Michael washed his glasses, and spoke as he dried every one by hand.

"Milo, do not start that sorry business again. Katie and her bunch explained that they are from another time. It was not transformation Tommy Paris committed upon that lassie, but an eye trick. She never was a cow. They never were Fair Folk. No  Leprechauns. End of all that."

"Michael, they're good people. All's'm sayin is, mebbe they could help us to answer what it is truly happened to Old Kilmanin, all those years ago. I'm not accusin--merely askin'."

Sullivan finished his work, and walked over to the door. He stared up at the hills beyond their sleepy village.

"Kilmanin. It seems as much a dream as the wife I had when my brains slumbered. That was before I met Katie, of course."

Milo seemed a good deal more sober than normal, as he joined Michael at the door.

"Well, I don't speak of your dreams, lad. Kilmanin was once as real as you or me. But someone from this time or theirs must know the answer---where did it go?"

Hills, whether photonic or mineral, are rarely known to yield such answers, so the talk stopped, and was never really brought up again.

-----------------------------------------------

12 Months Prior, USS Voyager

Harry Kim shook his head.

"Tom---the whole program?"

Paris just shrugged.

"Seven and Belanna agree--rare though that is. This file is corrupted by one of Seska's post-mortem 'gifts'. I don't dare introduce it to the active systems."

Harry read over the summary file of his friend's doomed pet project.

"Oh, Tom. This little Irish town sounds perfect. Promise me you'll keep trying?"

Tom began the ugly process, and nodded.

"Believe it. Anything I can do to thwart our dear late resident Cardie spy is a moral imperative by definition. Plus, I began to like this town."

The file-erasure was nearly complete. Harry began to walk out.

"See ya. Oh--did you give the place a name?"

Tom shook his head.

"No. Never did. I'll have to think of one for next time."

"Just don't take as long as The Doc."

 Tom chuckled.

"Watch it, Harry."

At last, the final command was readied. Tom felt chills. This effort hurt.

"Delete. Code - Paris34W; Killfile Manual Insertion. Delete----KilManIn."

Inside the program, the characters saw the deletion sparks as Fair Folk--and invited them in.

A town that never was died, and a mystery was born in another—that also never was. All that remained of File KilManIn was a whisper that never once knew air.