Aofie and Michael

Chapter 1: Crimson.
In 1833, Ireland, a young Irish man was planning to steal food.

His name was Michael McNamara, he was known as The Last Peasant of Carrickville.

His grandfather was ill and could no longer look after him.

The 17-year old looked outside a middle class house, he saw what appeared to be stew.

” (Damn.....)” He mumbled in Irish.

The smell caused him to clutch his aching stomach in pain.

He sneaked past people to avoid suspicion, the police and several other things.

16-year old Aofie was walking with her younger sister Allie when she noticed a figure rustling.

” (Ha! This is now property of the survivor of Sionnaigh Tine!)” He said.

”Stop! thief!” They heard a man’s voice.

Aofie walked over and saw a man dressed only in tattered trousers, button shirt and was barefoot walking through her garden with the stew in his hands.

The man caught up to the Irish man, snatched the bowl off him and started physically hitting him.

”Stop it, Da!” Aofie shouted, Aofie’s father stopped.

Aofie walked towards the peasant, He clutched his stomach, the bowl was in the hands of the older man.

”Give me the bowl.” Aofie ordered, he did what she asked.

” (Shit.....)” He said in Irish.

She helped him up and brought him inside.

” (My family live somewhat better, my dad has a job, he works in an office)” She said to the teenager in perfect Irish Gaelic.

” (My name is Michael McNamara)” He introduced.

” (Sure, My name is)” She said before being interrupted by a loud growling sound.

The sound was confirmed when she saw the boy wrap his arms around his midsection, he blushed a little.

” (Are you hungry?, Do you want to eat?)” She asked.

” (Yes, Haven’t eaten in a while........)” He mumbled

Aofie gave him the stew he tried to steal, much to the objection of her father.

”Aofie, Why give it to a lowlife street rat?” Her father, James asked her.

”He’s hungry, Da.” Aofie said as she handed Michael the spoon,

The smell made his mouth water, and he took a spoonful and put it in his mouth.

” (It’s good)” He whispered.

He scarfed the whole thing down.

The stew was finished in 1 minute, Michael gave a relieved sigh.

” (You must of been starving)” She said.

” (That was my first meal in 3 days)” Michael said.

Chapter 2: Slums
Michael and Aofie went out, the seventeen-year old wrapped his arm around her.

” (My da’s a doctor, He’ll get used to you soon)” She said.

Michael turned to look at her, Aofie noticed that he wasn’t as bad looking as she thought, He had a rather handsome face for a former peasant turned slumdweller, but the cuts forming on his face from sleeping roughly on the streets and the slums made him look plain.

He was allowed to bathe at their property.

The couple sat down on the ground of Michael’s “home”.

His grandfather Padraig was sleeping.

”He’s.....sleeping.....” Michael said.

The couple went upstairs, then Aofie shut the door.

”Michael?” Aofie asked.

Michael then looked at her.

”Are.....you.....um.....” She was very nervous asking this question.

” (What?)” Michael asked.

” (Ticklish?)” She whispered softly in his ear.

Michael was quite flustered by the woman, Then he whispered back.

” (Try it anyway)” He said.

He would soon to regret those three words, Aofie moved her fingers up the peasant man’s hips.

Michael couldn’t help but laugh, a different from the hard as nails peasant who stole food.

He never realised this until now.

” (S-Stop!)” He cried out.

He struggled to pull her hands away from his sides.

” (Oh my God, you really are)” She spoke in amusement.

” (Stop! Okay! Okay, I am!)” He protested.

He giggled due to the aftermath.

” (Between you and me...)” Aofie said.

Chapter 3: Saoirse and Seosamh.
1834 June 6th, Dublin, Ireland.

18-year old Aofie McNamara, who married Michael was now in her final month of pregnancy,

Padraig, or Patrick helped with the couple.

Michael was more stable with money, his grandfather took up working in a shop, which he got paid for, the money was paid on food.

Aofie looked towards her husband, Michael now 19.

” (Love, the baby’s coming.....)” She said, wincing in pain.

Michael ran and managed to find a doctor.

”What’s wrong?” He asked.

”Wife......give....birth....” He said in the poorest amount of English.

The doctor followed them to the home the couple stayed.

Padraig heard about the birth of his two grandchildren and quickly ran home.

”Push, Mrs. McNamara, Push!” The doctor shouted.

She screamed, then they heard a baby cry.

”It’s a girl!” He said.

The newborn was cleaned and put in a Moses’ basket.

Then Aofie screamed louder.

”There’s another one, She is having twins!” The doctor said.

Then they heard another baby cry, the next one was wrapped and put in a Moses’ basket.

Padraig and Michael McNamara waited outside.

”You two can come in now.” The doctor said.

Padraig and Michael walked in.

”The first baby is a girl and the second is a boy, they’re twins.” He said.

”I got names.” Padraig said.

” (I’m naming the boy Joseph)” He said as he wrote on the newborn boy’s birth certificate.

It came out as Seosamh.

”My husband, he can’t write English.” She said.

The doctor nodded, then Padraig wrote on the newborn girl’s birth certificate.

”Saoirse, That’s perfect.” He said.

Chapter 4: Papa!
The now 3 year old twins sat with their mother and father in the slums.

Aofie’s father occasionally helped them with food, water and anything.

“ (It’s yours, Aofie)” He said, handing a dish of food to her.

” (Michael, please, You’ll starve)” She spoke.

Michael often went hungry to ensure the other four people in his life got food aswell.

“ (Michael, You’ll die in the next several days, just eat!)” She said, picking up a fork and shoving a piece of food into his mouth.

Padraig, Joseph and Saoirse were staring at the young couple and the twins’ parents, insisting Michael should eat aswell and Aofie making her husband eat it.

” (Mmf!)” He tried to speak.

It startled him quite a bit.

Chapter 5: Famine and Escape
The twins were now 11, Michael’s grandfather died due to the famine.

Due to potato blight, Michael was forced to kill cats and cook them to stay alive aswell as Saoirse and Joseph.

Aofie’s father went along with them in case the twins got sick.

” (Tarot cards, check, food to last us several days, check, spare clothes, check)” Michael said.

Chapter 7: The trail
The group going to Florida consisted of 14 people, including Michael, Joseph, Aofie and Saoirse,

The twins stayed close to their parents at all times, both were warned not to drink water from the stream due to risks of cholera and dysentery and told to drink water that was safe.

An Irish immigrant spoke to Michael and Aofie, He was named Cathal.

”Hey, so, your motive for escaping Ireland?” Cathal asked Michael.

Michael was rubbing at his eyes.

”The famine, Michael never really had an easy life.” Aofie said.

Aofie noticed Michael rubbing at his eyes, Aofie then spoke.

” (Are you allergic to something?)” Aofie asked him.

” (I don’t know.....)” Michael said.

Cathal noticed it aswell.

”Mick, you feelin’ okay?” Cathal asked him.

Michael turned to him, then began to look very scared.

”Guys, I think Michael is blind!” Cathal yelled.

” (Aofie! AOFIE! I-I-I CAN’T SEE! HELP ME!)” Michael cried out.

Michael, for the first time since his village was slaughtered, was terrified beyond everything.

The chef, a Scottish man went over to Michael.

”We’re gonna have to camp, Cathal, bring Michael to the doctors, We’ll give you the money.” Hamish said as he handed Cathal the money, everyone got off the carriage and set up camp, Saoirse and Joseph helped with the campfire with their mom.

”Mr. Mackie, what’s wrong with Dad?” Joseph asked him.

“I don’t know, We might have to throw him off if he doesn’t recover.” He said.

The nearest civilisation was 16 minutes away and they had to walk there.

Minutes went by and Michael held onto Cathal, his eyes were glazed over.

” (Where I’m I going?)” Michael asked Aofie.

”We’re gonna get a doctor to check out your eyes.” Aofie replied back.

Cathal held onto Michael’s hand in a bid to calm him.

Cathal brought money and they made their way to the doctor.

It was a long walk, Michael could hardly tell how long it has been.

Chapter 8: 1855
Aofie was pregnant again, despite having two adult children.

Saoirse and Joseph, who were now 21 and their father waited outside.

Michael was topless due to the heat, it was a little uncomfortable being topless infront of his own two children, he wasn’t used to it.

He wasn’t overweight, but he was slender with very little muscle mass, he resembled more of a porcelain doll than a human.

He had always been slender due to poorer nutrition, and others mistaken him for the twin’s older brother because of it.

A doctor came to deliver the baby.

” (Dad, why have another baby?)” Saoirse asked.

Michael didn’t reply back.

Then they all heard a baby cry.

”It’s a girl.” The doctor said.

He then called Michael inside.

He saw his wife holding a baby girl wrapped in a red towel.

”M......Mia......” He said.

He held the baby to his bare chest.

” (Mia McNamara)” He spoke.