Short Stories and Tall Tales

A night or two after he had taken to his bed a friend of his, Andy Rafferty, called at the house and took Emma totally by surprise when he asked her, "Is Sean still living?" A shocked Emma replied, "What?" She thought that she had misheard. "Is Sean still alive?" Andy asked her again. "Of course he's alive!" Emma snapped. "Why would you ask such a question, Andy?" He knew that he had upset her by his question and lowered his head. Andy removed his cap and gathered his breath for a moment, glad to hear that his friend was still in the land of the living. It was evident that Andy had been running and that he was still recovering from his state of panic. This and his overall appearance confused Emma somewhat and caused her to ask again, "Why would you as this Andy?" Her voice was much calmer and quieter. "I'm sorry Emma," he began. "But I was passing the bottom of your lane when I heard an awful sound that almost chilled my very soul. It sounded very much like a woman wailing." "Coming from our house?" she questioned him. Andy just stared for a moment with a blank look in his eyes, "No; I don't know." He shook is head in puzzlement and began to explain, "It was definitely the cry of a woman. A terrible sound and it was coming from the direction of your house. Maybe the hill behind the house." Again he hesitated as if trying to gather his memory of the event. "It was such a horrible wail of grief. Actually, at the time, I thought it was you who was screaming and I rushed to help; I thought perhaps you had found Sean dead, it was such a cry of pain." Just at that moment a little girl came running to Emma from inside the house. "Mammy! Oh Mammy!" she cried out. Emma immediately turned toward her daughter and clasped her close to her. In a sobbing voice the little girl explained, "There was an awful cry, as if someone was in terrible pain. It came from the hill behind our house, mammy, and I am really frightened. What is it, Mammy?" Emma hugged her daughter comfortingly while she turned to Andy and said in a half whisper, " If it wasn't me that you heard then it could only be one other thing; Don't you think? Then, rather than speaking the name she silently mouthed the word "Banshee," for she didn't want her daughter frightened by the mention of such a thing. "Who is at the door, Emma?" Sean called out weakly from the bedroom, but Emma chose not to reply immediately. She bade Andy a good night and taking her daughter by the hand they both went into the bedroom where Sean was lying. "Did you hear that terrible cry, Daddy?" the young girls asked him "It's just the wind," Sean smile reassuringly. "Go now," he told her, "surely there is something on television you want to watch. When his daughter had left the room Sean immediately took hold of his wife's hand. His eyes started to glaze over as he spoke quietly to her, "It's the Banshee, Emma, and she has come for me." Emma gripped his hand tightly and tried to smile encouragingly at him. "Don't be silly, Sean," she said. "No!" he replied weakly. "My time has come and there is now very little time left to me." "Don't say that, Sean," pleaded Emma as she now took his hand in both of her hands. "Please. You are really frightening me," she told him as she rested her head on his shoulder and the tears began to ooze from her eyes. Only a few hours later Sean passed away, quietly. Emma didn't discover he was dead until the next morning because she had brought her daughter to bed and slept with her to comfort her.