Here is a little more of my book - chapter six. Not going to put the whole thing on but hopefully enough to get you interested. Not putting the whole thing on as I will be wanting you to buy when its finished :-)
Chapter Six: Beliefs
Jon and Conor walked up to the sling
for a smoke and a to catch up. What with classes and stuff they hadn’t had any
time to themselves for a while. They sat
on the grass with theirs backs up against tree trunks and lit up. They just smoked, enjoying the peace and
quiet.
“So how are things going?”
“Sure, not so bad just now.”
“You OK after your run in with Flip?”
“Yeh, sure he’s just a Gob Shite.”
“Interesting way to start your first
term at a new school, how to win friends and influence people.”
“Aren’t ye just a funny bugger. Doesn’t
he tink I’m his best student now.”
“Be careful!”
“Didn’t Michael say d’ same ting to
me. I’ll watch out but I’m not goin t’
let him tell me what it is I have t’ believe and follow his fucked up rules an
all.”
“You feel that strongly about it.” ……
“Sure I do.” …… “Why?”
“Well tis important to me. Ever since I met Aoife and she started
helping me, d’ tings I believe in and d’ way I want to live me life mean
sumting special…..
“Who’s Aoife?”
“She’s me mentor and one of me best
friends.”
“How do you mean, mentor. Isn’t that
some sort of teacher or something?”
“Yeh dats a good way of putting it.”
“So what does she teach you?”
“God, how do I explain dis, are you
broad minded when it comes t’ tings spiritual or at least open to udder ideas,
cause if ye not I’m not goin t’ explain.”
“If you mean, am I a committed
Catholic, NO. I don’t go with all that
catechism stuff that we get shoved down our throats in class and I’m sure that
there has to be another way at looking at that sort of stuff. I think that I’m a bit like you and that spiritual
life is important. I thought it was
funny how you argued that God should be mother and father, then when I thought
about later, I thought, Hey Conor’s right, God should be our mother and
farther. So I figured maybe we are on
the same track as far as that goes.”
“Yeh dats important to me and dats some
of the tings Aoife has helped me wid.
She’s a friend of me mudder, dey grew up t’gedder. Her mam and me gran
were called witches in d’ village…… “Is that bad?” …… “No, I’ll tell ye why
latter. Anyway dats how we got t’ know each udder. When I was about 11 or 12
she started asking me questions about different tings like how I got on wid me
friends, how I felt about dis person dat person, things like trees and plants
and stuff, did I write tings and a whole lot of stuff like dat. I didn’t follow at first an den she pointed
out some tings that I hadn’t taut about, dey just happened…… “Like what?” …… Well,
I knew tings wid out any apparent reason, and I could sort of heal little hurts
an d’ like, like a friend who was in me football team an said he couldn’t play
in d’ final cause he had a bad leg. I asked him what was wrong an he told me
his calf was very sore an he couldn’t walk properly. Wid out tinking I just
massage d’ leg for about 15 minutes an he reckoned it was fixed. He wanted to
know how I’d learnt dat. Sure I didn’t know, I’d not done it before, just was
d’ right ting t’ do. He played and didn’t we win d’ final. Anyway, Aoife and I talked for a good while
and den she tells me I’m fey.”
“Fey! What’s that?”
“Well it means……….being clairvoyant,
knowing things, intuition tings like that. D’ dictionary also say it means
being a little crazy and I suppose dats a bit true too. Can ye understand dat?”
“Yes. You are a little crazy, but in a
good way. What’s Aoife like, she sounds
interesting.”
“I tink she’s wonderful.”
“Is she cute?”
“Ha, ye dirty bugger. Yea, spose she is, come t’ tink about it.
She’s sort of cuddly and has a very gentle face but mostly she’s a warm,
caring, beautiful person and a wonderful friend.”
“How old is she?”
“Bout me mam’s age….in her mid 40’s”
“Is she a Mick?”
“No, she’s Wiccan.”
“Oh, and is that what you are?”
“Yea, spose so, if I had to put a name
t’ it. Tis d’ basis of a lot of what I
think.”
“Do Wiccan people believe in God?”
“Yes, in basic terms, but as ye know we
believe dat God is male and female and many Wiccans believe dat dare are many
forms of God wid many names, it goes back an awful long way in history, well
before Christianity.”
“So what else do you believe?”
“God man ye want me t’ talk all day
now, an me I believe I can. I spose tis
basically summed up in d’ rede, ‘Do as you will but hurt no one.’ Sort of like the Christian ting of ‘Do unto
udders as you would have dem do t’ you?’ We believe dat all of creation is
special an all has energy and spirit flowing tru it – tis why we called a
nature religion. We believe dat you
accept all people for who and what dey are, so it doesn’t matter about dare
religious beliefs, where dey come from, what colour dey are, dare sexuality,
everybody is equal and important.”
“What do you mean by sexuality, being gay
or straight?”
“Yea,
I don’t believe it’s wrong for two men or two ladies to love each udder any
more dan for a man and a lady to love each udder.”
“Are you gay?”
“Would it worry ye if I was, Darling?”
“Seriously, are you?”
“Don’t tink so, not in d’ true meanin
of d’ word, den again I like boys and girls d’ same and …….. well ye know what
happened first night of school and dat didn’t worry eeder of us now, did it?”
“No …….. do you think that makes us gay?”
“No, we just like each udder an it’s a
nice ting to do, yea!”
“I don’t suppose I had really thought
about so much before but yes it was nice and I really do like you very much and
like being with you. I don’t think that I have ever really been attracted to
girls in that way, but you can’t say that here or talk about it, really.”
“Yea I know what ye mean, tis not
something ye can really talk about now, is it!”
It went very quiet and the boys lit
another fag each. They just sat a
smoked.
“I think I’m gay, Conor.”
“Taut so.”
“You don’t think that’s bad then?”
“No, cors not!”
“Good.”
“It shouldn’t make any difference what
I tink Jon.”
“I know, but it’s not easy to talk
about, especially not here, not even at home.”
“Tis true.”
They finished their smokes and walked
back to the common room.
