bogwater, rectory, Ireland
“Om Namo Narayanaya. Rade shyam, Om, radhe radhe …”
“Seamus?”
I inhaled deep through my nose, counted to seven and released the wave breath; my kundalini master said to think of it like the sound you make to simulate a crowd of cheers only to make it through the nose, a wide open release. ‘I am at Peace,’ I thought ‘I do not want to cave in John Patrick’s skull and skip the flat stones of his brain across the broad majestic Shannon. I am at Peace. I love all creatures. I am benevolent.’
“And what is it you’d be wanting this morning John Patrick Callahan?’ it was my at peace passive aggressive skull bashing; he hated the ‘magically delicious’ accent. ‘For Christ sake, man,’ he’d say ‘You actually are Irish ya daft bastard.’
“It’s Jimmy,” he paused “I think you best come.”
“What is it?”
“Grab your coat, I’ll tell you on the way.”
It took three tries to get the wobbly used Citroen to turn over. John Patrick had sworn off triumphs, and he couldn’t afford to buy American.
“… They pulled him out of the peat, he had a lungful of bogwater –“
“They who?”
“Was Mary that found him.”
“Christ.”
“She got his head up and was breathing for him, the sweater and wool pants were too heavy, her brothers came, one for each arm and Charlie had to get in the bog to heave out from under.”
He pushed the Citroen down a gear to take the ruts up hill.
“The hospital is the other way.”
“He’s not there, they took him to St. Thomas, he’s laid out in the rectory.”
“What? Why?”
“It’s not good Seamus, not good at all. Mary pushed most of the bogwater out of his lungs but …”
“Extreme unction,” I whispered, “Absolution.”
“Yes.”
“Will I have to fight her brothers if I suggest that after his soul is clean we try letting a doctor keep it in his body a while longer?”
He was quiet, as we crested the first hillock the white-washed cross high atop the poor church rose above the next rise.
“Maybe. I’ll take Mark, Joseph won’t fight, but Charlie, he’s all yours. I suppose one way or the other someone’s going to the hospital.”
New Prompts
Fearsome compassion, fierce kindness, Mercy
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