The Scream 

  “Tá an bhean sidhe anseo”- The  Drummond Banshee is here.  

In August, I was travelling to my dad’s hometown, Trail, British Columbia, to see my Aunt Candy, and her husband, Uncle Joe. 

While we were at their house, Aunt Candy started to bring up my dad’s family heritage during dinner.

“I’m not sure if you know this, Sophie, but from your dad's side, you do have a bit of Irish in you.”

“Really? From who?” I ask.

“From your Great-Great-Great Grandmother Ellen Drummond, who is my grandmother”, she answered.

“That's so cool! I didn’t know that. Where in Ireland was she from?” I ask, impatiently.

“She was from Belfast, which is the capital of Northern Ireland. She had two kids with her husband, who owned a potato farm. It’s still in Belfast!” Aunt Candy answers.

At the end of dinner, my father and I thanked Aunt Candy and Uncle Joe for having us.  We then got in our car and drove off. In the car, my dad told me that he did not know that we had that big of a connection to Ireland in our ancestry.

“Do you think you would like to go to Ireland? You know, like for Winter Break or something?” my dad asked.

“Yeah!” I responded , “I think I would really enjoy that!”

                                                           Four months later…..

I was reading when I hear my dad’s booming voice from the bottom floor of my home 

“SOPHIEEEE!!! COME DOWNSTAIRS!!!” my dad yelled from the bottom floor.

“COMING!” I yell back, shutting the book I was reading and running out of my room and down the stairs.

At the end of the stairs, I see my dad with a big smile on his face, while looking at his phone.

“ What’s up Dad? Everything ok?” I ask.

“ Everything is fine! I just wanted to tell you that I bought us tickets to fly to Ireland!” my dad exclaims

“ Wait, really?? When are we flying and where in Ireland are we going ? “ I ask, excitedly.

“ We will be going to Belfast, and we are flying on the first day of Winter break!”  

“ So…. in a week. “ I say.

“Exactly, you better start packing” My dad responded

 Before I even knew it, I was on a 9 hour flight from Toronto to Belfast, Northern Ireland.   

 When my father and I arrived, it was very early in the morning, so we went to the hotel we had booked and slept for a few hours before exploring Belfast.

The next morning, we both woke up, had breakfast, and headed on a bus ride to the potato farm that Aunt Candy told us about from the 1800s.

When we got to the farm, there was a tour guide waiting for us and the other people on the bus.

“ Hello! My name is Edward O’Conner , and I will be your tour guide for today. Now if you will follow me, I am going to show you the Drummond Potato Farm.

He later on explained that this potato farm was one of the largest potato farms in Ireland, which was devastated during the Great Famine in 1845.

“During 1845 In Ireland, the most consumed crop was potatoes. The Great Famine started when a disease called “Late Blight” started to spread in the roots of the potato, causing them to be inedible, and because of this, many lives were lost due to starvation”.

We continued the tour, my dad and I. It was quite late, and suddenly, quite cold. I heard a small eerie scream. I paid no attention to it, until I felt a cold breeze blowing beside me. My entire body was suddenly covered in goosebumps.The scream slowly came back, but more ear-piercing. In just a few moments, it sounded like someone was beside me, screaming in my ear, until it sounded like someone whispered “Tá banshee Dromainn anseo”, then everything went black.

—-----------------------

I screamed. 

I woke up, all sweaty. 

“ Ellen, are you all right?” asked Judy, my sister.

“ Yes, I’m fine Judy. It was just a weird dream.”  I responded.

“Wait, what time is it?” I ask Judy, concerned.

“11 am. Why?” Judy responds.

“Oh dear! I'm late to visit the hospital! Can you grab my coat and shoes please?” I ask, hurriedly.

As soon as I get my coat and shoes on, I rush out of my house and run to the hospital.

At the hospital, I told the nurse at the entrance my name: Ellen Drummond, and who I was visiting: my 5 year old son John, and my husband, James. They both fell ill because of the Great Famine. The nurse told me to wait where I was, as she walked up to the floor with all the patients. When she came back down, she looked… solemn. 

“ Is…….. everything alright? Can I go to see them?” I ask 

“ Ms. Drummond. I'm so sorry but they’re both gone. They were both too frail to survive.” The nurse replied. 

I just stood there, shocked. They were the two of the most important people in my life, and now, they’re just … gone? With heaviness in my heart, I left . When I got home, Judy was there. She noticed I looked sad. Then, she realised on what had happened

“They’re gone,right? “ she asked, almost certain of the answer I would tell her. I nod my head. Not even a second later, I just started crying. My cries turn into wails, my wails into shrieks, and my shrieks turn into an ongoing eerie and horrifying scream. My scream surrounds me, like a deadly python circling and squeezing its prey. How could they just go, all so suddenly. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye. 

From this moment, I promised myself that I would forever protect my family from experiencing this gut-wrenching feeling by warning them. From then on - I wonder and wail, racing to beat darkness, death or misfortune if they come close. Close to descendants in the family. 

________________________________

There was a familiar presence in the farm today. I looked outside the cracked windows of my house, and saw a father and child, walking and smiling together. I haven’t felt this for decades. I opened my mouth to call them, forgetting that only screams come out of a wandering spirit like me - and I spooked the girl.

Their time for either of them to hear from me is not yet, not here, not now. 

I will wait until the day I am brought to be next to them in their loneliest moments of loss.  

Even if they feel alone, I will be there, to join their cries and comfort them. So that when their scream comes to free them, they realise that in that moment, they are not ever alone.

By Sophia Guevara Nichols