Terry, Mary and the Choir of Rats

Dublin 1921, Terry takes a break from construction work rebuilding the GPO.

A smoky grey sky presides over a grim day. The city is busy, people walking in a hurry, clad in muted colours. Kids wearing ragged, torn clothes are playing on streets, and horses and carts roll up and down, as the street lights flicker in the misty rain.

“It should be built,” Terry said aggressively. Terry was skinny, with brown hair and a pencil thin moustache. He wore denim blue overalls, which were old, with patches and soup stains all over the front.

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“No, it shouldn’t,” Mary said calmly. She was a beautiful old lady, she had ocean blue eyes, fair skin and white, wispy hair. She wore a light pink dressing gown and grey slippers with white bunnies on them. She was smoking a cigar attached to a long wooden holder. Terry pulled off his gloves and threw them into a fire. He was mad as hell.

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“There’s economic growth and national pride at stake,” Terry said, annoyed, as his moustache quivered.

“What do you mean economic growth? People won’t be posting letters soon. Look at all the telephones,” Mary said before she blew smoke in his face. She was getting increasingly annoyed.

Terry coughed out, “I still think it should be built. It’s a monument to our nationality.” A swarm of rats gathered from nearby streets, formed a choir and started singing Ave Maria.

Mary started crying. “I love that hymn,” she whispered.

Terry kicked one of the rats and announced: “I hate that hymn.” The rat he kicked flew over the GPO into the next street while the others scuttled away. Mary’s frustrations came to a boil. She knew what she was going to do…

The 100 Years project is part of the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 initiative of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in Ireland. Fighting Words and Fighting Words NI organise creative writing workshops and projects with school students at primary and post-primary levels, inviting them to cast their imaginations 100 years to both the past and future. Presented here is a small collection of stories from those workshops.