their surroundings. The epitome of a modern technological age trapped in another era. Stepping into the Ballyvalley News was like stepping back in time. Lola’s eyes travelled around the bland room, taking in the worn brown carpet tiles and old office desks that no doubt had been purchased back in the 1970s. The walls were a sickly white and the light that flooded the reception area was prevented from entering the back office by a large wooden partition. The doorway between the rooms had panes of glass high up on the panelling, but visibility was so poor that the halogen lights were always on.

Hitting the ‘On’ button, Lola organised some press releases as her computer whirred to life. Her desk faced a peeling wall, forcing her to sit with her back towards her colleagues, which only compounded her unease. She couldn’t quite explain it, but the place seemed to be devoid of any positive energy. Forcing those observations to the back of her mind, Lola tried to focus on the banal workload.

‘Morning, Lola,’ greeted Abbey Williams in her sugary, high-pitched voice. This was as much conversation as Lola would get from her all day if the last week was anything to go by. Abbey hadn’t exactly been welcoming and Lola wasn’t exactly sure how to feel about her. Abbey was the type of girl that viewed other women as competition. Determined to make an effort, Lola turned to greet her new colleague.

‘Morning, Abbey. It’s a great day, isn’t it?’ she offered genially. Both women exchanged pleasantries, but it was strained. Abbey’s attention quickly moved to Drew, her sidekick, as he, Sebastian and Bryce all arrived into work. As Drew and Abbey gradually excluded her from their conversation, Lola turned her attention back to the pile of dreaded press releases on her desk. She hated the damn things but she was the ‘newbie’ and this was how she was supposed to learn her trade, despite the fact that she had worked all year for the university paper. It was something to do, and certainly better than sitting idle.

It was after lunch when the desk phone rang. Lola had been having difficulty working out the ring patterns: two rings in close succession indicated an internal call, and one long ring an external call. Preoccupied as the dream invaded her mind again, she didn’t recognise the ring pattern and lifted the phone in automatic pilot.

‘Hello. Ballyvalley News. News Desk, can I help you?’

‘You still haven’t figured out the ring patterns, Lola!’ said a brisk, well-spoken voice on the other end of the line. A light pink blush covered Lola’s face; it was Bryce Neal, editor-in-chief of the Ballyvalley News.

‘Oh. Hi, Mr Neal. Sorry about that,’ laughed Lola tentatively. ‘How can I help?’

‘Could you come up to my office, please? I’d like to have a word with you.’

Heat started to rush in waves through Lola’s body as she tried to think why he might want to see her. She could tell that Abbey, who hadn’t spoken to her since this morning, was straining hard to listen. Lola rose from her desk, nervously smoothing down the light creases in her cotton dress, and climbed the moaning stairs to the editor’s office. She tried to compose herself as she knocked on the door, and was relieved when a pleasant voice beckoned her in.

‘Please, take a seat,’ said Bryce, motioning to the plush green leather chair in front of his desk. Lola sat down as instructed, trying to disguise her apprehension. The last time she had been sitting in that chair was during her interview, and it wasn’t as comfortable as it looked. Bryce Neal was quite handsome and this only served to compound Lola’s embarrassment. He was the youngest editor the Ballyvalley News had ever had, and he was keen, by his own admission, to bring it kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century. His dark hair was neatly styled and Lola couldn’t help but notice a well-toned torso under his pale blue shirt and navy suit. His cufflinks had little owls with red eyes. They looked expensive. She guessed that he was in his early thirties, he couldn’t be much older.

‘So, Lola, how did your first week go?’ he asked, his youthful face breaking into a warm smile. ‘I’m sorry I haven’t had much time to get down and see you, but you know how it is. I’ve been very busy. Sebastian tells me you’re doing very well though.’ Sebastian was the paper’s deputy editor and proofreader. He was the only one who had been welcoming to Lola, but she suspected he’d told Bryce that she might’ve been feeling a bit uncomfortable in the office.

‘It’s been good. It’s always hard being the new person, but I’ve enjoyed my first week.’ Lola was the worst liar. She forced a smile, working hard to sell the lie she had just told her editor.

‘Well, Lola, we’re very glad to have you! Not only are you local, but you have an excellent academic record, and I think you will do very well here.’ Bryce smiled reassuringly. ‘Arthur tells me that you had a lot of other offers. But, you chose us, and that says a great deal to me. We are only a weekly newspaper, but you’ll get to work across the entire paper, in terms of news, features and sport. You’ll also get a chance to learn how to edit pages and lay them out. I see you’ve already some experience of page make-up at the university paper. I must say, Lola, I was very impressed by some of your copy, especially your piece on the recent hike in student tuition fees. I dare say you’ll make quite the investigative journalist.’

It had been a very hard week for Lola and she was grateful that her editor had sensed this, or indeed acted on Sebastian’s information. Not sure what to say, she smiled and nodded, thankful for the effort made to give her a few words of encouragement.

‘Thank you, Mr Neal, I want to learn as much as I can while I’m here,’ offered Lola, realising how tense she sounded.

‘Well, it’s a lovely day out there and everything is about done here. So, why don’t you take the rest of the day off? Go and enjoy the sunshine.’

‘I won’t need to be told that twice! Thank you, sir, and have a great weekend.’

Leaving the office, Lola felt as though a weight had been lifted off her weary shoulders. She was surprised at the impact a little bit of reassurance could have on her. In truth, since coming to the paper, her confidence had plummeted, but then self-belief was something she constantly battled with. As Lola emerged from the dark office into the bright street, her phone rang. ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ rose into the summer air as Lola fumbled about in her bag. She managed to get to it before the caller hung up.

‘Well, Rubes! Sorry about that, my phone was at the bottom of my bag. What’s the craic?’

‘Hi, honey,’ responded the chirpy voice at the end of the line. ‘At least you have it with you today!’

‘Very funny! I’ve just got out of work, the boss let me go early.’

‘Great, that’s why I was calling. I’m just coming out of work too! Do ya fancy meeting me in the park?’

‘Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you there in five.’

‘Ok, hun, loves ya.’

‘Yeah, me too!’

With that the phone went dead, and Lola made her way to the park to meet Ruby Carter.