Flood by James Heneghan

I spoke to a man who knows roaches and he’s coming around soon. The night of the full moon is the proper time to catch them, he says.”
    â€œAre you sure? There’s an r in the month, don’t forget. Aren’t cockroaches safe in r months?”
    â€œIt must be my influence; you’re turning out to be such a clever, witty child, Andy.” Vinny stroked his hair fondly and kissed his cheek. “But we’ll solve all our problems, never you fear.”
    On the occasional evenings that Vinny stayed home, he sometimes answered coded — two slow, pause, two fast — knocks on the door. He invited nobody in, but talked or whispered for a few seconds with each caller before sendingthem on their way with a small slip of paper for the betting shop, or with a bottle of whiskey.
    Tonight had been particularly busy, with knocks at regular intervals throughout the evening. At ten o’clock Vinny said, “Bedtime, Andy.”
    â€œTell me a story.”
    â€œFor a few minutes, then.” When Andy was under his new blanket, Vinny sat on the edge of the sofa.
    â€œThere’s a big old library downtown,” said Andy. “I’m going to join and have something to read in the evenings, seeing as how we’ve got no TV or radio or anything. Do you think we could get a reading lamp?”
    â€œGood idea, Andy, we’ll have a reading lamp. You’re lighting up my life, so you are.”
    â€œTell me a Tir Na n’Og story.”
    â€œVery well. I’ll tell you what happened to young Lord Fitzgerald when he swore to love an orphan girl, swore to love her forever and beyond. Are you ready?”
    â€œI’m ready.”
    â€œThe Little People were singing and dancing under the hawthorn tree one bright moonlit — ”
    â€œWhy does it always have to be moonlight? What’s so important about moonlight?”
    â€œFood for the soul. The Little People need to charge their spiritual batteries, same as us, which is why we pray and go to church. Now can I go on?”
    â€œI thought you said they need raisins.”
    â€œThey do indeed. Raisins are food for the body. Body and soul is the whole man. If you keep interrupting — ”
    â€œI won’t interrupt anymore. Go on.”
    â€œOne bright moonlit night when Lord Fitzgerald was very young, he heard the sounds of the Sheehogue singing and dancing in the meadow…”

    â€œI love the story of Lord Fitzgerald and the orphan girl.”
    â€œAh, don’t we all?”
    â€œWill ye hush and let us listen?”

13
    ANDY WOKE IN THE NIGHT with the feeling there was someone in the room. He held his breath, listening. Scratching sounds coming from… where? Heart racing, he sat up and looked around quickly. The anti-cockroach light was still on and there was nobody in the room. Vinny’s door was open, which meant he wasn’t yet home. Andy listened. There it was again:
scratch-scratch
. He looked around. Nothing. Then
scratch-scratch
again; from the kitchen. He slid off the sofa, blanket about his shoulders, and tiptoed to the kitchen. An enormous gray rat had been sniffing something on the floor; when it saw Andy, it scurried away and disappeared behind the stove.
    Another good reason for keeping a dog.
    He couldn’t sleep after that, wishing Vinny would come home, listening for the rat, his mind a kaleidoscope of colliding images and sounds: bet you never thought I’d end up in cold Halifax place of my birth living with Vinny and rats and cockroaches huh Mother where are you now and Clay do you still see Clay and can you see me here Mother withVinny my father your husband once and a dirty great rat in the kitchen, can you?
    Vinny was up early the next morning, by ten o’clock, early for him. Andy hadn’t heard him come in.
    â€œThere was a rat last night,” was the first thing Andy said to him. “In the kitchen.”
    â€œA rat was it? Are