June
At the
beginning of June local lass Evie Martyn and two friends left the island to
play in a football tournament, they had been selected to represent Downshire in
the under sixteens girl’s squad.
Evie was a
chorister at St Clara’s and was particularly popular in Spaniard Creek, so
everyone was devastated when they heard the news of the tragedy.
The girls where
travelling back down the Expressway after having reached the latter stages and
narrowly losing the semifinal when the caravan in front of them, jack knifed,
and they crashed into it.
Evie’s father,
who was driving, and two of the girls escaped with cuts and bruises, however
Evie and the other driver died at the scene.
When the day of
her funeral came it was greeted with a glorious sunny late June day and such as
Evie’s popularity was everyone wanted to pay their respects, however seating in
the church was quite inadequate for the numbers of people wanting to attend.
So, St Clara’s
was packed to the gunwales, and it seemed like the whole village had turned out
to say goodbye, so well-loved was she in the village as her young life had
touched so many,
Every inch of
the lane was crammed with the throng of mourners for what was to be the last
service that Locum Vicar, Justyna Krajewska would officiate at as she was
leaving the island at the end of the month to become the spiritual head of St
Adelaide’s Reflection and Healing Retreat in Pepperstock Green.
The service was
a very moving one and when it came to the moment for the readings, Danny rose
from his pew where Molly had been holding his hand and walked slowly to the
lectern.
He stood and
looked out at the sea of faces watching him and he was suddenly afraid, but
then he remembered the courageous young girl they were there to honour and how
she embraced every moment of her life, so he took the folded paper from his
pocket and began.
“I would like
to read a poem to you which I think sums up the loss of such a young and vital
girl taken in the early summer of her life,
It’s called
“Ode to an athlete dying young” by A.E.Houseman.
The time you
won your town the race
We chaired you
through the marketplace.
Man, and boy
stood cheering by,
And home we
brought you shoulder high.
Today, the road
all runners come,
Shoulder-high
we bring you home,
And set you at
your threshold down,
Townsman of a
stiller town.
Smart lad, to
slip betimes away
From fields
where glory does not stay,
And early
though the laurel grows
It withers
quicker than the rose.
Eyes the shady
night has shut
Cannot see the
record cut,
And silence
sounds no worse than cheers
After earth has
stopped the ears.
Now you will
not swell the rout
Of lads that
wore their honours out,
Runners whom
renown outran
And the name
died before the man.
So set, before
its echoes fade,
The fleet foot
on the sill of shade,
And hold to the
low lintel up
The
still-defended challenge-cup.
And round that
early laurelled head
Will flock to
gaze the strengthless dead,
And find
unwithered on its curls
The garland
briefer than a girl’s.
Afterwards he
returned to his seat with tears in his eyes but at the end of the service he
was in no hurry to leave, and he and Molly were the last two in the Church and
as they were walking slowly to the door Danny stopped suddenly and said
“There’s
something I need to say Molly”
“That sounds
ominous” she retorted
“I hope not” he
said and turned to face her
“Oh?” she said,
“Is everything alright?”
“I know this
may be a strange time to do this” he began “but I’ve been putting it off, and
putting it off, but it has to be done”
Molly was
speechless, she knew he’d had something on his mind she was puzzled as to why
it had come to a head at the funeral.
“The thing is”
he continued.
“You’re going
away aren’t you” she said sadly, “Another research trip”
“No” he said
and looked at her
“Why would
think that?”
“Because….” she
began
“I am not going
anywhere without you; we have an amazing future together ahead of us”
“So why are you
behaving so oddly?”
“Because today
has shown me that life is too short and I want the next time that I stand in
front of this congregation in this church to be our wedding”
“But we’re
already engaged” she pointed out
“I know, but I
don’t want people saying I’m just marrying you for your money” he said
“So don’t you
want to marry me then” she asked sadly
“What?” he
exclaimed
“No, the
opposite”
“I don’t
understand” Molly said
“I don’t want
to wait until you’re a billionaire” he explained
“So will you
marry me as soon as we can arrange it?”
“Yes, of course
I’ll marry today if you want” she replied and kissed him
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