Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Looking Back

On this day 69 years ago Matty, who had just turned thirteen, and her sisters were on their way home from Cargin Chapel after attending Sunday Mass.

As they walked along a terrible thunderstorm erupted. The din and ferocity of it was so overwhelming that they thought the end of the world had come. It's no wonder they were so frightened by the storm because they were living through the darkest days they'd ever known. 

In the middle of the driving rain two elderly sisters came down their lane to see if anyone was on the road for they had momentous news to deliver. The only people they could see were Matty and her sisters running through the rain. They called out to them,

Girls! Did ye hear? T'was on the wireless. We are at war with Germany again.
 

Then they stood  in the road, getting soaked to their skin, those old spinsters and the young girls, and all prayed together for a while.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is a lovely story, and it evokes the moment so well. Thank you.

Nelly said...

you're welcome

Anonymous said...

The old women advised the children to say "two Aves and a Pater".

I've just come back from the War Museum where I read that in England the weather was sunny that morning.