Chapter 7: Porcelain Shell

I’d set an alarm for five, deciding that the lack of sleep would be better than leaving the twins stranded by themselves. However, when I slapped the sound off and staggered out into the living room, all was quiet. Figuring they’d be up soon, I grabbed my Walkman and stretched out on the couch to relax while I waited.

As it turned out, I fell asleep and Lara ended up waking me up. I started, surprised to see her shaking me.

“What time is it?” I asked, pulling the tangled headphones from my head.

“Ten-thirty.”

“What!” I glanced at the windows and then grunted. “Whatever. It’s still dawn.”

“Go wake the fire up. It’s cold.”

“All right, give me a second.”

“Good morning!” Muireann greeted cheerily.

I raised my head, her voice sending a tingle up my spine. “Oh ... good morning!”

She and Tommy were seated on the other couch, bundled in blankets and cradling mugs of a hot beverage.

“Good effort, getting up early, Matt,” Lara remarked wryly.

“How long have you all been up?”

“An hour?” Lara guessed.

I made a face. “You’ve been sitting here talking for an hour while I slept?”

Muireann giggled in confirmation.

How embarrassing...

“Sorry, lad,” Tommy said. “I told them to give you a nudge. But they were talking too much to hear me.”

“Don’t worry, Matt, you talked a bunch too,” Lara said sweetly. “In your sleep, and a lot of it about Heather.”

I gave her a foul look but checked both my retort and my twitching foot. The twins though it funny, though.

“Did you eat?” I asked.

“Mom will be out soon to get some breakfast rolling.”

“You don’t have to all get up!” Muireann protested. “We would’ve been quite well until later.”

“We want to hang out!” Lara said.

I sat up and stretched. “All right, let me get the fire going.”

Tommy joined me as I collected kindling and then loaded it into the iron beast.

“We’ll play some tunes today?” he asked.

“For sure. We can go up to the cabin in a bit.”

“What types of music do you like?”

“Rock, pretty much. Some old stuff, some new. You?”

“A wee bit of everything. We grew up learning our own local music, but also rock, folk, anything.”

“Cool. Do you know a band called Jane’s Addiction?”

“I’ve not heard of them.”

“They’re kind of my favorite right now. Mostly hard rock, but they also have some different sounds going on.”

“Fantastic, I’d like to hear that!”

The girls, who had been chatting on the couch, rose and moved to Lara’s room. I poked at the fire as it started to work itself into a nice blaze.

“Does Muir—Muireann play with you?” I asked, finding I’d lost some skill at saying her name over night.

“Aye, we play together all the time.”

“That’s cool. Same with Lara and me. There’s actually some violin on one of the songs by that band I just mentioned. Maybe we can learn it and Muireann can play?”

“If you can convince her!” Tommy said with a laugh.

“Why do you say that?”

“She doesn’t usually play rock.”

“She’s not into that?”

“She likes listening to it, but says the fiddle doesn’t fit in with electric guitars.”

“Well, maybe, maybe not. I’ll play it for her and she can see. It’s a quieter song. It might be too weird, though.”

Tommy nodded. “Do you ever write any music?”

“Yeah, Lara and I just wrote our first song last month.”

“Brilliant, you have to play it for us later!”

“Sure thing. She writes a lot of lyrics, I’m more into the music side. It works out. We have a new one we’re trying to figure out, too.”

“She seems to be into poetry and words,” Tommy remarked.

“Oh, yeah, Lara sure is.”

“Do you sing?”

“Not in a way that anyone would want to hear,” I replied.

Tommy grinned. “Come on, it can’t be that bad.”

“Lara kicks ass at singing, so I don’t even need to try.”

“Very well.”

Melissa emerged from the hallway and we said good morning. With the stove cranking now, the house began to warm up, and soon the aromas of bacon and eggs were filling the air. Lara and Muireann reemerged and we settled in for a comfortable breakfast. After we cleared our plates and cleaned up, we sat round the table and chatted. Tommy had donned a pair of sunglasses, explaining that he’d often be wearing them during the day, since it kept the glare to a minimum.

“So beautiful out there,” Muireann mused as she looked out the window at the winter wonderland.

“Back home, we have more influence from the sea,” Tommy said. “But the forests here seem fantastic!”

“So you said you live in northern Ireland?” I asked.

“It depends what you mean by that,” Tommy answered carefully. “The separate country of Northern Ireland sits to the north of the Republic of Ireland itself. But there is a piece of Ireland to the west of Northern Ireland, called Donegal. That is the county where we live. So, in the northern part, but not in Northern Ireland, the country.”

“Here, show us.” Lara retrieved an atlas from the bookshelf in the living room and spread it open on the table.

“There, this is Donegal,” Muireann pointed. “The border with Northern Ireland, here. And all the way up here ... This little peninsula is called Inishowen, and ... Oh look, there you can see the town of Buncrana.”

“It’s on the map?” Tommy asked, incredulous.

“It is. We live just outside of that town.”

“So it’s kind of far from Dublin,” I remarked.

“Aye, we are quite cut off. You can see how narrow the connection is with the rest of the country here.”

“But you can cut across Northern Ireland?” Lara asked.

Muireann and Tommy hesitated.

“It’s not that simple...” she said. “There are military checkpoints and they can search your car.”

“Really?”

“Aye, they control the border because of the troubles there. Riots, protests...”

“And violence...” Tommy added gravely.

Muireann shook her head. “It’s not like it sounds. Mostly we go about our business.”

Lara and I nodded appreciatively.

“Is it pretty rural in Donegal?” I asked, sensing a need to change the subject.

“Quite,” Muireann replied. “Though much less than here, I think. The forests appear immense, from what I could see yesterday.”

“They can be pretty endless,” I laughed. “Is it very woody where you live?”

“Not so much,” Tommy said. “We have the farmland around the towns, and large areas of bog and brushy hills. And the seacoasts, of course, on the edges.”

I flipped to the map of New York State. “We’re right up here, in the middle of the Catskill Mountain region.”

“How far to New York City?” Tommy asked.

“Probably three hours.”

“Do you go there often?”

“Hardly ever. We drive through the edges of it when we visit Montauk, where Heather lives, and that’s about it.”

I pointed out the far end of Long Island to Muireann.

“We went down to the city a few times at Christmas when we were younger,” Lara added. “They have really cool displays in the store windows, and there’s a giant toy store there that’s pretty neat.”

Muireann peered closely at the map for a bit, scanning the features and names. “Ulster County!” she suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

“Yeah, just to the south.”

“The northern part of Ireland is also called Ulster!” she said, smiling.

“Aye, Ulster Province.”

“Neat!” Lara said. “Who knows, it might even be named after it!”

“Our parents were thinking we could go down to New Paltz next weekend,” I said, remembering one of our dinner discussions. “It’s a nice little town, and it’s in Ulster County. So you’ll get to see it, and you can let us know If it’s similar. We can go on a hike and get some food in town.”

“Sounds lovely,” Muireann said.

“I’ll ride in the boot,” Tommy said.

“Huh? The boot?” Lara asked

“Aye, where you put the luggage?”

“Oh, that’s the trunk for us. But you don’t have to do that! We’ll go in two cars,” Lara explained.

“Naw, I meant for the security checkpoints. If the guards see my face, we’ll be stopped for sure!”

Muireann practically pulled an ocular muscle rolling her eyes. “Do you have to be so morbid, Tommy! Stop it.”

He grinned as he continued to relax in his chair. “Any piercing shops in New Paltz?”

“I’m not getting another one!” Muireann dismissed.

“I wasn’t asking for you! Mam would put you straight back on the plane if she heard of it. I was asking for Lara. She was quite interested last night, it seemed.”

Lara giggled coyly. “I wasn’t really thinking about getting one though!”

“Moms would kill you...” I sang again, and we all laughed.

“Do you want to go on a hike?” Lara asked. “We can show you the property now that it’s light out. We have a couple of swimming pools,” she added impishly.

Tommy gasped. “Swimming pools!”

“Yeah. They’re heated, even,” I added.

The twins sat there, open mouthed. “And you’re being serious?”

“Sure! Come for a hike and you’ll see for yourself.”

They didn’t need any more incentive than that, so we were soon bundling up. The twins were a bit underpowered on their outer layers, but luckily we had plenty of thicker coats that they could use. We slipped out the back door into the snowy yard. It was certainly colder today.

“Are these pools outdoors?” Muireann asked.

Lara laughed. “Yeah. I think you’re probably expecting something really different than what they are, though.”

Tommy stretched hopeful hands out before him as he set a scene for us. “I see a sunny resort, with reclining chairs, golden sand, clear blue water,” he said, grinning. “Bikinis...”

Muireann backhanded him. We laughed, for various reasons.

“Yeah, that’s not quite what this is,” I said. Not even the bikinis, usually...

“I think those sunglasses are misleading you,” Lara joked.

“Aw, I knew they were crap!” Tommy exclaimed. He took off the shades and threw them onto the snow in a pretend fit.

Muireann said something in Gaelic to him as she picked up the glasses and wiped them down with the hem of her shirt.

“I can probably guess what you just said,” Lara said amusedly to her.

“I’m sure,” Muireann said, shaking her head.

Lara started off toward our old pool.

“Hey, let’s go to the upper one,” I suggested. “This one down here isn’t really swimmable right now.”

“It’s still pretty,” Lara said.

“I know. Let’s go up, though.”

She shrugged and started hiking through the trees. She kept the pace slow so that Tommy and Muireann, ever arm in arm, could make their way without hurry.

“I’m foundered already!” Muireann said. “Tommy, zip up or you’ll catch a cold!”

“It feels nice,” he protested. “So crisp.”

Despite his pleasure, I heard the zipper run up his coat.

The air grew quieter as the forest closed in around us. The crunch of our footfalls breaking through the hardened pearly layer of snow seemed to be the only sound in the world.

“It’s truly lovely out here,” Muireann breathed, her eyes bright as she took in the surroundings.

“Yeah, we love our woods,” Lara said. “We’ve played out here since before we can remember.”

The sound of the stream faded in as we approached it at an angle. Entering the glen, we ascended the rise that led to our recent discovery. I wondered if Lara was going to suggest a swim, or even demonstrate it herself.

“And here’s our larger pool,” she announced, as we came into view of it. “Sorry Tommy, no recliners or blue waters.”

He laughed. “I notice you make no mention of the lack of bikinis. Perhaps there’s hope yet!”

Muireann didn’t even bother this time as Lara and I sniggered.

“When will it melt?” she asked, indicating the frozen side of the little lagoon.

“We’re not sure,” I said. “We kind of just found this place a few days ago. But it really is heated.”

She looked very skeptical, so I waved her over. She squatted, unmittened her hand, and dipped it into the water.

“Oh my!”

“Some sort of spring under the ground.”

Lara brought Tommy closer so he could have a feel as well.

“You could swim in this!” he said.

“And we have!” Lara confirmed.

“But ... you said you just found this a few days ago,” Muireann protested.

Lara nodded, grinning. “Yup! And we’ve been in it twice already!”

“In this cold?” she cried.

“It’s nice in the water,” I said, “but getting out is kind of crappy.”

“I can’t even imagine taking my coat off right now!” Muireann said.

Tommy swirled the water again. “Never mind her. I’m ready for a swim!”

“We can go later if you want,” Lara suggested. “Having a bunch of towels helps for when you get out.”

Muireann was still completely unconvinced, but Tommy seemed quite happy with the potential plans. We hiked on, bringing the twins along the base of the mountain and then back down the stream again. It was leisurely, and as they commented on things I felt as if I was seeing our property with new eyes. The twins certainly enjoyed the hike and the nature a great deal.

Eventually we returned to the guest cabin, a bit winded but feeling rather invigorated. We lost our thicker layers and Lara set some water to boil.

“Tea or hot chocolate?” she called.

The twins went for the cocoa, so four mugs it was.

“So tomorrow we go to school. It’s pretty early,” I said. “But it’ll feel late for you, so you probably won’t mind getting up.”

“We used to take the bus until my friend Alice got a car.”

“And you saw how long our driveway is,” I added. “Lara gets up late, so we were always running down the hill like crazy to make the bus.”

“Says the person who got up last this morning,” Lara quipped.

“Technically I was up first,” I remarked, gesturing for the twins to sit at the table.

“That is true,” Muireann agreed, giving me a sly smile.

I made a little face at Lara, who rolled her eyes at me from the kitchen.

“Anyway, we have to bring you to the offices to do whatever paperwork you need. Not sure what that means, but probably they’ll put you in whatever classes you pick.”

“What classes do you take?” Muireann asked.

“Pretty much the usual stuff,” I answered.

“We’ll just join with you,” she suggested.

“Yeah, sure, that would be fun. Although me and Lara aren’t in every class together.”

“Oh, no?”

“He’s a lazy butt, so he has some study halls,” Lara called out. “I don’t.”

“What’s that?” Tommy asked, perking up.

“Like a free period where you can work on homework,” she explained.

“Or sit around and do whatever,” I countered.

Lara was starting to look a bit like Muireann, what with all the eye rolling. “You’re supposed to study, which is why it’s called study hall.”

“How would you know, since you’re not in any?” I asked.

“Lad, I very well might have to try that class with you,” Tommy said.

I laughed, knowing he wasn’t dissuaded by Lara’s ‘rules’.

My sister brought the mugs and joined us at the table. “Well, the main difference in our schedules is that Matt takes French and I take Spanish. So you’ll have to pick one, there.”

“What language do you take back home?” I asked them. Admittedly, a small part of me hoped for French.

“We take Irish and English,” Tommy said. “So neither. But I really want to learn some Spanish! ‘En verdad la realidad no existe, y en realidad la verdad tampoco.’”

Lara guffawed. “Sounds like you know more than I do! What was that?”

“His new favorite quote,” Muireann supplied.

“Say it again?” she requested.

Tommy repeated his Gaelic-accented Spanish phrase, and Lara managed to translate it.

“In truth, reality doesn’t exist, and in reality, truth— I mean, neither does truth?”

“Aye, something like that, or so I was told.”

Lara glanced at me for an instant before turning back to him. “Interesting quote. You don’t believe in reality or truth?”

“A writer said it, not me!” Tommy deflected.

“Um, you said it, too,” Lara pointed out. “And it’s your new favorite, apparently.”

“Then ... don’t kill the messenger?” he offered.

“Do you then, or not?” she pressed, though Tommy probably couldn’t see the fire in her eyes. Then again, I couldn’t see if his eyes held any fire, given the shades he still wore.

Muireann and I both gave each other an amused look. Tommy was going to have to defend his random quote now.

He settled down and pursed his lips. “If you insist, then no, I don’t. My reality is pretty different from other people’s. How can that be? Because it’s all relative. That’s what I think. What about you? Do you believe in truth?”

Again Lara glanced at me ever so briefly. I remained stoic, lest Muireann start wondering why these furtive looks kept going between us.

“I do,” Lara said slowly, “but I also think it’s almost impossible to find.”

Tommy nodded. “Aye, lass, and that’s the same as not existing.”

Lara narrowed her eyes. “Maybe. But there’s a difference between being well-hidden and not existing at all.”

“How so?”

“If it doesn’t exist, you’ll never find it. But if it’s just hidden, then you might actually find it, someday. Even if it takes a long time.”

Jeez, Lara, where are you going with this? It’s only the second fricking day!

Tommy leaned in, ever looking indirectly at her. “If it’s hidden, how do you know it even exists?”

Lara stared at him for a bit. “I don’t know. I guess ... Hope.”

“I saw a lad, earlier, out on our walk. I think he lives in the woods up in the glen, past the swimming pool.”

“What are you talking about?” Lara asked.

“He lives there up the hill. Should we go look for him?”

“Whatever, you didn’t see anyone,” she dismissed.

“Maybe. How do you know? Because I can’t see?”

“No, because I know our woods, and no one lives up there.”

“Oh, he’s well hidden though. Just because you haven’t—”

“I know what you’re trying to say, but that’s not going to work.”

“You two should take Philosophy,” I joked.

“Don’t get Tommy started,” Muireann groaned. “When he’s not playing his guitar these days, he’s arguing about what is the truth.”

Hmm, sounds like me lately...

But Lara and Tommy completely ignored our aside as they sparred.

“I point out that you don’t know that there’s not a man living up there,” Tommy pressed.

“And that’s why I’m sitting here, and not tramping around on a wild goose chase. Any random thing could be anything. He could be living in Matt’s guitar case too!” she gestured.

“But then why do you have hope for other things you’ve never seen, and not the man?”

“I sure hope there’s not a man up there! As for other things—”

I got up and motioned to Muireann. She followed me into the darkroom.

“I think they might be at it for a while!” I said somewhat quietly.

“I should never have read him that story a few weeks ago!” she lamented.

“What story?”

“The Garden of Forks, or something.”

“Ha, that sounds like my mom’s cookbook!”

Muireann laughed lightly. “I would surely have preferred to read that. It was wile weird, and even on the plane he wouldn’t let me sleep with his constant chatter about it.”

I laughed. “Maybe he’s just excited that he found a bit of an audience, then. Anyway, I thought you might like to see the darkroom a little more, while they go at it.”

“Fantastic,” she said, giving me a relieved look. “So you really develop your own photos here?” she asked, running a hand over the enlarger.

“Yeah, I put this together a few months ago. Heather helped me. She also likes taking photos.”

“And what made you do this?”

I needed a safe place to develop nude shots...

“I got tired of using the school darkroom for twelve minutes at a time. Most of this stuff belonged to my d—”

I coughed abruptly.

Holy shit, Matt! And I’d been worried about Lara!

“Sorry, got—throat caught—”

“Do you need water?”

“No, I’m okay ... Anyway, yeah, my uncle had this stuff. He wasn’t using it anymore, so he let me have it. Building the table was what took the longest. Anyway, Tommy said you do some photography?”

“I don’t know if I can call it that. I have a basic little camera. Does that count?”

“Of course it counts!”

I felt a burst of relief, as my almost-slip had gone undetected.

“It’s a cheap wee thing, and I send off for the photos to be made, so I don’t know anything about what I see here.”

“Well, luckily I can tell you!”

I described the process of taking a roll of film from negative to print, all the while accompanied by Lara and Tommy’s ever more intense discussion of reality. Thankfully it never became a discussion of Truth, but I made a note to remind her again how easy it was to mess up.