The Watchman's Grace

by Craig Johnson

  “Riley, we have to leave at once!” Seamus cried out. “Hopefully there is no one still waiting up above. Then we must go on foot to find another abandoned hideout. Unfortunately, your mother will not return with the carriage until morning. We cannot afford to wait!”

  Seamus Flaherty spotted the concealed pistol on Gerard’s person and grabbed it. Now father and son scurried up the ladder before pulling both cellar doors together. With much haste they ran past the bungalow and ahead to its barren stretch of frontage. In their hurry, they failed to notice three men at attention just outside their impaired field of vision on near horizon.

  An alert Darragh was first to spot them. “Look ahead men! There are two figures making a run for it. We must apprehend them straight away!”

  Darragh waited until they were almost upon them before shouting his command. “Stop where you are this instant! We are armed and will shoot if you go any farther. This is your only warning.”

  Seamus and Riley were shocked to hear this strange voice from the dark. Not knowing how hostile this unknown party could be, they decided to follow the order.

  “We will not go any farther,” Seamus called out in prompt reply. “Our feet remain rooted to the ground.”

  “My name is Darragh and will be approaching you this instant. One false move and we will shoot you on the spot!”

  As Darragh came closer he could make out a male adult and teenage lad. When he was almost facing them Seamus Flaherty quickly drew out Gerard’s pistol.

  “Now you listen here Darragh,” he spoke calmly. “My name is Seamus. I have no qualms about firing this pistol. I don’t know who you are and what will happen to us in your custody, so I am prepared to take this chance. If you let my son Riley leave freely I will peacefully surrender. Otherwise we have no room for negotiation!”

  Darragh responded with a firm air of authority. “There are two men right behind me and more still before you come upon the main road. Even if you are a better draw than I they will kill both yourself and Riley. That means your odds for survival are better by surrendering. Though I make no promises after that.”

  Through the dead night air Peter’s sharp ears could hear commotion coming from the barren. “Keenan, do you hear shouting from where our men went? Perhaps I could go and see what the bother is. Who knows? Perhaps they’ve been ambushed!”

  “I heard the same Peter. Since we have just one gun I will go. Besides, your safety is my responsibility. I will not send you into possible danger.

  “Hide for now behind those boulders. Please take this as well. It’s not a gun but you need something.” Keenan passed Peter a solid hunting knife before moving on to scout the situation.

  Approaching carefully on the fringes, Keenan could make out five people. There was Darragh in front of two strange men, while his companions stood behind him with guns drawn. Looking closer, the older man speaking to Darragh pointed a pistol straight at him. It looked to be a dangerous standoff.

  Thinking quickly while voices in the foreground escalated, Keenan decided on a risky strategy. He would circle around these two strangers’ backs before tackling the gunman. Luckily the armed man’s companion held no firearm. Regardless, if either one turned around, Keenan would be totally exposed to harm.

  Keenan moved low to ground as he came steadily upon the gunman. His attentive ears picked up sounds of escalating tension. A standstill had developed while the armed man and Darragh both played for advantage.

  Then, when he was within a few feet of the stranger’s back, Keenan snapped a twig underfoot. This caused his quarry to whirl around in surprise. Keenan had no choice but to dive straight for him.

  A lone gunshot crackled crisply through dense night air. Keenan managed to subdue the shooter at no injury to either party. His young companion lunged on top of Keenan, though was promptly restrained by Darragh. While Darragh held the lad’s hands behind his back, the other two men had their guns trained on Seamus.

  Standing tall again and walking a few paces away, Keenan found where the gun had wildly flown from the stranger’s hand. He turned very angrily towards Seamus when he laid full eyes upon it.

  “Darragh, I can’t believe it! He threatened you with Gerard’s pistol! Ask him where Gerard is? There’s no sight of either him or Brendan. My heart; if this bastard made them come to harm…”

  Seamus interjected to save himself and Riley from unwanted aggression. “They are okay, other than bruises on their heads. We had no idea who they were; marauding bandits for all we knew! Both of them came down into our hiding place, the old cold cellar. It’s attached to the bungalow’s rear side. Since we were in hiding I had to defend our lives.”

  “Keenan, take a water flask from my horse’s saddle,” ordered Darragh. “And before you fetch Brendan and Gerard, bring some rope to tie these two up if you could.” As Keenan raced off, he turned back to face Seamus.

  “You are a very lucky man if they’re truly alive. For you, it was better our standoff ended this way. Nonetheless, we’re not leaving here without Riley.

  “I take it you’re both from the Flaherty family of Meadow Farm. Some nasty business committed out there! Oh yes, just so you know we have rescued Peter Harvey. We shall wait for Brendan O’Bannon to speak on that whole matter.”

  Seamus’s face displayed a touch of fear on hearing that name. “Did you say Brendan O’Bannon of the Free Eire Homeland movement? Is that where your men come from?”

  Darragh expected his name would draw a response from Seamus. “We admire fully everything the Common Man Movement has done and is doing. But as you know full well they are of the non-aggressive suasion.

  “We share their desires, but feel the need to battle fire with fire! That’s the only way to gain our instigator’s respect. So even if it takes decades, we will make our oppressors give us independence. While struggling for it, we will defend ourselves against their vicious ploys.”

  Seamus knew he had every right to fear Brendan O’Bannon. He was a heralded hero of many Irish citizens who felt the brunt force of these past decades. From famine to eviction and all ills in between, Free Eire Homeland laid each squarely on the lack of an independent state. In O’Bannon’s unyielding quest for self-government, he viewed all opposition as sworn enemies.

  Riley’s father was in no hurry to meet this fearsome crusader. Considering the full implications of his son’s actions, he had good reason to fear for their mortal safety. In the end, it took only thirty minutes before the noted hero arrived amongst them.

  “Hello gentlemen,” called out O’Bannon as he neared the grouping. “Gerard and I were attacked in an old cold cellar. Thankfully we are no worse for wear. Truly it seems the craftiness of this Flaherty clan knows no bounds when it comes to self-preservation!”

  Gerard went straight to where Seamus was held. “Now we are facing each other you will have to deal plainly with me. That is, if you’re man enough to do so without resorting to subterfuge.”

  Brendan came forward to join Gerard. “Bring Riley over here as well. The hour is too late for more games.”

  Darragh walked Riley over to his father’s side. By now their hands were tied firmly behind their backs. Brendan looked upon the two with a face of suppressed rage.

  “Tell me Seamus Flaherty,” he began after settling his temper. “How is it that a man who comes from generations of upstanding family finds himself in such a situation? Even as a child I heard tell from my parents about the goodness of these Flahertys. They were thought of so fondly that I came to think of Meadow Farm as a place of solemn honor!

  “Your father gave monies to strangers who faced forced evictions. Your mother came with fresh bread and baked goods for the neighborly destitute. Land’s sake, your grandfather gave acreage to start a communal garden for the less fortunate in his day!

  “Tonight my heart lays broken Seamus, and I am not too big a man to admit it. I’m
afraid yours will be too after the truth comes to bear.”

  Seamus was deeply flattered with how much deference Brendan showed to the Flaherty families of before. Every word spoken was just, and truthfully did not begin to broach generations of past charitable efforts. However, it was his last statement which caused him great concern.

  “Brendan, I thank you for the kind things you said about my relations. Though your last words do catch me at a disadvantage.”

  Brendan looked towards the ground to collect his thoughts. Then he gazed straight into Seamus’s eyes with focused intensity.

  “Seamus, you were entrusted into the confidence of an escape network established for safe transport of Peter Harvey. An oath was given to protect Peter to the fullest extent while in your custody. That responsibility included housing him for one evening before his next rendezvous arrangement. On this same evening at Meadow Farm he was kidnapped with the certain aid of your son Riley.

  “None of what I have just stated is in dispute. Now I have to establish if any other member of your family was complicit in the kidnapping. What do you have to say in light of this?”

  “Brendan, I have discussed the whole matter with Riley. He had overheard my wife and I discussing the future of Meadow Farm. We are heavily mortgaged to a Mr. Cunningham. Unbelievably, he wished to foreclose on our property unless we obtained information to the whereabouts of Peter Harvey. Talk about the wildest coincidence!

  “It would have been quite easy for me to have told him then and there where Peter was. But I made an oath to the network and we were going to keep it. Though Riley thought I was out of line to risk Meadow Farm and made his own decision. You know what happened next.

  “Obviously Katy and I had no idea what Riley was up to. Remember Brendan, he is just a teenager who wanted to do his best to protect the family! Riley could not possibly understand the serious consequences of his actions. All I ask is for you to see it as a grave mistake and we shall be in your deepest debt.”

  O’Bannon looked sweepingly around the gathering, noting their varied expressions of emotion. He dug his heels in the ground for a moment before looking towards Riley.

  “I still have not heard one thing you’ve said to defend your actions. So now I’m listening for an explanation.”

  Riley stood frozen to the spot. He did not feel any guilt for his actions whatsoever. In fact, Riley’s only regret was that he had been caught. It was with these thoughts in mind he answered Brendan’s query.

  “Mr. O’Bannon, you heard what my father said. They had no part in what I did. If you were put in these shoes I doubt your actions would have been any different! To me it was a simple decision. Either save the Flahertys from destitution or have some Colored stranger go on his merry way. Who’s to say he would not have been captured anyway?”

  Seamus could not believe the impertinence in Riley’s words. There was little remorse for his perceived transgressions. He braced himself for O’Bannon’s response.

  Surprisingly, Brendan held a gaze of great pity upon Riley. Then he shifted his eyes onto Seamus.

  “Let me assure your son my ears are the same as when I was a young child. They work with the same sharpness as back in those days.

  “Time ago I overheard a man take the confidence of his dearest cousin and trade it for sterling and a small plot. His cousin was a member of a grassroots movement, rallying support for a self-governing Ireland. The man, who was in a dire financial position, used his knowledge to curry gain with intolerant authorities.

  “His dear cousin was sentenced for acts of sedition against the Crown, and died in prison while serving sentence. That man who spoke against his cousin was my father! My mind remembered every single day what those ears had heard. When I became old enough, I ran in shame from the homestead, vowing to take up that cousin’s noble struggle!

  “Riley, you’ve told everyone your choice was made willingly in clear conscious. You understood it placed Peter Harvey in certain peril but had no qualms in doing so. Just like my father, you show the signs of a man with little regret.

  “For your crimes against the Common Man Movement, Free Eire Homeland Movement, and every citizen in this country desiring true independence, I find you guilty of high treason. In addition, I find you guilty of consorting with adversaries in the British Security Force or agents thereof. Due to the serious nature of these crimes, I am left no choice but to warrant your execution.”

  Riley Flaherty cried out in disbelief. “Don’t let them do this father! I was only trying to save our family! He is not a proper judge on the law of this land. You have to stop them!”

  Seamus screamed out in utter despair. “There are rules within our cause Brendan! You know full well Aidan Malloy will tolerate no forceful transgressions, even in a case as serious as now! I am begging you to spare his life. In return Riley will be banished from our home and country. I swear he will be on the next ship to Australia, never again to set foot on this shore!”

  O’Bannon listened carefully to Seamus’s desperate pleading. “Malloy and his like do not follow our rules; that is true. Though understand that in Free Eire Homeland we too have a strict code of conduct. Your son has willingly violated the security of both causes and their people.

  “There can be no preferential treatment of one man over another in these matters. After all, are we not fighting to alleviate the same prejudices of one class over another in Ireland right now? Riley had no qualms to disrespect another man’s life and liberties. Your son made a grown man’s decision.”

  Seamus’s eyes narrowed into slits of sheer hate. “Your decision here will stain any dignity in the cause you purport to uphold! Taking a boy’s life in cold blood will not win support among our masses that lost so many dear to them. I’m proposing the one way to save grace for all involved. Expulse him; letting the pain of never seeing his loved ones again serve as just retribution!”

  Brendan shot a broad look of astonishment to his colleagues before casting a cold stare at Seamus. He appeared none too swayed by the logic of his appeal. In reality, it furthered Brendan’s resolve in the matter.

  “You Seamus Flaherty took a secret oath to abide regardless of the consequences. No one forced you to join that movement or tricked you about the depths of responsibility once involved. As for us, you know Free Eire Homeland has always carried out the same punishment in similar matters. Am I wrong on any point so far?”

  “Damn it Brendan, my son did not take any oath! My fidelity is not in question here as I have done no wrong. We are talking about my eldest son’s life! He is very naïve, not old enough to understand the ways of the world…”

  Brendan interrupted him mid-sentence. “Yet feels he possesses the right to determine another man’s life for something so fleeting as material gain?

  “Enough time has been wasted already. I will not dignify your son’s actions by hearing another word. The first stone has been cast, and now ripples fan out on a surface of calm water. Every decision we take has consequences Seamus.

  “If there were any other way to do this, you know it would be done. However, success in all we do is predicated on following code and conduct. We may not be part of your movement directly. But always remember this. Your achievements are made in part by having an unseen force backing its truths!

  “Were my people to allow one man to break these rules, we would no longer be an effective force for self-governance. This matter is settled! I will allow you some last words with Riley after untying your hands. Then you must leave at once.”

  Never could one feel so hollowed out. Seamus was powerless to protect his beloved child. Riley had now been cleaved from his fatherly protection. In the sometimes vein of arrogant youth, he found no harm in trumping Seamus’s position as head of household. Tonight, he fulfilled his desire to gain the heavy weight of adulthood, albeit with unintended consequence.

  Seamus summoned all the s
trength he could to face his son in this horrid moment. “Riley, I want you to know that I will always treasure you. If you want, I too will take whatever punishment they give out to show our bond is inseparable! Though your mother would bear the curse of two lives lost for one mistake. It would truly break our family apart.

  “If I knew what you were planning, this would never have happened. By not giving us the faith we’ve always held in you, we could do nothing. I will never understand why after providing a loving, caring home, you had this set in your mind. But I am not here to judge. I am here as always to love you.”

  Seamus came with open arms towards Riley. He cradled him in an embrace of tears which would have to serve witness for a lifetime of memories. Suddenly, in that moment something remarkable transpired. For the first time in this long episode of tragic events, Riley showed fortitude to accept responsibility for his bold actions.

  “Father, I would not want you to sacrifice your life so needlessly! All I wanted was the best for our family. The last thing I would do is threaten it! I know how much you care about me. Never think that was ever in doubt. Tell mother and the rest of the family not to weep endlessly, though go forward united. To them and you, I always held my deepest affection.”

  Brendan signaled Darragh and Keenan to take Riley away. “Seamus, you may not realize it, though I am truly saddened by all this. Do you think I take pride in ruining the flower of our youth? Damn it if I cannot see the irony here! I always remember hearing our fight for independence would cost many lives, shedding great amounts of blood. Oh yes, the price is dearest when it comes from your own!

  “I will have two men escort you back to our horses. Take one and be on your way. I have no sway on how you shall relate these events in the future, though if it were me I would exercise extreme discretion.

  “There is much more at stake here than revenge or revisionist thinking. We know the truth behind it all. Seamus Flaherty, leave here knowing I still look upon your family name with respect, grieving greatly for your loss tonight.”