Only Darkness
Created | Updated Jan 9, 2012
A man leaves Australia, despite the protests of the woman he loves, to travel back to his ancestral home in Ireland. His woman is angry with him for leaving her alone and lonely but the man believes that he must make this trip.
Arriving in Dublin, the man makes enquiries about getting to Shannon airport. Just outside Shannon airport is the small settlement of Lissey Cassey! Today it is nothing much to look at and the housing development there has gone bust like so much in Ireland since 2008. Yet this is where the man's ancestral roots are deepest.
The man lets the taxi go and begins to walk around the settlement.Most houses and flats are abandoned and there are no obvious signs of life. But soon the man starts to get a prickly feeling at the back of his neck. And he hears hushed voices.Pretty soon he works out that the settlement is occupied, by what Australians would call squatters. And it is clear that they do not like strangers moving around their "squats" (occupied buildings).
Just as the tension begins to reach a dangerous level, the man gets a lucky break. One of the squatters young children comes running out of a building. The man has only time to register the fact that the child is very young, female and not watching where she is going. The girl trips and falls into the stream. As she falls the young girl hits her head. She begins to sink the minute her body hits the water. The man sees no one around so he dives in to save her. He is only just in time.
As the news spreads around the settlement, the man finds a warmer welcome. The squatters start to tell him their yarns. These yarns are about the raw deal many Irish working people got from their government.When the man explains what he is doing so far from home, more of the "locals" accept his prescence.
After a week of sparse but joyous sharing with these dispossessed people, the man learns the names of all the young children. The little girl he saved wakes him every morning, from his sleeping bag, with an angel kiss to the forehead.
Then one terrible evening, a rival gang attacks the settlement. The man joins in with the defenders to see them off and protect the few things these people owm. But there are many attackers and soon holes appear in the defensive line of squatters. As the enemy rages through many buildings, cries are heard from the old women and men left to guard the children. Hearing these cries, the man remembers a rhyme from his youth,
"By the pricking of my thumbs
Something evil this way comes."
Sure enough when the man finally is free to check on the ones left in the buildings, he comes across scene after scene of pathos. Small wrapped bundles lie in almost every home. There is no sound of children anywhere. Mothers moan their pain and fathers cry for lost little darlings.The man searches until he finds a small bundle that has a small teddy bear beside its folds. Recognising that bear as one he gave the snall girl, the man sinks to his knees and cries.
These are hard people but even the hardest person grieves for loved ones. Soon the time for grief is over and it is time for revenge. It is the women who rouse the men from their sorrow. Flint faced womwn talk to their mean until they too become flint hard. It is decided that the enemy must be killed once and for all.
A raiding party such as this one is raely seen outside Ireland. Just as many women as men make up the numbers. The leader is a male but the leading is done by the females. It is no secret where the enemy has its camp. With supeerior numbers, the enemy feels secure. More fools them. When the attack is launched it is very early in the morning. The killing goes on for hours. With the womwen killing without mercy and the men raise to fever rage, the enemy has no chance. Every adult, male and fenmale, are killed. Only the children are spared. The women go and bind up the children and carry them off for assimilation into their families. The man finds that his hands are covered in blood. A darkness had entered his soul as the man had gone on a killing spree. He was now numb to all feelings.
When it cam time for the man to return to Australia he did so reluctantly. Arriving at Sydney airport the man walked towards his family. His woman saw his face and, at first, smiled but she then saw his eyes and ran towards him. He saw her then and dropped his luggage. He also ran to her. When her hand touched his, the man felt a weight lift from his shoulders. When they kissed, the man sensed a fire in his soul. Light entered that soul and the darkness was banished. Then his woman said into his ear,
"Never leave me again."
And the man replied,
"Woman I rise in your presence and set in your absence! This I promise, that I will stay with you always."
The woman had the last word,
"And I promise that I will make you forget the pain and sorrow I saw in your eyes. By the way I'm going to have your child. I think it is a girl."
FINIS
Arriving in Dublin, the man makes enquiries about getting to Shannon airport. Just outside Shannon airport is the small settlement of Lissey Cassey! Today it is nothing much to look at and the housing development there has gone bust like so much in Ireland since 2008. Yet this is where the man's ancestral roots are deepest.
The man lets the taxi go and begins to walk around the settlement.Most houses and flats are abandoned and there are no obvious signs of life. But soon the man starts to get a prickly feeling at the back of his neck. And he hears hushed voices.Pretty soon he works out that the settlement is occupied, by what Australians would call squatters. And it is clear that they do not like strangers moving around their "squats" (occupied buildings).
Just as the tension begins to reach a dangerous level, the man gets a lucky break. One of the squatters young children comes running out of a building. The man has only time to register the fact that the child is very young, female and not watching where she is going. The girl trips and falls into the stream. As she falls the young girl hits her head. She begins to sink the minute her body hits the water. The man sees no one around so he dives in to save her. He is only just in time.
As the news spreads around the settlement, the man finds a warmer welcome. The squatters start to tell him their yarns. These yarns are about the raw deal many Irish working people got from their government.When the man explains what he is doing so far from home, more of the "locals" accept his prescence.
After a week of sparse but joyous sharing with these dispossessed people, the man learns the names of all the young children. The little girl he saved wakes him every morning, from his sleeping bag, with an angel kiss to the forehead.
Then one terrible evening, a rival gang attacks the settlement. The man joins in with the defenders to see them off and protect the few things these people owm. But there are many attackers and soon holes appear in the defensive line of squatters. As the enemy rages through many buildings, cries are heard from the old women and men left to guard the children. Hearing these cries, the man remembers a rhyme from his youth,
"By the pricking of my thumbs
Something evil this way comes."
Sure enough when the man finally is free to check on the ones left in the buildings, he comes across scene after scene of pathos. Small wrapped bundles lie in almost every home. There is no sound of children anywhere. Mothers moan their pain and fathers cry for lost little darlings.The man searches until he finds a small bundle that has a small teddy bear beside its folds. Recognising that bear as one he gave the snall girl, the man sinks to his knees and cries.
These are hard people but even the hardest person grieves for loved ones. Soon the time for grief is over and it is time for revenge. It is the women who rouse the men from their sorrow. Flint faced womwn talk to their mean until they too become flint hard. It is decided that the enemy must be killed once and for all.
A raiding party such as this one is raely seen outside Ireland. Just as many women as men make up the numbers. The leader is a male but the leading is done by the females. It is no secret where the enemy has its camp. With supeerior numbers, the enemy feels secure. More fools them. When the attack is launched it is very early in the morning. The killing goes on for hours. With the womwen killing without mercy and the men raise to fever rage, the enemy has no chance. Every adult, male and fenmale, are killed. Only the children are spared. The women go and bind up the children and carry them off for assimilation into their families. The man finds that his hands are covered in blood. A darkness had entered his soul as the man had gone on a killing spree. He was now numb to all feelings.
When it cam time for the man to return to Australia he did so reluctantly. Arriving at Sydney airport the man walked towards his family. His woman saw his face and, at first, smiled but she then saw his eyes and ran towards him. He saw her then and dropped his luggage. He also ran to her. When her hand touched his, the man felt a weight lift from his shoulders. When they kissed, the man sensed a fire in his soul. Light entered that soul and the darkness was banished. Then his woman said into his ear,
"Never leave me again."
And the man replied,
"Woman I rise in your presence and set in your absence! This I promise, that I will stay with you always."
The woman had the last word,
"And I promise that I will make you forget the pain and sorrow I saw in your eyes. By the way I'm going to have your child. I think it is a girl."
FINIS
