Read Online A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Siobhan Dowd
Tags: Fiction, General, Family & Relationships, People & Places, History, Family, Juvenile Fiction, Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction, Fathers and daughters, Social Issues, Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9), Europe, Parents, Teenage pregnancy, Pregnancy, Ireland, Parenting, Problem families, Fatherhood, Fathers, Family Problems, Children of Alcoholics, Social Issues - Pregnancy
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Declan. He'd make a dog sick in those robes , it said in big scrawl. You can have him Shell plus bra .
A large tear came into Bridie's face. She looked pale and tired. She jerked her head towards the altar and mimed throwing up. Sorry , Shell mouthed again. She reached out an arm to touch Bridie's wrist, but Bridie only grimaced and shook her off. Dad's hand gripped Shell's shoulder. Shell thrust the note into the hymn book and started praying mad.
The Stations done, Father Carroll gave a sermon on the awful pains of Christ. Father Rose sat by, his face wrapped in holy abstraction. Was he at the cross's side? Shell wondered. Or back with his brother Michael as a child? Or in the car again, with herself, looking down on the rainbow bay?
As she pondered, a movement to Father Rose's side distracted her. It was Declan. He was half-winking at her, with his fingers intertwined, as if in prayer. Only his forefingers were wriggling together, like fat worms, all muddled up. Two bodies naked in Duggans' field . When he saw he'd caught her eye, he rolled his tongue out a tiny way, another fat worm, and flipped it up and down.
She was sure the worms he wriggled had somehow got inside her.
At the end of the long service, Jesus was laid in the tomb. Everybody went up to the rails to kiss the true cross. When St Helena found the cross of Christ, Father Carroll said, they'd ground it up into tiny crumbs so that every parish in the world could have a portion. In Coolbar the morsel-a mere speck-was contained in a bauble of glass set into the top of a brass crucifix. The speck was there, he assured them, only so small you couldn't see it. The people of Coolbar queued to kiss the bauble. The priest wiped it clean after each kiss and took it to the next person's lips. Every five or so people, Father Rose took over the job, then swapped it back to Father Carroll.
Shell prayed to be in Father Rose's batch. He took the cross from Father Carroll when there were only two people ahead of her. But just as she stepped forward, Father Carroll seized the cross back from Father Rose and held it out to her instead.
Shell kissed the place, expecting a rush of holiness. None came.
The service being concluded soon after, they left the church. Jesus had died, but there was no tempest. The dead did not arise and appear to many. Instead, a quiet evening of misting rain lay around them. Dad darted off-to do a message or two, he said. He headed fast down the street towards Stack's pub. She saw Bridie retreating up the hill, shaking rain off her hair, putting up her see-through umbrella. She nearly launched after her, wanting to make up, but Declan Ronan came up behind her and pulled her back by the ponytail.
'Shell,' he said. 'Sweet Shell.' His fingers tickled the back of her neck.
'What d' you want?' Shell said.
'I saw you looking at me in church,' he teased.
'Leave off.'
'I did. You were ogling.'
'I was not.'
'You were. Ogling and gogling away. Either at me or Father Rose.'
'Give over.' She grabbed Trix's hand and started to yank her down the hill. Jimmy followed. 'You're romancing, Declan.'
'Am I?' He wouldn't leave off walking beside her.
'You are.' She looked up at him. He grinned at her. His hand darted forward and pinched her cheek.
'This is a holy day, Declan Ronan.'
He guffawed. 'All that stuff. It's a load of sexual sublimation.'
'Don't listen to him, Trix. He's blaspheming.'
Declan grabbed her collar to stop her in her tracks. He leaned over and whispered in her ear. 'Shell. Don't be cross. Meet me in Duggans' field, won't you? One morning soon. Just for a kiss. One kiss, like last time.'
She felt the worms wriggling inside her again. She shrugged.
'I'll wait for you,' he urged. 'Early on Easter morning. However long it takes.'
'You're insane, Declan Ronan.'
'You're a walking sex-bomb, Shell Talent.'
She jabbed him in the rib, and Trix leaped up on his back, but he extracted his long, lanky body with a laugh and made his way off
A large tear came into Bridie's face. She looked pale and tired. She jerked her head towards the altar and mimed throwing up. Sorry , Shell mouthed again. She reached out an arm to touch Bridie's wrist, but Bridie only grimaced and shook her off. Dad's hand gripped Shell's shoulder. Shell thrust the note into the hymn book and started praying mad.
The Stations done, Father Carroll gave a sermon on the awful pains of Christ. Father Rose sat by, his face wrapped in holy abstraction. Was he at the cross's side? Shell wondered. Or back with his brother Michael as a child? Or in the car again, with herself, looking down on the rainbow bay?
As she pondered, a movement to Father Rose's side distracted her. It was Declan. He was half-winking at her, with his fingers intertwined, as if in prayer. Only his forefingers were wriggling together, like fat worms, all muddled up. Two bodies naked in Duggans' field . When he saw he'd caught her eye, he rolled his tongue out a tiny way, another fat worm, and flipped it up and down.
She was sure the worms he wriggled had somehow got inside her.
At the end of the long service, Jesus was laid in the tomb. Everybody went up to the rails to kiss the true cross. When St Helena found the cross of Christ, Father Carroll said, they'd ground it up into tiny crumbs so that every parish in the world could have a portion. In Coolbar the morsel-a mere speck-was contained in a bauble of glass set into the top of a brass crucifix. The speck was there, he assured them, only so small you couldn't see it. The people of Coolbar queued to kiss the bauble. The priest wiped it clean after each kiss and took it to the next person's lips. Every five or so people, Father Rose took over the job, then swapped it back to Father Carroll.
Shell prayed to be in Father Rose's batch. He took the cross from Father Carroll when there were only two people ahead of her. But just as she stepped forward, Father Carroll seized the cross back from Father Rose and held it out to her instead.
Shell kissed the place, expecting a rush of holiness. None came.
The service being concluded soon after, they left the church. Jesus had died, but there was no tempest. The dead did not arise and appear to many. Instead, a quiet evening of misting rain lay around them. Dad darted off-to do a message or two, he said. He headed fast down the street towards Stack's pub. She saw Bridie retreating up the hill, shaking rain off her hair, putting up her see-through umbrella. She nearly launched after her, wanting to make up, but Declan Ronan came up behind her and pulled her back by the ponytail.
'Shell,' he said. 'Sweet Shell.' His fingers tickled the back of her neck.
'What d' you want?' Shell said.
'I saw you looking at me in church,' he teased.
'Leave off.'
'I did. You were ogling.'
'I was not.'
'You were. Ogling and gogling away. Either at me or Father Rose.'
'Give over.' She grabbed Trix's hand and started to yank her down the hill. Jimmy followed. 'You're romancing, Declan.'
'Am I?' He wouldn't leave off walking beside her.
'You are.' She looked up at him. He grinned at her. His hand darted forward and pinched her cheek.
'This is a holy day, Declan Ronan.'
He guffawed. 'All that stuff. It's a load of sexual sublimation.'
'Don't listen to him, Trix. He's blaspheming.'
Declan grabbed her collar to stop her in her tracks. He leaned over and whispered in her ear. 'Shell. Don't be cross. Meet me in Duggans' field, won't you? One morning soon. Just for a kiss. One kiss, like last time.'
She felt the worms wriggling inside her again. She shrugged.
'I'll wait for you,' he urged. 'Early on Easter morning. However long it takes.'
'You're insane, Declan Ronan.'
'You're a walking sex-bomb, Shell Talent.'
She jabbed him in the rib, and Trix leaped up on his back, but he extracted his long, lanky body with a laugh and made his way off
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