Under the Hawthorne Tree

Mother and Father's arrival   

Three months later Eily had started to help Lena and Nano to run the shop and to make it more colourful. Meanwhile Peggy and Michael had started at a small school quite near to the house. They had begun a couple of days before, Peggy had made a friend called Mary- Ellen who had the same interests as her and Michael had made a friend called John.

 Later that day Eily went out to the garage to get some more paint. As she was coming out, she saw a woman carrying a baby, who was crying quite loudly. Then behind the woman, a man stepped out. When Eily looked closer, she saw that the man and woman were her parents! Eily ran up to them, hugged and kissed them and then she asked, “Whose baby is that Mother?” Then mother replied,

"When your Father and I started our journey to Castle Taggart to find you, I was 8 months pregnant and when we came to the nearest village I had the baby."

"What is she called?"

"Your Father and I have decided that you, Michael and Peggy should name her." Then Eily took her mother, father and her new baby sister inside.

When they got inside Michael and Peggy were back from school. When they saw mother and father, they hugged and kissed them. Then they asked where they had been. So Nano, Lena, Mother, Father and the children sat down beside the fire and mother and father told their story about father and the road works, the baby and their journey to find the children. The children told their story too, about the road to the workhouse, escaping from Tom Daly and Jer Simmonds, the potions from Mary-Kate and the journey to find aunt Nano and Lena. Afterwards mother asked Eily, Michael and Peggy to pick their name for their new sister. They decided on the name Bridget, in memory of their baby sister who had died and who they will never forget. Later that night, when the children were sleeping, Nano and Lena asked mother and father if they would live with them and they decided that they would. While Peggy and Michael went to school Eily, Mother, Nano and Lena ran the bakery and Father helped to run a hardware store. Despite all the difficulties that they had been through, they all lived

 happily together.

The End

by Lucy.

Eily was still thinking about Mother and Father when she heard Lena ask “Eily pet, how would you like to help me and Nano run the bakery?” “Aunt Lena, it would be my pleasure to help!” remarked Eily. Meanwhile Michael and Peggy were looking after Aunt Nano when Eily came screaming into the room shouting, “Michael! Peggy! I’ve got a job!” “Wonderful!” cried Peggy.

 “Tremendous!” remarked Michael.  He and Peggy clapped and cheered. Later that day Michael and Peggy went down the lane to look at their new school. The children gazed in amazement. The windows were glass. The hall was ginormous. Michael and Peggy felt like they were going to faint. Michael took Peggy to the headmaster. His name was Mr. Blackwood. Michael introduced the headmaster to himself and Peggy.

“What’s your surname?” asked Mr. Blackwood.

“O’Driscoll,” was Michael’s reply.

“Michael O’Driscoll, what primary are the two of you in? Michael told him.

Back in the bakery, Nano was better and herself and Lena were showing Eily how to make food. “This is fun!” cried Eily. She decided to taste their ingredients. She thought they were MARVELLOUS. While all this was going on, Mr. Blackwood gave Peggy and Michael their slates.

On their way home the two saw fruits. Michael and Peggy collected blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries and apples. When they returned they showed Eily, Lena and Nano the glorious fruit. Before tea, Eily and Michael prayed to God. For dessert they had fruit. After tea, Eily and Michael played Chinese Chequers and Aunt Lena and Aunt Nano told stories to Peggy.

Later at 7:00pm the children and aunts had supper. Eily, Michael, Peggy and the aunts had a sup of cocoa and five scones.

Meanwhile Mother and Father visited Mary-Kate and asked about the children. “Dear me I don’t know where they’ve gone,” said Mary-Kate. “Margaret, Jonathan, take this for yourselves and the children AND whoever they’re with. It’s more of my ointment.” After their visit to Mary-Kate’s and out beyond Castletaggart, Mother and Father searched for Eily, Michael and Peggy. Father asked, “What did Mary-Kate give us again?”

Mother replied, “It says here that it’s for tummy ache and cramps.”

Back at Castletaggart, the children were ready for bed. Eily and Michael told Peggy ‘Goldilocks and the three bears’. They took it in turns to read. And by the time that they had reached the bit when Goldilocks fell asleep, Peggy was asleep too! “Goodnight, Peggy,” whispered Eily softly. She turned off the light and she and Michael drifted off to sleep.

As the sun rose the next morning, Mother and Father were still searching. Their footprints were so big that birds could fit in. But they had not yet reached the children. This day was a busy day and they knew it. After they had breakfast, Michael and Peggy got ready for school. Eily was helping Nano and Lena to make and toss pancakes.

“We will have them for lunch,” declared Lena. And so they did. Eily had made the children’s lunch. Michael and Peggy had 8 scones for lunch. When the children returned home from school and the days work was done, there came a tap-tapping at the door. There was Mother, and Father too.

“Mother!” shouted Eily.

“Sweetheart!” Mother shouted back. Aunt Lena and Aunt Nano invited them in. “You can stay with us,” said Lena.

“We’d love to, right John?” Mother asked. Father agreed. Eily told Mother and Father the story right from the beginning. They all had tea. “Mother, what’s that?” asked Peggy.

“More of Mary-Kate’s ointment,” Mother replied. At 8 O’clock, they were ready for bed. Eily had a dream that Bridget came again. She prayed to God that he would let Bridget come again. Just then Mother came along to tuck the children in. Eily said, “I think you should pray for Lena and Nano for letting you stay here in Castletaggart forever more Mother.”

“I won’t forget. Goodnight Eily,” said Mother. They all had a happy life in Castletaggart. But that’s another story.

THE END.