Be Still My Banshee Heart

Chapter 5

Samuel lay in the old single metal framed bed he had used as a boy not having felt comfortable taking his parents room.

Not much had changed about his room since the day he had left.

His music collection still sat by the oak chest of drawers, dark blue velvet curtains dressed the window, even some of his old clothes which were about three sizes to small hung in the oak wardrobe, all his things left waiting him.

He also noticed that everything seemed freshly laundered he could smell the lavender his Ma was fond of using on his clothes.

There was nothing dusty or stale about the room it was as if he had never left.

Turning on to his left side the metal bed made a loud squeak of protest, turning back to the right the bed squeaked again.

Sitting up he rearranged the pillows then flopped onto his back, there was no way on gods green earth he was sleeping, what with the squeak, squeak of the bed, tick, tick of the clock, drip, drip of the tap, the ring a ring a roses being sang outside the window.

Samuel sat straight up in bed, listening.

"Ring a Ring o Roses, A pocket full of posies."

Slowly getting out of bed he made his way to the window surely no parent in their right mind would be letting children out to play at this time of night.

Pulling back the velvet curtain he peered out into the still, dark night, no sound, no movement in the dark, nothing.

Dragging his hand down his face he made his way to the kitchen, there was not much point trying to sleep having lay there for two hours going over and over the night.

Filling the kettle he placed it on the stove to warm, Jess wandered sleepily in after him jumped on to the floral sofa and went right back to sleeping.

At the loud shrill whistle of the kettle Samuel turned to make some tea and let out a very unmanly yelp.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph," he rasped, staring at the women who had been haunting his mind for the past couple of hours.

"Oh lord I be causing injury to your heart again," Mary said.

Samuel was breathing hard, hands pressed against his chest willing his pulse to slow.

"Aye that you have, nearly stopped it altogether this time, what are you doing in my home had enough of the river?"

"I'm sorry, I have no right to be intruding on you like this, I don't know where to go, what it is I am supposed to do," she continued.

"I'm losing my mind," Samuel started pacing back and forth across the kitchen, convinced he was having a breakdown.

"Disappearing women out by the river, children singing outside at night, my parents are annoying the living hell out of me and there supposed to be feckin dead."

"You need to be calming down, take some deep breaths that's what nanny always says when we become upset," disappearing women said.

"What, I don't care what nanny says, you need to be leaving me alone, I have no room in my head anymore for imaginary people, go on now with you."

"Imaginary people?" Mary had the nerve to look upset by the comment when it was he who was on the verge of a breakdown.

"Aye imaginary, to much time out here on my own I guess, go on now with you shoo, shoo!"

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Mary was becoming mighty vexed with this obnoxious man and to think she had thought he would help her believed him to be kind.