The Ghost of Waterstreet

Gerry Quirke

One Monday morning in a small house on a quiet street in a town in West Cork, Ireland, Mrs Kelly woke up, or did she? When she opened her eyes, she realized something was wrong. The room was strange, there was a lighted candle on either side of the bed, and her rosary beads were wrapped around her hands. At the side of the bed. her fifty-five-year-old son was kneeling, beads in his hands, tears in his eyes and reciting the rosary.

"I’m dead," she thought. At her age she knew that some morning she would not wake up in this world. "But why am I not in heaven? Something is wrong." She moved her hands and legs. "I am alive!" she shouted. "Larry, thank Jesus I’m alive," but he didn’t hear her. She reached over and touched him. He didn’t react. She got out of the bed slowly, and very carefully walked over to him. She hugged him saying, "my darling boy, your mother is alive." Still, she got no reaction. She walked around the room and watched him praying and saw tears were running down his cheeks. She cried out again, "I’m here Lar!" But he still couldn’t hear her. "I must be a ghost," she thought. "But why? Jesus help me I’m stuck between this world and the next."

What did she do to deserve this? She had raised her son alone. It must have been the lies, they were her only sins. But sure, wouldn’t any mother do the same for her son? Things weren’t easy for him as he was raised without his father. The guards hated him; they tried to pin things on him. She often had to tell them that he was at home with her all night even though she would hear him coming in drunk at all hours. When he was on the rantan she never slept. But they were only white lies. Then, she thought of the big lie the time she swore on the Holy Bible. The priest had given out to her over it in confession, but he gave her absolution, that meant the sin was wiped out. Still, it must be that. She had believed him when he said he had nothing to do with the burning of that house. She knew her son wouldn’t do anything like that. Then she thought of how she had sworn a lie and the judge believed her. It was her big sin. She only did it because they were trying to pin it on Lar. Now because of that she would be a ghost for the rest of time, wandering between heaven and earth. She looked at him crying for his dead mother, the poor boy. Maybe she would be able to look after him as a ghost.

Then she got the urge to pee - that was strange, she didn’t think ghosts had to pee but then who knew about ghosts? She went downstairs to use the outside toilet. When she came back into the kitchen her son was standing there crying. "What will I do without mammy, oh mammy is gone." God love him she thought if he only knew I was here. It was then that she noticed an empty whiskey bottle on the table. My god, she thought, he was on the juice last night, he should never touch whiskey it makes him violent. Then it dawned on her, maybe he had killed her. He threatened to do it before, he put his hands around her neck. In panic she put her hand up and felt her neck. No mark, so she must have died naturally. It was just a silly thought, she knew he would never do that. He behaved very strange when he drank the whiskey, just like his father it didn’t suit him. He would go on and on about how she drove his father away, often calling her a whore and an ould rip. If he only knew how evil that man was. Like his father he was so good when he stayed away from drink, he would go to the shops with her, carry her message bag and he would be so polite to everyone. She loved those times, but became a different person when he drank. She knew the neighbors didn’t like him they, spoke about him behind her back and that sergeant he keep calling asking was she okay. Why wouldn’t she be okay living with her lovely son?

She watched helpless as he starting searching the house. He pulled out the drawers from her dresser and emptied everything on to the floor. Next he started opening the presses. He was in an awful state. He kept searching until he found the housekeeping money she had hidden. The kitchen was a mess no, who would clean up? It was strange to be watching all this going on, maybe she would be able to watch her own funeral? That idea amused her in a strange sort of way. He put on his coat and headed for the door she knew where he was going, the pub at the top of the street. The grief of her death was driving him to drink. She would follow him – it was all she could do. When she got out on to the street she felt the cold, she was only wearing her white night dress. Another surprise to her, that ghosts could feel the cold. He started walking up the street at a fast pace, she followed him slowly being a ghost didn’t improve her arthritis. As she passed Murphy’s house the door opened and Mrs Murphy came out. She stared at her and said "in the name of God, Mrs Kelly, what are you doing walking around dressed like that?" The words shocked her, how could Mrs Murphy see her when Lar could not? She was getting very confused, she felt dizzy and faint. Mrs Murphy put her arms around her to stop her from falling. It was then she realized what had been going on. Gently Mrs Murphy helped her into the hallway an almost shouting in an angry voice "come in here craytor and sit by the fire, Jesus Mary and Joseph what did that blackguard do to you now?"