The Pirate Princess: Return to the Emerald Isle by Matthew Morris Page A
Authors: Matthew Morris
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the side . “They are friends of the family they guard. They supposedly walked the earth with the family, possibly even being a long-dead member. The banshee keen is one of sadness, because she no can no longer follow her friend. As a banshee, she is stuck between this world and the otherworld.”
“How do you know so much about this stuff , Mom?” asked Eileen.
“Nanny and your grandfather, God rest him, told me all of the Irish legends and stories when I was little. In the winter we would sit in the big room around a roaring fire and tell stories and read books until the spring came again. It was like going to Ireland every year when the weather got cold. Kings and queens, fairies and ghosts, battles and cattle raids were my entertainment when I was your age, Meg.”
“I want to hear more,” said Meg.
“Me too,” added Eileen.
“All right .” A smile crossed Shay’s face. “I’ll tell you all the tale of an Irish princess who sailed the seas with a magic compendium she received on her eleventh birthday…”
“Aw , Mom!” complained Meg.
They all had a laugh , and then listened to Shay make up a fairy tale about Meg as they sailed towards the restaurant in Stonington.
* * *
The village of Mystic is part of the larger town of Stonington, which is situated on a harbor that was also once a very busy seaport. On the docks at the tip of the peninsula that makes Stonington Borough, as the locals call the old part of town, there is a restaurant where the Murphys held all their celebrations—birthdays, anniversaries, hallmark holidays. It did not take much for Shay and Mark to come up with a reason to go there. Just a short ride from their house by car or by boat, it was their favorite place to go to eat. The Murphys were always given a prime table, on a corner of the deck that extended out over the water.
The sun was shining brightly and the temperature was warm for October. The deck was filled with people soaking up the sun and fresh air on the last of the nice days before shutting themselves up for the winter. The owner of the restaurant stopped by their table, as always, to say hello and talk to Shay about the next shipment of her scallops. When the business discussion with Shay was done, he took their order for dinner. Mark and Shay ordered steaks. The owner always kidded them about coming to a seafood restaurant to order beef, but that is what they always had. Meg’s parents said they spent enough time around seafood at work so they never wanted to have it for dinner.
Meg , on the other hand, loved seafood. She had the most wonderful seared scallops (her mom’s, of course) and a big plate of French fries. Their dinner was finished off with a chocolate cake brought out by the wait staff as they sang “Happy Birthday” to Meg. The whole crowd on the deck helped with the singing. Then Shay went down to the Muirín and came back carrying gift bags.
Meg’s birthday present from her dad was a book by her favorite author. She loved to read and already had quite a large library of books that she kept in a chest in her room. Reading was a way for Meg to go to places she could never dream of and live stories that could only be possible in an author’s imagination. She was not like most kids her age who spent time zoned out in front of a TV or computer. Meg read most anything her parents let her, in both hardcopy and on her electronic reader, which was last year’s birthday present. Her e-reader was full of books from antiquity, which she downloaded at first because they were free. Soon enough, however, Meg found herself truly enjoying the classics.
Meg’s m om gave her something she had been waiting a long time for: scuba lessons. You were not allowed to learn to scuba dive until you were ten, and even then you were only allowed to learn under a certified diving professional. Shay did not want to get Meg diving under water too early, so she had always promised that she would let her
“How do you know so much about this stuff , Mom?” asked Eileen.
“Nanny and your grandfather, God rest him, told me all of the Irish legends and stories when I was little. In the winter we would sit in the big room around a roaring fire and tell stories and read books until the spring came again. It was like going to Ireland every year when the weather got cold. Kings and queens, fairies and ghosts, battles and cattle raids were my entertainment when I was your age, Meg.”
“I want to hear more,” said Meg.
“Me too,” added Eileen.
“All right .” A smile crossed Shay’s face. “I’ll tell you all the tale of an Irish princess who sailed the seas with a magic compendium she received on her eleventh birthday…”
“Aw , Mom!” complained Meg.
They all had a laugh , and then listened to Shay make up a fairy tale about Meg as they sailed towards the restaurant in Stonington.
* * *
The village of Mystic is part of the larger town of Stonington, which is situated on a harbor that was also once a very busy seaport. On the docks at the tip of the peninsula that makes Stonington Borough, as the locals call the old part of town, there is a restaurant where the Murphys held all their celebrations—birthdays, anniversaries, hallmark holidays. It did not take much for Shay and Mark to come up with a reason to go there. Just a short ride from their house by car or by boat, it was their favorite place to go to eat. The Murphys were always given a prime table, on a corner of the deck that extended out over the water.
The sun was shining brightly and the temperature was warm for October. The deck was filled with people soaking up the sun and fresh air on the last of the nice days before shutting themselves up for the winter. The owner of the restaurant stopped by their table, as always, to say hello and talk to Shay about the next shipment of her scallops. When the business discussion with Shay was done, he took their order for dinner. Mark and Shay ordered steaks. The owner always kidded them about coming to a seafood restaurant to order beef, but that is what they always had. Meg’s parents said they spent enough time around seafood at work so they never wanted to have it for dinner.
Meg , on the other hand, loved seafood. She had the most wonderful seared scallops (her mom’s, of course) and a big plate of French fries. Their dinner was finished off with a chocolate cake brought out by the wait staff as they sang “Happy Birthday” to Meg. The whole crowd on the deck helped with the singing. Then Shay went down to the Muirín and came back carrying gift bags.
Meg’s birthday present from her dad was a book by her favorite author. She loved to read and already had quite a large library of books that she kept in a chest in her room. Reading was a way for Meg to go to places she could never dream of and live stories that could only be possible in an author’s imagination. She was not like most kids her age who spent time zoned out in front of a TV or computer. Meg read most anything her parents let her, in both hardcopy and on her electronic reader, which was last year’s birthday present. Her e-reader was full of books from antiquity, which she downloaded at first because they were free. Soon enough, however, Meg found herself truly enjoying the classics.
Meg’s m om gave her something she had been waiting a long time for: scuba lessons. You were not allowed to learn to scuba dive until you were ten, and even then you were only allowed to learn under a certified diving professional. Shay did not want to get Meg diving under water too early, so she had always promised that she would let her
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