A Little More of the Book:

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.