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Red, Father Mooneyhas to St Columba’s, officially, donated to Father Mooneyha parishioner who’d come from the mainland and had some sort of spiritual conversion in the waters near Skarmouth And it is true that Father Mooneyha the islanders and giving last rites and first rites and in-between rites But he never budges fro to drive, he uses his bicycle as he did before, never mind that he’s old as sod
I feel a little bad that Finn has hidden hirand red car of the priest I tella coward
Before I can properly wonder why Father Mooneyham has co Gratton Her feet are arreen rubber boots that are uni over soer seat, but he re who has business with ht
"Puck," she says Her short hair is curled and red -- not the same color red as either the car or the horse froivesYou have a moment?"
It’s clever the way she says it, not as a question I would have to contradict her in order to have my moment back I make a note to use the h it pains me to add it, because the kitchen looks like faeries have been using it for black ht, "Would you like so says briskly "He was kind enough to bring me out here"
This of course is not true, as it was the other way around I narrowthe red car re tiht to confess It’s not a co
Now Peg hesitates She looks around the yard It is a bit pathetic looking Every so often I pull the biggest of the weeds out froes of the fence and the house, but there are still dark, leafy intruders everyplace things join up There is not rass in the stretches in between, just mud I should tell Finn to fix the wheelbarrow that has passed out in the corner of the yard But it’s not the ’s eyes rest on, it’s the saddle I have set over the fence, next to rain in ht, right before ent to sleep," she says, and for some reason, this makes me feel odd, to think of her and ruddy Tho about s I wonder what they talk about when they aren’t talking about me The weather, perhaps, or the price of marrow, or the way that tourists always seem to hite shoes in the rain I think if I had a butcher husband, that’s what I would talk to hi continues, "And he see one of the capaill uisce I said no, that’s not possible It’s a bad enough decision to ride in the races, withoutit complicated"
"And what did he say?"
"He said he see at Dove’s muddy tail, "that the Connollys had a little dun ht hat you had ht"
I hold the coffee can of grain very still "That’s true," I say "Both of those things are true"
"That’s what I thought So I told hi down here to talk you out of it" She looks less than pleased with this idea I thought it was probably one of those ideas that sounded better when you were lying in bed with your ruddy husband rather than standing in theat the reality of h I’m not, and it’s unusual for me to lie before a proper breakfast "Because I can’t be talked out of it"
She puts one of her hands on her hip and the other on the back of her head, crushing her curly hair flat It’s such a fierce posture of frustration that I feel a little bad that I’ it "Is it the money?" she asks, finally
I’m not sure if I’m insulted or not I mean, clearly, yes, we need the money, but I would’ve had to be the island’s best fool if I thought that I stood a chance of winning against those massive horses
A part of uiltily, that a tiny, tiny part of h to dissolve in a teacup or work a blister in the heel of a shoe,the horses that had killed rown up on I must be the island’s best fool, after all
"It’s for personal reasons," I say stiffly Which is what s that had to do with fighting with your brothers, getting any sort of illness that had intestinal ra your period, and money And this decision covered two out of the four, so I thought the state looks atto read between the lines Finally, she says, "I don’t think you knohat you’re getting into It’s a war down there"
I shrug, which makes me feel like Finn, which makes me wish I hadn’t done it
"You could die"
I can see now that she’s trying to shock h
"I have to do it," I tell her
Dove chooses that e, and she isShe coive her a foul look She’s ood shape, but in comparison to the capaill uisce I saw yesterday, she’s like a toy