Buzz. I can’t believe it! I did everything to make sure no midges followed me in. I pull the covers over my head in the hope it will just leave me alone.
Buzzzz. It seems to be getting louder and is now keeping me awake. I’m going to have to get out of bed and swat it.
Buzzzzzzz. Either there’s a house party of midges in my room or … I listen more carefully. Grace is snoring gently, making occasional little yelps of joy. I listen again.
BUZZZZZZZZZ. That’s not a midge, it’s a boat!
I fling back the covers. Grace lumbers from her sleep, but no sooner is she on her feet than she’s alert. I run intothe dark living room wearing nothing but a T-shirt and press my face against the cold, damp glass of the window.
There’s a light. No, two lights. They’re back! My heart starts thumping so loudly it’s banging my eardrums as well. My breathing quickens. What can I do? I rummage for my phone, but there’s no mobile reception, not even for emergency calls. I can’t phone Sean, and I can’t phone the Garda either. I pull on my big yellow coat, grab the keys from the hook, but I have no idea how they’ll help. Grace is now dancing around, tail wagging, hoping for a midnight walk. I step into my boots, grab a torch, take the biggest breath I have ever taken and open the door, really gently.
Grace pushes her way out with her nose, still dancing round my feet, and I’m hoping that she doesn’t knock anything over. I don’t turn on the torch. I have to get closer to see what’s going on. The boat’s engine suddenly cuts out and I stop. I crouch down, as if that’s going to help. I wonder if they’ve seen me. If not, perhaps they can hear my heart thundering in my chest because it’s deafening me. But they don’t seem to have.
I smooth Grace’s head. I can hear faint voices. I take quiet footsteps towards the tractor and hold on to the back of it. I can hear the water very gently lapping at the wheels.
Splish, splosh, splish, splosh.
I try and listen to the murmur of their voices. They’re wearing head torches but I can’t see their faces. The torches bob around like dancing fireflies. I can make out the outline of a boat, and then I see it. They’re lifting a dripping sack of oysters from the water with a long stick. I have to stop them …
‘Hey! Put that back!’ Fear has been replaced by pure fury. ‘Put it back!’ I shout. Grace suddenly starts barking and jumping around in the shallow water, getting me wet. They don’t seem to be moving. Grace stops jumping and Ilisten. I can hear the faint sound of laughter and then, unbelievably, see another bag being lifted.
‘Put it back!’ I scream, pointing with my finger. ‘Put it back!’
But they’re not moving. They’re lifting more sacks. Still I can’t see their faces, they’re both wearing baseball caps pulled down.
‘Grr!’ I grit my teeth in frustration.
I look around for something to help me, anything!
I grab a stone and throw it as hard as I can. It lands with a splash only feet away from me, but Grace thinks this is a great game and chases after it. I pick up and throw another and another, shouting all the time. But more and more bags are being lifted.
‘Leave them alone!’
Splash! I launch another stone.
‘Go away!’
Splash! Nothing is shifting them.
If only Sean were here he’d go out in the boat. I can’t even get further than my knees.
‘Grrrrrr!’ I’m so frustrated.
Perhaps if I can get higher. I gather up more stones and shove them into my pockets, then climb up into the seat of the tractor.
‘Clear off!’ I yell, and launch more of my missiles. They plop just in front of the tractor.
They’re not moving because I’m not. They know I can’t get to them. If only I could sail the boat … But I can’t. I can’t go any deeper. I’m frozen by fear.
But maybe if they thought I was going to get closer … I grapple in my pocket for the keys. I know they’re here somewhere. I fumble with them, trying to find the right key and get it in the keyhole while holding the torch. Finally it goes in. I check the gear stick is in neutral. I’m not going to actually drive it, just roll it forward a bit.
‘Go away! I know who you are! The Garda’s coming!’ Then I turn the key and the engine erupts into farting, spluttering life. ‘I mean it! I’m coming! And so are the Garda!’ But still they don’t move, and more and more bags are being lifted from the water into their boat. I push down the tractor’s clutch and push it into first. It clunks into place. I slowly release the clutch and gently push down on the accelerator. It begins to roll forward.
‘I’m coming!’ And by some miracle the boat engine starts up. I can still hear laughter but they’re leaving. The boat spins round, closely missing the trestle tables loaded with oysters ready to go to the co-operative and shoots off out of the bay, outboard motor screaming with exertion, churning up the waters and leaving ripples of waves in its wake. I put my foot on the clutch and brake.
‘Yessss!’ I pull in a clenched fist. Adrenalin is pumping through my body. I did it! They’re going. I can still hear the faint sound of laughter as the boat buzzes off out of the bay.
I sit back. ‘Yessssssss!’ I punch the air and my foot slips off the clutch and the tractor rockets forward into the water.
