Mrs Flannagan's Trumpet by Catherine Cookson

Author:Catherine Cookson [Cookson, Catherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781780360881
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Ted had of necessity to walk backwards and trust in Mrs Flannagan’s hand on his shoulder to guide his steps.

They rested three times before they reached the loop, stopping immediately they came upon the awe-inspiring hole, and again when they were past it.

The journey seemed to be never-ending and became almost impossible when they had to press and pull his grandfather through the narrowest part of the passage, but his fear, Eddie realised, had left him once they had passed the roaring hole.

However, both he and Ted were nearing the end of their strength when they reached the lower room and the foot of the steps, and as they rested for a moment Mrs Flannagan, her voice holding a pleading note, said, ‘One last effort, Ted.’

It seemed unfair to Eddie in this moment that his granny hadn’t yet recognised his part in the effort. But what did it matter? That would be the day when he got a word of appreciation from his granny. The main thing now was to get his granda up this last flight of steps.

When he heard his granny say, ‘Lay him on there, Ted,’ as she pointed towards the bed in the far corner of the cave room, he showed no surprise, for his main concern now was to lay his part of the burden down before his arms snapped.

‘On there, Maggie?’ Ted’s words came out between gasps.

‘Aye, for the present.’

When they had laid Mr Flannagan on what, on closer inspection, Eddie saw to be a very narrow single bed, more like a couch, he stood panting and rubbing at his arms while he watched his grandmother examine the wound on his grandfather’s head, then open his coat and lay her ear to his chest. And with fresh amazement he again thought, Eeh! She can hear as well as me, the old twister. But why the trumpet?

His mind hadn’t time to give himself any answer to the question before his granny said, ‘The cuts are not deep, and his heart’s going strong, thank God…Would you get his coat and trousers off for me? I’ll be back in a minute.’ And with this she hurried down the room and from their view. But she was back again within a few minutes, her arms laden with bedding and nightclothes.

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