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Irish RoseHaw Par VillaBansheeThe Yew TreesTeaA Bed for AmbroseWe WiU Wait, Too

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Banshee

'It's called Space Journey and it's going to be really big!'Conor Molloy sounded happy as he showed his wife

Holly the pictures on his computer screen. Conor workedfor a company that made the best computer games in PaloAlto, a city in California. He designed the pictures forthese games and Holly was always interested in his work.He had worked on his new game Space Journey all eveningand she could see, even now, that this was one of his bestdesigns yet.

'We have these five people - see?'With a click on the mouse, Conor showed Holly five

people on the screen: two strong-looking men, a boy, a girland a beautiful woman. They all looked very real as theymoved about on rheir space ship.

"They're a family who get lost in space and want to gohome. Of course, there are all kinds of problems beforerhey can return home safely.'

Holly was smiling. Conor was pleased. He knew that jfshe thoughr somerhing was good, it really was good.

'Who's the lady with the sad face and the old clothes?'asked Holly. '1 thought you said there were five people, notsix?'

'What lady?''Look, there in the comer of the screen,' said Holly. 'She

looks like she's washing her hands or something.'Conor looked and there she was, a woman with long

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hair and asad face who looked as if sh W:lS washing herhands.

'Well she's not one of my designs, that's for urc.' onorlaughed. 'Perhaps someone at the office put her in as ajoke. They're always doing mad things like that!'

'Try the sound,' said Holly. Conor usually turned thesound off when he was working on the pictures. 'Maybethey've done something with that, toa.'

Conor turned the sound on low, but what carne out wassomething very loud. Ir was a woman's voice crying out ingreat sadness, like the scream of someone in pain. Ir hurttheir ears and Conor quickly turned ir off.

'What was that?' said Conor. 'A joke's a joke but this isn'tfunny! [ust wait till I get to work!'

'Don't worry, honey,' said Holly. 'It was probably amistake. You know that they're all OK at work. They likeyou. So do l.'

It was late and time for bed. Holly kissed him. Soonthey were in their bedroom and ready to turn off the lights.Their fifth-Hoor apartment was on the east side of PaloAlto near to where Conor's mother Bridie and hisstepfather Bill lived. From their bedroom window, theycould see beautiful San Francisco Bay.

'Let's open the curtains so we can look out of thewindow, honey,' said Holly. 'It's a full moon tonight andyou know how I like the moonlight.'

Conor smiled. Holly was like her parents - a real 1960schild. She always made him feel better. Holly wa a painterand the place was full of her beautiful paintings and otherthings she had made.

He turned off the lights and P .n 'd rhc urtains, A

woman's face was pressed against the outside of thewindow. It was the same woman they had seen on thecomputer screen. The window was at least fifteen metresabove the ground but there she was. Conar could see hergreen eyes and long red hair. Then the woman opened hermouth and screamed.

Ir was a terrible sound. Holly screamed toa as she sawthe woman outside. Conor turned to his wife and held herclase. The loud screams stopped. Conor and HolIy lookedat the window. The woman was gane.

They held each other for a long time, each toa afraid tolet go, not knowing what ir was they had just seen.

The telephone rang by the bedside. Canal' picked ir upand listened. Holly knew from the look on his face thatsomething was wrong. Conor put the relephone down.

'It's Bill,' he said. 'He's been hit by a car. He's dead.'

* * *Conor was an only child and had grown up 111 Cork,Ireland. His father had died when he was ten years old andafter that Canal' had lived with his mother Bridie. Sometime later Bill Henderson, an American college teacher, wason holiday in Cork. He had taken one look at Bridie's redhair and green, smiling eyes and had fallen in lave with her.They were married soon after and Bill took Bridie andConor to his home in Palo Alto, western California. Theywere happy together and Canal' loved Bill as much as hisreal father.

Bill's death was hard for all of thern.Conor and Holly said nothing to Bridie about the

terrible woman they had seen. Bridie had just lost her

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second husband and they did not want her to feel anyworse.

'1 will not marry again,' Bridie said in her strong Irishvoice. '1 can think of our time together and that is enoughfor me.'

Conor and Holly knew Bridie did things her own way.Part of her way was to hold an Irish wake. A wake is a

party to remember the life of a loved one who has died. Irwas, Bridie explained, what they always did in Ireland. Shewould not change things just because they were inAmerica. A band played Irish music and there was lots offood and drink. Bill was a well-liked man and many peoplecame to the wake. Everybody danced their sadness away -at least for a while.

Conor had lost a second father, too. He wanted to forgethis pain for a while. He and Holly danced and danced tomake their sadness go away. And, for a while, ir did. EvenBridie danced, though most of the time she preferred towatch and remember happy times with Bill.

* * *

grandfather was Irish and 1 heard him use the wordsometimes when 1was a girl. But what is a banshee?'

'Ir is a visiring ghost,' said Bridie. 'Sorneone who hasdied comes to warn people with Irish blood that a personin their family is going to die. Ir is said that many yearsago, in the old days, people saw the banshee washing itshands in blood before a war.'

'You're not being serious, are you?' asked Ho11y.But Conor knew his mother. He knew she meant every

word.'You have seen it yourself!' said Bridie. 'Ir is the ghost of

someone in my family from many, many years ago. It wasonce afine and handsome woman with a husband whodrank too much and hit her. One day she ki11ed him, andthen killed herself. A terrible, sad end. Some ghosts becomethe banshee for their family, just as this woman has becomeours.'

'So that's why she looks like you - she was one of yourfamily!' Ho11y thought to herself; though it was notsomething she would ever say to Conor.

'1 never thought the banshee would follow us to Americabut ir has. 1 thought I'd never see ir again. I'm sorry youhad to find out about it this way.' Bridie looked sad as shecontinued. 'However, the banshee is only a bringer ofnews, not a bringer of death. And nobody sees the bansheeif they're the one who is going to die.'

'50,' said Conor, 'if I actua11y see a banshee, 1'11 beOK.'

'Thar's right, Conor, love.' Bride smiled. 'And you, too,Ho11y dear: you have Irish blood in yOll and you're marriedto one of the family, that's why you saw it, too. But 1 don't

It was a month after the wake that Conor and Ho11ydecided to tell Bridie about the strange woman they hadseen. Ir was during supper one evening in late 5eptember atBridie's house. Bridie liked to cook for her family. Afrer themeal everybody had coffee and chocolates. Conor andHolly told her everything and Bridie listened.

'1 saw it too, on the same night,' Bridie said. '1 have seenir before. 1 saw it when your father died in Ir land, Conor.Ir was the banshee and 1 hoped never to se it again.'

"The banshee?' said Ho11y. 'I've hcard f it bcfore - my

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think you should ever let anybody know if you see itagain.'

'But why, Bridie?' asked Holly.'Because, love, nobody wants to know rhat they are the

only ones who haven 't seen the banshee. It would definitelymean that they were going to die soon. And the bansheeonly comes when death is close. Yes, I really think it's betternot to tell anyone you've seen the banshee. Not even ifyou're with other people when you see ir. Let this be thelast time we speak about ir. Now, how about some more ofthose lovely chocolates.'

woman and could marry again but Bridie only smiled. Shewould not marry another, Every day, every moment wasimportant to her. She had lost two wonderful husbandsand she still thought about thern all the time. But that wasthe past and the past was never as important as the presentto Bridie. Now she wanted to be there for her son and hislovely wife who both meant so much to her. It was herhope that she would be a grandmother one day.

Conor and Holly were still living in the apartment inPalo Alto. They loved their apartment and in the eveningsthey would look out over San Francisco Bay at the red andgold light of the sun.

Life was best for rhern all when Conor got some time offand could be at home wirh Holly and Bridie. They wouldhave friends over or just have a quiet meal together athome. Every new day was wonderful for Bridie, as long asshe was with her family.

It was Conor's birthday and Holly cooked some hotMexican food. Bridie laughed as she tasted it. It was goodbut ir was hot! They were all excited about seeing Holly'sparents, who were returning from a holiday in Europe thenext day.

Conor, Holly and Bridie were all happy and full of goodfood. Conor and Holly went outside onto the balcony andopened a bottle of wine. Soon Bridie joined her son and hiswife to look at the evening sun. This was a favourite timeof Bridie's. It was so nice to have a glass of wine and watchthe sun go down with the people she loved. It would beeven better tomorrow, when everybody would be there.Conor poured her a glass of Californian red wine - herfavourite.

* * *

No more was said about the things they had seen. Conorand Holly didn't want to think about the banshee anymore. Life was good and they wanted to forget about ir.Maybe then it would just go away.

Space Journey was one of the best-selling computergames of the year. It made Conor a lot of money, and nowhe could choose his work. He was soon working on a newHollywood film. He often worked away frorn home inHollywood but he didn't mind. Once he had finished thisjob he would be quite a rich mano Maybe he would evenhave enough money to start his own computer designcompany.

The future looked good.

* * *Four years had passed since Bill's death. Bridie's eyes werestill as green as leaves but there was now some white in thered of her luir. Friends told her she was still a handsome

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'To a happy tornorrow!' said Bridie, her handsome faceand red hair lit by the late sun. They alllooked out towardsthe bay.

Then ir carne in the evening air, just a couple of metresaway frorn the balcony. Its red hair blew wild and itshandsome face screamed with pain. It moved its hands as ifit were washing them, and then flew away from the lightinto the darkness of the night.

They all knew that something had happened. Their facescould not hide the way they felt, though they tried. Buthow many of thern had actually seen rhe banshee? Bridiehad told thern never to talk about ir again. After all, whowants to know they are going to die soon? So, for whomwas the banshee crying? Not one of thern said anything.Not a word was spoken.

Ir was understood.They drank their wine without saying a word and

watched as the sun went down into the still, dark waters ofSan Francisco Bay.

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