Shipwreck by Maureen Jennings

Author:Maureen Jennings
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781926583525
Publisher: Grass Roots Press
Published: 2011-10-25T23:00:00+00:00

William took a long time to bring Mrs. Cameron, the midwife, to the parish hall. The snow was deep, and she lived on the edge of the village. She was an old woman and not too steady on her feet. At first, she was nervous about going into a building that belonged to Catholics. She herself was a Baptist. But Will told her that the hall was only a building, like any other. It was the church that was holy. So with Mrs. Cameron clinging to Will’s arm, the two of them set off through the snow.

Finally they arrived at the hall. When they got inside, Will saw that the village women had been busy. They had hung a curtain at the rear of the hall to make a private space for the young woman from the sea. That was how William had started to think about her.

Will saw several more sheets of canvas laid out on the floor. These tarpaulins would receive the dead. But there were also some welcoming touches. Pine branches hanging on the doors scented the air. A big log fire already blazed in the hearth. Will’s mother was with the other village women, putting food out on a wooden table. If there were survivors, they would need food. And so would the rescuers.

Will had been right about the Christmas roast goose dinner. He could see the pot his mother had cooked it in. His stomach grumbled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since last night. But he had no time to eat now.

His mother called him over. “Take these buckets of water to the fire, Will. We need to boil water.”

Other tasks followed, so he couldn’t return to the shore right away, although he wanted to. Every so often, he heard a cry of pain coming from behind the curtain where the young woman was lying.

After what seemed a long time, Father Keegan entered the hall, leading a grim line of men. They were bringing in the bodies from the doomed boat. They laid them on the tarpaulins and covered each man with a blanket. There were five corpses.

Gathered along the wall were the people who belonged to the church, the parishioners. They stood side by side with the rest of the villagers who had answered the church bell’s call for help. All of them watched silently.

Father Keegan began to make the sign of the cross over each corpse. The Methodist minister and the pastor from the Baptist church were both doing their own praying. However, this was Father Keegan’s hall, and out of respect, they stayed back.

The priest beckoned to Will. “You are a clever boy, William Murdoch, and your handwriting is clear. The people who have died will all have loved ones somewhere. Their mothers and wives will want to claim them. We cannot allow any confusion.”

Father Keegan’s eyes were dark with fatigue. He nodded in the direction of the watching villagers. “These are good people. They did not hesitate to risk their own lives.

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