and speak to him.
‘Why don’t you take your mask off?’
‘Why don’t you?’
Irene’s hand went up to her face. ‘I’d forgotten I had it on,’ she smiled and added, ‘anyway, mine just covers round the eyes.’
‘Well, you can see my eyes too.’ They crinkled up, smiling. ‘They say the eyes are the windows of the soul.’
‘That’s all very well, but I don’t know who you are.’
‘Yes you do!’
‘No I don’t, who are you?’
The blue eyes glittered. ‘Course you do. I’m Frankenstein!’
‘Then shouldn’t you be in a lab somewhere, instead of waltzing round John Dossor’s?’
‘I sneaked out to find a mate.’
‘You’ll never find one,’ Irene laughed.’ You’re far too ugly!’
‘I’m not underneath. I just need someone to kiss me and I’ll turn into a handsome prince.’
‘You’re in the wrong story for that.’
‘No I’m not; just kiss me and you’ll see.’ He stopped waltzing, bent his head and pulled her closer.
Irene stood on tiptoes, put her lips on the green cardboard and made a kissing sound. Frankenstein laughed and pushed the mask to the top of his head and Irene found herself looking into the very handsome face of Theresa’s brother.
‘Sean!’ She stared in amazement. ‘I never guessed it was you.’
The band switched to a tune with a fast rhythmic beat. ‘Can you tango?’ he shouted.
‘Can I what?’
‘Tango. Come on, I’ll show you.’
Irene did her best to follow his lead, but the steps were so strange and unpredictable that she quickly realised she needed to relax and let Sean take control and guide her movements. The beat was throbbing in her head, he held her firmly, and she felt herself pushed and pulled. Slowly she began to sense the pattern of steps and the drama conveyed by their body shape. Suddenly, Sean stopped abruptly and arched her backwards from the waist until she found herself staring at the ceiling, the music ended and he bent over and kissed her. Irene could hear applause and cheering a long way off, but she kept her eyes on Sean’s face as he helped her up and pulled her towards him. Her head was light and she closed her eyes. When she opened them, Sean had turned away to listen to a man in a serpent’s mask speaking urgently in his ear. As she watched, he nodded several times then the man melted into the crowd. Sean gripped her elbow and led her off the dance floor.
‘I’m sorry,’ he began, ‘I’m going to have to go.’ He paused as though struggling to shape his words. ‘Something’s happened. I need to …’ He gave up trying to explain, kissed her quickly on her cheek and followed the serpent out of the building.
*
Across town in their shop on Manor Street the McCrackens, John, Aggie and Grace, were entertaining Sheila and Martha. Martha had arrived after tea to buy her groceries and spend a couple of hours with her cousins before she and Sheila went home. Inevitably, as they settled in front of the fire with tea and homemade cake, the talk turned to war.
‘The fact is that we’re totally unprepared. Belfast will be tried and found wanting in this war. You mark my words.’ John had talked of nothing else for weeks.
‘But sure, John, we have the ARPs like yourself,’ said Martha.
‘Let me tell you, it would take thousands of trained, I say again, trained men to protect this city, but people won’t hear the call.’ He shook his head and bent to poke the fire into a blaze. ‘We’re too few and there’s no training to speak of at all.’ His sisters fell silent and busied themselves with their knitting.
Martha ventured an opinion she’d heard in the queue at Carson’s butchers that morning. ‘We’re a powerful distance from Germany. How would they ever get themselves away over here?’
‘I’ll tell you this for nothing, Martha, there’ll be planes coming up the Lough dropping fire bombs like apples out of a basket and they’ll be falling on our heads.’ John got into his stride. ‘We’ve neither
‘Why don’t you take your mask off?’
‘Why don’t you?’
Irene’s hand went up to her face. ‘I’d forgotten I had it on,’ she smiled and added, ‘anyway, mine just covers round the eyes.’
‘Well, you can see my eyes too.’ They crinkled up, smiling. ‘They say the eyes are the windows of the soul.’
‘That’s all very well, but I don’t know who you are.’
‘Yes you do!’
‘No I don’t, who are you?’
The blue eyes glittered. ‘Course you do. I’m Frankenstein!’
‘Then shouldn’t you be in a lab somewhere, instead of waltzing round John Dossor’s?’
‘I sneaked out to find a mate.’
‘You’ll never find one,’ Irene laughed.’ You’re far too ugly!’
‘I’m not underneath. I just need someone to kiss me and I’ll turn into a handsome prince.’
‘You’re in the wrong story for that.’
‘No I’m not; just kiss me and you’ll see.’ He stopped waltzing, bent his head and pulled her closer.
Irene stood on tiptoes, put her lips on the green cardboard and made a kissing sound. Frankenstein laughed and pushed the mask to the top of his head and Irene found herself looking into the very handsome face of Theresa’s brother.
‘Sean!’ She stared in amazement. ‘I never guessed it was you.’
The band switched to a tune with a fast rhythmic beat. ‘Can you tango?’ he shouted.
‘Can I what?’
‘Tango. Come on, I’ll show you.’
Irene did her best to follow his lead, but the steps were so strange and unpredictable that she quickly realised she needed to relax and let Sean take control and guide her movements. The beat was throbbing in her head, he held her firmly, and she felt herself pushed and pulled. Slowly she began to sense the pattern of steps and the drama conveyed by their body shape. Suddenly, Sean stopped abruptly and arched her backwards from the waist until she found herself staring at the ceiling, the music ended and he bent over and kissed her. Irene could hear applause and cheering a long way off, but she kept her eyes on Sean’s face as he helped her up and pulled her towards him. Her head was light and she closed her eyes. When she opened them, Sean had turned away to listen to a man in a serpent’s mask speaking urgently in his ear. As she watched, he nodded several times then the man melted into the crowd. Sean gripped her elbow and led her off the dance floor.
‘I’m sorry,’ he began, ‘I’m going to have to go.’ He paused as though struggling to shape his words. ‘Something’s happened. I need to …’ He gave up trying to explain, kissed her quickly on her cheek and followed the serpent out of the building.
*
Across town in their shop on Manor Street the McCrackens, John, Aggie and Grace, were entertaining Sheila and Martha. Martha had arrived after tea to buy her groceries and spend a couple of hours with her cousins before she and Sheila went home. Inevitably, as they settled in front of the fire with tea and homemade cake, the talk turned to war.
‘The fact is that we’re totally unprepared. Belfast will be tried and found wanting in this war. You mark my words.’ John had talked of nothing else for weeks.
‘But sure, John, we have the ARPs like yourself,’ said Martha.
‘Let me tell you, it would take thousands of trained, I say again, trained men to protect this city, but people won’t hear the call.’ He shook his head and bent to poke the fire into a blaze. ‘We’re too few and there’s no training to speak of at all.’ His sisters fell silent and busied themselves with their knitting.
Martha ventured an opinion she’d heard in the queue at Carson’s butchers that morning. ‘We’re a powerful distance from Germany. How would they ever get themselves away over here?’
‘I’ll tell you this for nothing, Martha, there’ll be planes coming up the Lough dropping fire bombs like apples out of a basket and they’ll be falling on our heads.’ John got into his stride. ‘We’ve neither
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