Old God's Time

The next day, Tom is glad he connected to the cellist and his music. He thinks that the truth as he remembers it seems impossible. He and June stealthily followed Matthews and Byrne to a parking lot in the mountains. The priests set off up a path, with Matthews ahead. June took out their kitchen bread knife. She crawled into Tom’s coat and laid on his back, becoming a rat-like creature. Tom ran up another path through the woods to get ahead of the priests. He and June emerged at the peak, with Ireland spread out below in the sunlight. Matthews appeared below them. June ran to him, shouting something and stabbing him multiple times before he tumbled down into the ravine. Then, Tom and June ran back into the woods.

In the present, Tom smokes a cigarillo and enjoys the late-May sunshine. He watches the wild water of the sea. He thinks that murder means life imprisonment. He thinks about the terrible crimes of the priests and the way they were covered up. He feels they are unforgiveable and deserving of tortuous deaths. Tom thinks of all the children through history, suffering at the hands of the people who are supposed to be good.