Civil War is raging in Ennistymon, Co Clare, and the fields are empty under a low grey sky. Michael, a local youth with messy tufty hair, is never seen without his dog by his side. He always goes to the same shop, where he sometimes meets his friends. One of Michael’s friends, Brenda, works in the sweet shop, which is owned by her family.
She is very small, with blonde hair, blue eyes and an average size nose. Brenda is married to Peter and they have a young family including twins Joey and George. On Wednesday afternoon Michael rushes into the shop. There is fierce noise outside of bombs going off under the smoky sky. Michael’s dog is shaking with fear, from all the noise.
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“Well what’s the story? The bombing is dreadful out there. I will have my usual bullseyes,” Michael says.
“Is there anybody hurt?” Brenda asks.
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Michael replies: “They are all dead now, such sad news, and such a lovely family.”
“Oh God please save us from this terrible war, keep our families and friends safe,” moans Brenda.
“How is Peter? Are the children safe?” asks Michael.
“They are okay,” replies Brenda, “but young Joey has caught some sort of a flu. The doctor is coming this evening.”
Michael pays for his sweets. Brenda rattles the old table to give Michael back his change from the drawer.
“Jeez that’s so little,” Michael replies in an exasperated tone.
He looks totally exhausted and worries for his family. They notice the noise has stopped outside in the street. Some of the locals are locked away in fear. Then suddenly an awful noise, a gunshot, cracks the dusty window. Michael and Brenda run and hide under the table. The bullet hits a jar, the glass shatters and hits Michael in the face and Brenda in the arm.
Brenda screams in terror: “Oh Michael are you okay?”
Without warning a soldier crashes through the door and fires. Michael is shot again, this time in the arm. The soldier backs on to the street and Brenda runs out from behind the counter to try to drag Michael away from the danger ...
The 100 Years Project is part of the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 initiative of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport & Media in Ireland. Fighting Words & Fighting Words NI organise creative writing workshops and projects with school students at primary and post-primary levels, inviting them to cast their imaginations 100 years to both the past and future. Presented here is a small collection of stories from those workshops.
