Sophia Elahi RPC Blog

The next few months flew by quickly.  November passed and the Murphy children experienced their first Thanksgiving.  Mrs. Moorcock had hired a tailor to make custom dresses for Fiona, Connor, and Finn.  Fiona received a beautiful fur coat made, along with a matching beige dress.  Finn and Connor had winter suits, which were lined with fur.  Connor’s suit was white and Finn’s was light blue.  For Thanksgiving Mrs. Moorcock invited her friends over and had a big feast with turkey, mashed potatoes, string beans, sweet potato, and tons of dessert, to Finn and Connor’s delight.

When Christmas came Mrs. Moorcock, once again, had a tailor come and make the children another set of dresses and suits.  This time Fiona had a long and elegant red velvet dress made.  Connor and Finn had decided to get matching suits.  The design was the same, but the colors were different.  Connor claimed the red suit and Finn claimed the green, they looked quite funny at Christmas dinner that year.  Mrs. Moorcock had an even larger feast than at Thanksgiving. 

Christmas presents were quite fun as well.  Mrs. Moorcock had gotten Finn a new pair of shoes, which he badly needed.  She also gave Connor a smart looking tie for when he wanted to be a “gentleman” and gave Fiona new sewing materials.  Fiona had sewed both boys gorgeous handkerchiefs with their initials in the corners.  Finn had whittled and painted picture frames for the self-portraits Connor had made for everyone.  The children also bought Mrs. Moorcock a pair of house slippers and a new pair of gloves.

Fiona and Connor had made a quilt for their parents.  It had taken a month to make, but it was worth it.   The children shipped the quilt to their parents with a heartfelt note.

Dear Mother and Father,

Merry Christmas! We hope you are doing okay.

This Christmas has been wonderful! I got another suit for Christmas.  Mrs. Moorcock gave me a new tie! And Finn made a new picture frame for me. It is painted gold with white specks. Fiona also made me a handkerchief with my initials on it. 

We hope you like your present!

Love,

          Connor

Dear Mother and Father,

Merry Christmas!

Connor probably already told you everything. Mrs. Moorcock had another dress custom made for me! I must say, her taste is impeccable.

Mrs. Moorcock got me new sewing materials for Christmas. And Connor and Finn teamed up for presents.  Connor painted everyone self-portraits, and Finn made picture frames for them. Mine is pink with gold flecks. The boys and I bought Mrs. Moorcock a new pair of slippers and gloves. We thought she’d like it.

I hope you like the present! Connor helped out a ton. I think he might have a talent for sewing.

Mr. Johnson has given his employees a holiday bonus. This should be enough to get you to New York to join us.

In case out next letter will not reach you in time, happy New Year!  May 1846 be famine free!

Your loving daughter,

                        Fiona

The following weeks were quite uneventful.  The New Year came and Mrs. Moorcock, Finn, Fiona, and Connor rang in the New Year.  Fiona went back to work after the holidays, and the boys went back to studying hard.  On Sundays, the children would have picnics with Fiona’s friends from the mill.  Fiona could tell Connor were starting to like her friends, but he would never admit it.  Everything was completely normal and everyone was happy.

One Monday a letter came in from Fiona and Connor’s parents, but it was addressed to Fiona.  Not Fiona and Connor.  Connor knew better than to open mail that wasn’t his and left it, but the curiosity was nagging at him.  That night when Fiona came home, Connor was practically buzzing with excitement.

“Fiona! Look! A letter! Just for you!” Connor said jumping up and down, waving the letter.  Fiona laughed and took the letter from Connor.  Fiona expected the letter to be from Sean or Bridget, they sent her letters sometimes.  But this letter was from her parents, and it was addressed to her.  Only her.

Fiona felt the blood drain from her face.  This couldn’t be good.

She told Connor to tell the others to start supper without her, and she headed to her room.  Just to be safe, she locked the door behind her.  If this was as bad as Fiona feared, she wouldn’t want Connor to walk in.

The handwriting looked messy, like Mother was in a rush when she wrote it.

Dear Fiona,

Thank you for the wonderful quilt.  It is so beautiful.  I find it remarkable I can remember all of the memories you sewed on.  Your Father loved the quilt as well.  It is too beautiful to use.

Love Mother

The letter was very short, and Mother’s handwriting was never that messy.  The ink was so dark it looked like she had pressed the pen extra hard.  Mother hadn’t followed letter etiquette, which was strange.  She had always enforced etiquette, no matter what the topic was.  Mother didn’t tell her if she was coming to America or not.  She usually always said ‘soon’, but she didn’t say anything about it this time.

Fiona unlocked the door and walked out of the room.  She decided she would show Connor the letter, there was nothing disturbing in it.  Besides, if she didn’t show Connor, he might burst from curiosity.

When Fiona walked into the dining room the others had already finished dinner and was one dessert.  She tried her best to keep a composed manner, but she was sure Connor could see something was wrong.

“Was there something bad?” Connor asked.  Fiona shook her head.

“Here, you can read it.” Fiona said, handing Connor the envelope, which he quickly grabbed.  Connor looked worried.

“Her handwriting is so messy.” Connor said staring at the letter.

“Mhm.” Fiona agreed, digging into her meal.

“Was she pressing the pen hard?” Connor asked, still staring at the letter.

“Probably.” Fiona shrugged.

“She didn’t tell us she when she was coming.” Connor said.  Fiona nodded.  They both noticed the same things. “And her letter etiquette-“

“Is nonexistent.” Fiona finished for him.  Connor looked at Fiona quizzically.

“Why would she address it only to you if nothing’s wrong?” Connor asked.

“Maybe she was in a hurry.” Fiona suggested.  It was likely, but both children knew something was wrong.  They just didn’t want to voice it.  Saying out loud would make it real.

The following weeks were very stressful for the Murphy children.  No letters came in, despite the fact Fiona and Connor had sent multiple letters.  It was almost February.  Fiona had been sending money to her parents since October.  Shouldn’t they have enough money to get two tickets to America by now? 

Mrs. Moorcock told the children to have patience.  She said their Mother might be busy with travel preparations.

But two months passed, and still no letters and Fiona decided she had waited long enough.  Maybe too long. 

She packed her belongings and informed Mrs. Moorcock of her departure.  She would be taking a boat home to find her parents.

When everyone woke up in the morning a snow storm had set it.  The wind whipped against the windows, and the snow was so thick that you couldn’t see out the window.  The rest of the apartment was so cold that the servants had to join the others in Mrs. Moorcock’s bedroom, and if you wanted to leave the room you would have to wear three blankets around your shoulders to stay warm.

When it was mealtime, everyone would go to the kitchen and help out.  No one found it fair that the servants had to do all the work in the cold kitchen by themselves, and the increased body heat in the kitchen made it a little more bearable.  All meals and activities were done in Mrs. Moorcock’s room.  It was impossible for Connor and Finn to study and for the servants to clean the house.

Everyone had brought in more things from their rooms, like extra clothes, books, study materials, and toys.  They were going to be stuck in Mrs. Moorcock’s room for a while.

Despite being stuck in a room all day, everyone stayed busy.  Mrs. Moorcock was working on her patchwork, the boys were studying with the books they had brought in, the servants were cleaning the room and refilling the fire with coal every now and then, and Fiona was reading past letters her parents had sent to her. 

Fiona never stayed home much until that day, so she never really got to meet the other servants.  Besides Oliver, there were three other servants, Emily, Sophie, and Saige.  They cooked the meals and cleaned the house.

When the boys finished school they got bored and started a wrestling match, which quickly ended when Finn accidently smashed Connor into the dresser.

By the time night came (not that you could tell without a clock), the storm outside was still raging, and the apartment was still freezing.  Everyone, once again, stayed in Mrs. Moorcock’s room for the night.

The following week was pretty boring and dull.  The storm died down, and everyone was able to go back to their rooms.  Finn and Connor had caught a cold and were quarantined in one of the many guest rooms.  Since Fiona couldn’t go to work she had started a quilt for her parents with Mrs. Moorcock’s help.  Each patch on the quilt would represent a memory.  The quilt was going to be a Christmas present for them.

Mr. Johnson had sent a letter to his employees informing them of the current situation.  The storm had frozen things in the mill, and he didn’t think it was safe for them to come back to work.  He would be giving them small amounts of money to compensate for the lost time, but it wouldn’t be as much as usual.

“Fiona.” Mrs. Moorcock called from her room.  Fiona was in the study with Connor and Finn, helping them with some math problems.

“Yes?” Fiona asked, popping her head into Mrs. Moorcock’s room.  Mrs. Moorcock was sitting in a chair near the window.  She gestured for Fiona to join her.

“I heard the conversation you and Connor had the other day.” Mrs. Moorcock started, still looking out of the window.

“Oh, I know it may not have been the best way-” Fiona hurriedly tried to explain.  Mrs. Moorcock held up her hand and smiled.

“You did just fine dear, I’m glad you two worked it out.” Mrs. Moorcock reassured her.

“Me too.” Fiona smiled. “Thank you for telling me. I didn’t know he felt like that.”

“I know how observant Connor is, so I will need to meet this Sean he talked of.” Mrs. Moorcock said with a mischievous glint in her.

“Oh no!” Fiona laughed.

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter! I promise the next one will be longer. Thank you for reading! 🙂

Connor woke up to the sound of Fiona getting ready.  Usually he wakes up just in time to say goodbye to Fiona before she went to work.

“Good morning Fifi.” Connor said sleepily.

“Morning.” Fiona responded, clearly distracted by something.

“Are you leaving for work already?” Connor asked.

“Mhm, I’ll see you tonight!” Fiona said, kissing the top of Connor’s head before leaving the room.

Connor sighed.  She always left earlier than she needed to.  He got out of bed and changed out of his night shirt and into his day clothes.  When he went into the dining room he smelled breakfast. 

Pancakes!

Connor greeted Mrs. Moorcock and Finn when they joined him in the dining room.  By now, Connor was used to the routine in Mrs. Moorcock’s house.

After breakfast Connor and Finn would do math all morning, then break for dinner.  After dinner the boys would do some writing, once they finished that they were allowed to read or play until suppertime, when Fiona would come home.

But since it was Saturday, the boys didn’t have school.  During their days off the boys would go outside and play tag or toss a ball to each other.  Sometimes the local school boys would play with them.  They recognized Finn from when he used to be in school and tried to be nice to him, but Finn couldn’t handle their rough nature.

Connor was quite happy with his new life and his new routine, but he missed his old one.  He knew how happy Fiona was, and didn’t want to stop her from being happy, but she never spent time with him anymore.  She didn’t even stay at home unless to eat supper or sleep.

He missed the long talks they would have before bed, and the stories she would read him every night.  He missed their writing lessons and when they would run around in the fields, tracing patterns into the soil.  Father always tried to not plow away the design, saying that he will not destroy his children’s “art work.”  Playing with Finn was fun, they were basically brothers now, but it wasn’t the same as playing with Fiona.

Mrs. Moorcock said that Fiona was becoming a young lady, and that she didn’t have as much time to play with Connor.  He understood that, but he didn’t understand why she couldn’t put some time aside for him.  She did have some time, but she used that time to hang out with her new friends.

She was always with her new friends.

Fiona came back home late that night.  Once again, her friends had held her up.  Fiona had met Sarah’s older brother Sean.  She said he funny and energetic.  It sounded like Fiona liked Sean a lot.  Fiona invited Finn and Connor to go to a picnic with her friends the next day.  Mrs. Moorcock said that the boys could go if they wanted.  Finn said yes, so Connor did as well.  Connor wanted a picnic with just him and Fiona, but this was good enough.

The next day Fiona brought the boys to a small park overlooking town square.  Everyone brought biscuits, fruits, and tea sandwiches.  Apparently Sean had stolen them, which made Sarah scold him.  Connor didn’t like Fiona’s friends.  Sean was too loud, Sarah was too motherly, and he just didn’t like Bridget.

When the sun started to set the group dispersed and went back home.  Sean, Sarah, and Bridget went back to town, while Fiona, Finn, and Connor headed to edge of town, back to the apartment.

While Fiona bathed Connor read his book.  He was reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.  The book was quite hard for him, so Mrs. Moorcock always read to him.  But he wanted to try it by himself that night.  It was hard for him, but he managed to get through three pages.  That was an accomplishment.  Last time he could only read one page before getting tired.

“Fiona look I read three pages!” Connor said excitedly when she came out of the bathroom.  He was waving the book for her see, but she didn’t even bother to look at him.

“That’s great Connor, time for bed.” Fiona said distractedly.  Connor sighed.  Why would she care anyways?  It’s not liked she paid attention to him now days.

Connor said goodnight and went to bed.  He stretched out his toes to meet the warm stones at the foot of the bed.  He found the warm stones as a luxury.  Back in Ireland the only cure for the cold was extra blankets.

As he was falling asleep Connor heard the scratching sound of a pen.  When he looked up, he saw Fiona writing a letter.  Without him.  Connor’s eyes welled up with tears.  Writing letters to their parents was always something they did together.

Fiona didn’t seem to need him anymore. 

The next morning Connor woke up to no one next to him.  Fiona must have left early for work.  He was used to this by now, but it still hurt.  Brushing it off, he decided to show Mrs. Moorcock and Finn his book.  He knew that they would be proud of him.

“Mrs. Moorcock! Look! I read three pages by myself!” Connor exclaimed, showing her the book as he ran into the dining room.

“Very good Connor!” Mrs. Moorcock exclaimed happily. “Soon you’ll be able to read it all by yourself!”

“Good job Connor.” Finn praised him in his quiet manner. “Did you show Fiona?”

“She didn’t care.” Connor said grumpily.  Finn frowned, but didn’t say anything.

“I’m sure she cared dear.  She was probably thinking of something else.” Mrs. Moorcock said sympathetically.

“She’s always thinking of something else.” Connor muttered under his breath.

That day Connor finished school early, and had some free time before Finn got out of school.  So he decided to write a letter to his parents, by himself.

Dear Mother and Father,

How have you been? I am sorry for not writing in a while.  I miss you so much.

I am learning arithmetic in school and reading Pride and Prejudice!  Mrs. Moorcock says that the book is very advanced, and that it is surprising I can read it at my age. I think that means I’m a genius.

I hope you can join me soon.

Love,

          Connor

Connor slipped the paper into the envelope and stuck on the stamp.  He wrote both addresses and put the letter on the vanity.  That afternoon, when Finn finished school, Connor would ask him to go to the post office with him.

Finn had finished school an hour later, and Mrs. Moorcock let the boys go out.  Connor had no idea where the post office was, so he let Finn lead the way. 

The boys had a splendid time that afternoon.  Mrs. Moorcock had given them some money, and they used it to buy hot potatoes, perfect for a cold winter’s day.  When they reached the post office Finn showed Connor which slot to put his letter in.  Finn also showed Connor the telegram office.  The boys found it fun to watch the people work.  Connor noticed how Finn’s eyes glazed over, and how his fingers started twitching slightly. 

When the boys got home Fiona was already there.  That was strange.  Fiona never came home this early.  It seemed like she was in the middle of a conversation with Mrs. Moorcock.  The boys decided to leave them alone and went to the study to make paper airplanes.

After a little while Mrs. Moorcock called the boys to dinner.  Which they responded by yelling okay and racing down the hall.  That night they were having tomato soup, Finn’s favorite.  Connor thought tomato soup was okay, but he preferred butternut squash soup.

“What are you doing home so early?” Finn asked Fiona when he sat down at the table.

“Mr. Johnson let everyone leave early because of the storm coming.” Fiona said.

“What did you two do today?” Mrs. Moorcock asked.  Finn and Connor went into an excited explanation of what they did.  Connor gave Fiona and Mrs. Moorcock a very detailed description of the potatoes they had gotten in hopes of making Fiona jealous.  It seemed like she was thinking of something else, as usual.

That night after dinner the temperature had dropped quite drastically, making the apartment extremely cold.  Mrs. Moorcock offered to share her room with the children since it had a fireplace.  She had also invited the servants, but they insisted they were fine in the left wing.

The children accepted Mrs. Moorcock’s offer and piled into her room, bringing their blankets and pillows.  Fiona and Connor brought their old blankets from Ireland, which looked so drab compared to the gold, pink, and blue blankets from the other rooms.  Mrs. Moorcock’s room had a light pink theme.

“Mrs. Moorcock told me you don’t think I care about you.” Fiona said quietly, while setting up a bed made of blankets on the floor.  Connor pouted slightly, he didn’t think that Mrs. Moorcock would’ve told her about their conversations.  After a moment of silence Fiona spoke again. “Please remember I’m your older sister. I will always care about you.”

“You seem to care about your friends more.” Connor pouted.

“I don’t care about them more. You are always my first priority.” Fiona said.  Connor smiled a little, priority was his vocabulary word that day.

“We never spend time together anymore, and you always seem to be thinking about something else.” Connor said.

“I’m sorry, I will try to be more present and spend more time with you.” Fiona said apologetically.  Connor nodded and the two hugged.

“Also, don’t think I don’t see how you look at Sean.” Connor said slyly.

“Shut up!” Fiona laughed, punching Connor lightly.

Connor liked sleeping in Mrs. Moorcock’s room.  Fiona said it was like a sleepover.  Finn and Connor had never had a sleepover before and found the whole ordeal quite exciting.

That night, despite having a fireplace in the room, everyone needed five blankets and heated stones to get nice and warm.  It may have been cold outside, but inside Mrs. Moorcock’s luxury apartment, everyone was warm and happy, especially Connor.

When Fiona woke up it was still dark outside.  She looked at the clock, it was only four in the morning.  Fiona groaned.  She always woke up earlier than she had to.  She turned around and tried to get comfortable, but it was no use.

Fiona got out of bed slowly, careful to not make any noises, and slowly walked out of her room.  The small creaks of the floor sounded so loud at night. 

She walked to the living room and looked around.  The large windows let in the white moonlight.  IT looked so inviting, but also a little haunting.  She took a seat on one of the sofa that was closest to the windows.

It didn’t feel the same.  Fiona could see the moon, but not the stars.  There was no soft breeze or slight rustling of plants.  It didn’t feel the same, but it was good enough.  She was so immersed in the sky that she didn’t hear someone come into the room and join her on the couch.

“It’s quite beautiful isn’t it?” asked a voice next to her.  Fiona jumped slightly. “Sorry dear, didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“It’s alright. Why aren’t you sleeping?” Fiona asked.  She thought she was the only one awake at this hour.

“I always wake up early.” Mrs. Moorcock said quietly.  The two sat in silence for a little while longer.

“Do you always do this?” Fiona asked.  Mrs. Moorcock nodded thoughtfully.

“There’s something calming about the night.” Mrs. Moorcock said. 

“You feel it too?” Fiona asked excitedly.  Mrs. Moorcock nodded again.

“The peacefulness. You can just sit here and never leave.” Mrs. Moorcock whispered.

“It is much better in Ireland.” Fiona said, thinking about the nights she had spent sitting in the doorframe of her house. “You can see the stars, and there is always a soft breeze to cool you.  And the moon is a lot brighter.”

Mrs. Moorcock smiled. “It sounds wonderful.”

“It is.” Fiona said quietly.

The two sat together watching the sky.  There was a silent understanding between the two of them.  They stayed there until the first rays of dawn started to shine through.  Fiona heard Oliver and other servants start to wake up.

“I should get ready for work.” Fiona said.  Mrs. Moorcock simply nodded, seemingly in her own world.

Fiona got up and walked to her room, she never thought other people understood or shared her love for the night.

Fiona walked to work without Mrs. Moorcock that morning.  She didn’t want to bother her when she had to teach the boys.  Besides, she already knew her way there. 

Winter was starting to settle in.  Mrs. Moorcock had lent Fiona an old coat that somehow fit her exactly.  The harsh wind nipped at her face, but she didn’t mind.  Nothing could bring her down that morning.  She was quite happy and warm with her new coat, toasted bagel, and a feeling of pride.

When Fiona got to the mill, Mr. Johnson was unlocking the doors.  Bridget, Sarah, and a few other kids were waiting behind Mr. Johnson.  Once the doors were open, everyone went into their designated work areas.  Fiona, Bridget, and Sarah talked until lunch time, and then continued to work until six o’clock.

The same thing happened day after day.  Fiona would wake up, wrap her fingers, and head to work.  Fiona enjoyed the familiarity of having a routine.  She knew what she had to do every day and stuck to a strict schedule.

Monday to Saturday, Fiona would wake up.  Stargaze in the living room with Mrs. Moorcock, and then get ready for the day.  When she went home she would have dinner with Mrs. Moorcock, Finn, and Connor, take a bath, and write a letter to her parents.   

It seemed she wasn’t the only one adjusting to a new schedule.  Connor seemed more talkative, and his handwriting had improved drastically compared to when the two of them wrote their first letter. 

Mr. Johnson gave his workers Sunday off.  During those lovely Sundays, Fiona would have picnics with Bridget and Sarah.

This was what Fiona’s week looked like.  Every day the same, nothing new.

One morning, while Fiona was walking to work she was thinking about how much her life had changed and how much she had changed.  Just a month ago she would wake up and sweep the floors of a small cottage, now she woke up in a big apartment and wasn’t required to do chores.

She hadn’t been thinking about her longing for the moonlight.  She hadn’t even thought of that splendid dream she had imagined.  Fiona was a young woman now.  She had more to worry about than late night adventures under the moonlight.  But deep inside, she still longed for that.

She also longed for something new.  Every day was the same.  There was nothing new to look forward to.  Of course the thought of her parents joining her was enough to get her out of bed each morning, but she still longed for something different.

Fiona worked hard that day.  None of the girls talked very much, they all had problems to worry about.  Bridget’s older brother had fallen sick and was fired from his job.  She had to work an extra two hours now to keep her family afloat.  Sarah was worrying about her brother.  He was always getting himself into some kind of trouble.

When six o’clock came, Sarah and Fiona said goodnight to Bridget and started to walk home.  That day Sarah was waiting for her brother to come pick her up, but it was already dark.  Fiona didn’t want to leave Sarah alone in dark, especially since she was so small.  Who knows what could happen.

“You know you can go.” Sarah said.  Fiona shrugged.

“I want to meet your brother.” She stated.  The girls waited a little longer before a tall silhouette came into view.

“Hello!” yelled a male voice, he had a light Irish accent.  As the silhouette walked closer, Fiona got a better look at him.  He was tall and lanky, the exact opposite of Sarah.  He had dark brown hair and hazel eyes.  He seemed to swimming in his clothes, and his skin was coated in a thick layer of dust.

“This is Sean, my older brother.” Sarah said. “Sean, this is Fiona.”

“Hello.” Fiona said.

“AYE! Another Irish!” Sean yelled after hearing Fiona’s voice.  Sarah rolled her eyes and hit him lightly, making him pretend to faint dramatically.  Fiona laughed.  Fiona loved Connor with all of her heart, but she had always wanted an older brother.

“We should get going.” Sarah said starting to walk towards home, pulling Sean with her. “See you tomorrow Fiona!”

“Bye!” Fiona called out as the siblings walked away.  She could hear their conversation in the distance.

“Did you get in trouble today?”

“Ehhh…”

“Sean! Can you at least try to be good?”

“You sound like mother.”

Fiona heard a distant thump and a dramatic wail.  She laughed softly.  Those two were quite entertaining to be around.  Fiona remembered how dark it was, she didn’t tell Mrs. Moorcock she might be home late.  Quickly turning around, she ran home.

That Sunday, Fiona had invited Finn and Connor to hang out with her and her friends.  Fiona, Finn, Connor, Bridget, Sarah, and Sean and a lovely picnic in a nearby park.  There were biscuits, fruit, and small “tea” sandwiches.  Sean and stolen the sandwiches from one of the shops in the town square, which earned him a scolding from Sarah.  Fiona sighed contentedly.  After getting pulled from school, she never got to hang out with children her age much.

Once the sun started to set everyone said their goodbyes and headed home.  Finn, Connor, and Fiona went their ways, while Sarah and Sean were making sure Bridget got home safe.

That night after Fiona had bathed and put Connor to bed she wrote a note to her parents.

Dear Mother and Father,

I had an amazing day today!  I had a small picnic with Finn, Connor, Sean, Sarah, and Bridget.  Sean had stolen some sandwiches for the picnic, which made Sarah scold him.  She really seems to be his mother.

Please tell me if you have enough money to join Connor and me.  Connor misses you very much, as do I. 

Your loving daughter,

                        Fiona

Fiona had slipped in the money she had earned that week.  She had been sending money to parents for weeks. But each time they said a little longer until they had enough to come. 

Fiona slipped into bed, careful to not wake up Connor.  She had been in America for almost two months now, and that day was the happiest she had felt since she had moved.

Fiona and Connor had moved into one of the many guest bedrooms in the right wing of the house.  There were five guest bedrooms, but the children shared one.  Connor wasn’t comfortable with sleeping in a different room as Fiona, and Fiona, didn’t want to get too comfortable.  If Mr. Kelly ever came back, the children would have to go with him.

The children’s bedroom had a gold theme, which made Connor feel like a king.  There was a queen sized bed in the middle of the room (the children would share the bed), with white and gold night stands on each side.  There was a small vanity on one side of the bed, and a wardrobe on the other side.  Fiona claimed the side with the vanity.  There was also an attached bathroom with the same gold theme.

Mrs. Moorcock had left them for the night.  If they needed anything Mrs. Moorcock’s bedroom was down the hall, as was Finn’s.  There was also a small bell on the vanity, which was to ring for the servants if they needed.

Connor was sitting on the bed in a starfish position, he couldn’t believe how big was.  Fiona was unpacking their clothing and putting it in the wardrobe.  Their drab clothing didn’t seem to fit with the grand white and gold wardrobe.

“It was nice of Mrs. Moorcock to take us in.” Fiona said, hanging up one of her dresses in the wardrobe.  Connor nodded.  Ever since supper, he seemed to be in his own world.

“Fiona…when will we see Mother and Father again?” Connor asked.  Fiona stopped moving for a second.  She had her back to Connor and let her face fall for a second before turning around.  She walked up to the bed and sat down.

“I’m not sure.” Fiona said honestly.  “But they will come soon.  And we can always talk to them!”

“How?” Connor questioned.

“We can write them letters.” Fiona said optimistically.

“Can we write them one now?” Connor asked quietly.  Fiona nodded and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from her suitcase.  Thankfully, there was an inkwell on the vanity.

The two of them spent almost half an hour writing the letter before getting ready for bed and going to sleep.  The letter looked like this:

Dear Mother and Father,

We miss you.  I wish you were here with us.  I hope you can come to join us soon.

~Connor

Dear Mother and Father,

Connor and I hope you can join us soon.  I hope you have been eating well. 

Mr. Kelly was not here to take care of us. People have said he had to go home to his mother.  We have found a nice lady named Mrs. Moorcock.  She has a reputation of helping children, and has taken us in. She has a son named Finn, he is around my age and is like Connor, shy but brave.

I know that I should not talk to strangers, but Connor and I would have been homeless if we didn’t follow Mrs. Moorcock.  I promise I am staying safe and being careful.

I love you.

~Fiona

The next morning the smell of pancakes and the sound of soft knocking on the door woke Fiona up. 

“Breakfast is almost ready miss.” Said a feminine voice from outside of the door.

“Thank you!” Fiona called back.  She yawned and looked around.  She still couldn’t believe that she lived here.  She wanted to sit in bed a little longer, but she knew they had a busy day ahead of them.  Fiona woke up Connor and helped him wash up before breakfast.

When Fiona and Connor walked into the dining room there was a big stack of pancakes on a plate in the middle of the table.  There was also a big glass bottle filled with maple syrup.

Mrs. Moorcock and Finn were already sitting at the table.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting.” Fiona said apologetically.

“Oh don’t worry dear.  We were just sat down.” Mrs. Moorcock said, piling on pancakes onto Connor’s plate.

“Mrs. Moorcock, do you happen to have some envelopes and postal stamps I can use? I would like to send a letter to my parents.” Fiona asked.

“Of course! I’ll have Oliver leave some in your room.” Mrs. Moorcock said smiling. “Speaking of your parents, what plans did they have for you kids? It seems absurd that they left you to fend for yourself.”

“They didn’t.  We were supposed to stay with a friend of theirs, Mr. Kelly.” Fiona explained. “He was supposed to give Connor a full education, like I did.  And he was going to help me find a job so I can send money back to my parents so they can come and joins us. But Mr. Kelly left America before we arrived.”

“Oh my, that is a pity.” Mrs. Moorcock said sadly. “But I can help you with those things.”

After breakfast, Mrs. Moorcock set up Connor and Finn for school.  Finn was homeschooled by Mrs. Moorcock.  He didn’t get along with the local kids, and Mrs. Moorcock didn’t like how the teachers taught.  Now, she would teach Connor and Finn.  Connor would be using Finn’s old books until they could determine his level in reading, writing, and math.

While the boys were doing school, Mrs. Moorcock was going to bring Fiona to Mr. Johnson.  He owned a cotton mill and needed workers.

“Good morning Mrs. Moorcock!” greeted a booming voice from somewhere in the mill.  Mrs. Moorcock had taken Fiona to one of the local cotton mills, which happened to be owned by Mr. Johnson.  The mill was noisy and bustling with life. 

“Good morning Johnson!” Mrs. Moorcock called out.  Mr. Johnson stepped out from a room that was divided from the rest of the mill by a thin curtain.  Mr. Johnson was a tall man with short blond hair.  He wore a blue and white striped suit.  He had a warm smile and a loud voice.

“What can I do for you today?” he asked.

“This young woman would like a job at your cotton mill.” Mrs. Moorcock said, gesturing to Fiona.  Mr. Johnson eyed Fiona.  She tried to stand tall, but inside she was terrified.  Fiona had heard horror stories of what children had to deal with in cotton mills. Mr. Johnson saw how nervous Fiona was and laughed.

“Why are squirming child?” he asked.

“I know what happens to children in cotton mills, sir.” She said shyly.  She noticed Mr. Johnson flinch slightly.

“I am not like that.” He stated.  His voice filled with anger. “Children shouldn’t have to work to support themselves and their family.  Those who hurt children in factories should be condemned to hell!”

“Now, now Mr. Johnson.” Mrs. Moorcock reprimanded lightly. “Don’t scare the poor girl.”

“Right, sorry.” Mr. Johnson apologized.  He gestured for Fiona to follow him. “Come along, I have an empty spot in the weaver room for you.”

Mr. Johnson led Fiona and Mrs. Moorcock into the weaving room.  There were long rows of machines spinning spools of cotton.  Many children in the room were attending to the spools and rarely looked up.

“This job is hard, and will bruise your fingers.” Mr. Johnson stated sternly. “But it pays $6 an hour.”

“I’ll take it.” Fiona nodded determinedly.  Mr. Johnson smiled and nodded.

“When your fingers get tired or start to hurt you can dip them in there.” He said, gesturing to a basin of water in the corner. “Your hours are from eight to six.  You may talk, but don’t fall behind in work.”

Fiona nodded and got to work.  She saw Mr. Johnson and Mrs. Moorcock leave the room.  She was in a row with two young girls.  Bridget was 13 and Sarah was 12.  They showed her how to tender the spools.  Soon the girls were talking and acting like close friends.

Bridget was born into a poor family.  She had an older brother who was 18, and a younger brother who was 2.  When her younger brother was born, her mother had to stay home to take care of him.  Bridget had to drop out of school to work to help her family stay afloat.

Sarah, like Fiona, was from Ireland as well.  She had an older brother who was 15.  They had come to America to escape the famine.  A gold smith had taken in the children, that’s where her brother worked.

The girls spent most of their time talking, breaking conversation every now and then to dip their fingers into the water basin.   The cool water helped the stinging slightly, but not as much as Fiona would have liked.

Mr. Johnson came in with lunch at one.  It was simple porridge, but it was heavenly to Fiona.  Though she wouldn’t admit it, she was tired.

At six o’clock Mr. Johnson came in to let the children go.  He smiled at each one and told them how good they did that day.  It was very different all of the horror stories Fiona and heard about.  As the children left he reminded them that payday was that Saturday.  Bridget and Sarah explained that payday was the third Saturday every month.

The girls said goodbye to each other and started walking home.  Fiona thought about the girls and their lives.  Bridget had it hard, she sympathized with her.  She understood what it was like to get pulled out of school to help her family.  Her fingers felt raw and were bruising slightly, but she didn’t mind.

When she got home she was greeted by Oliver and the smell of roast chicken and gravy.  During dinner everyone talked about their days.  Finn had started reading a new book, Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.  Connor had learned the multiplication table up to five and recited them perfectly.  Fiona talked about her day at work, and about Bridget and Sarah.  Mrs. Moorcock noticed Fiona’s bruised fingers and offered to wrap them for her before work the next morning, which she graciously accepted.

After dinner everyone headed to their rooms to bathe and prepare for bed.  When Fiona entered her room she saw a small stack of envelopes, a couple sheets of postal stamps, and some paper.  She made a mental note to thank Mrs. Moorcock and Oliver.

She went to bathe and changed into her sleep clothes.  Today was a great day, she couldn’t wait for tomorrow.

“Shh”

“They look so pathetic.”

“Look at that one!”

“Gimme that!”

Fiona moaned groggily.  She could heard voices of young boys, and they were….teasing her?  She abruptly opened her eyes.  The voices weren’t a dream.  They were real boys, and they were standing above her.

“LOOK SHE’S AWAKE!” one of the boys yelled.  Fiona looked around and realised there was a group of boys going through her suitcase.

“Hey! Give that back!” Fiona yelled, jumping up.  She lunged at the boy holding the suitcase, but he dodged.  The others laughed.

“Ooooo! Hear her accent? She isn’t from her.” another boy sneered, he was holding Connor’s suitcase.  Fiona quickly took out Connor’s pocket knife from the folds of her dress and pointed it threatening at the group.  They all stepped back from her.

“Give. It. Back” Fiona growled.  The boys laughed.

“Aww, I bet she thinks she’s so tough.” one of the boys laughed, shoving her to the ground.  Fiona whimpered slightly when she hit the ground.  That hurt, a lot more than she would want to admit.

“HEY!” a voice yelled from somewhere. “Leave her alone.”

The voice came out of the other end of the alleyway.  A short, scrawny looking boy stepped out from the shadows and walked towards the group.

“Look! It’s Finny boy!” one yelled.  The group of boys laughed again.

“What are you gonna do? Huh?” one boy teased, walking closer to the scrawny boy.  “Finny boy” threw a strong right hook at the boy, making him collapse.  His friends grabbed him and ran from the alley, dropping the suitcases.

“Are you ok?” the boy asked.  Fiona nodded quickly, getting up from the ground and dusting off her dress.

“Thank you for helping me.” she said, starting to gather the items of clothing that boys had thrown out of her suitcase.  Mentally she smacked herself for forgetting her manners.  She turned around and held out her hand to the boy. “I’m Fiona.”

The boy looked at her hand for second, then took it. “I’m Finn.”

His demeanour had completely changed.  Fiona thought that he resembled Connor’s personality now.  Speaking of Connor, the small boy poked his head out from behind a couple of stacked crates.

“Connor! Are you ok?” Fiona asked, running to him.  If she was being honest, she hadn’t even noticed he was gone.  Connor nodded.

“I woke up and the boys were standing over you. I got scared, and went to get help.” Connor explained.

“It’s ok. You were a brave boy for going to get help.” Fiona assured him.

“Are you homeless?” Finn asked shyly, gesturing to the makeshift beds that were laid out on the floor.  Fiona blushed slightly. “It’s ok, I was homeless too.”

“Really?” Connor asked, wide eyed.  Finn nodded shyly.

“My adoptive mother, Mrs. Moorcock adopted me when I was a baby. She helps homeless kids. Maybe she’ll take you in too!” Finn said.  Fiona thought about it, she did need to find a home for herself and Connor, maybe this isn’t too bad of a thing.

“No, no. We wouldn’t want to be a bother.” Fiona said.  As much as she wanted to accept, she didn’t even know this Mrs. Moorcock.

“You won’t be a bother!” Finn exclaimed excitedly.  Finn really did remind Fiona of Connor.  His shyness, but random bursts of energy.  Finn started to help Fiona pick up their blankets and clothes and shoved them into random suitcases.  He then picked up the suitcases. “Come on!”

Finn handed Fiona one of the suitcases and grabbed her hand, leading her into the bustling city square.  It was so crowded, Fiona had no idea how Finn could know where he was going.  Connor was holding on to Fiona’s skirt tightly, which saved him from being swept into the crowd multiple times.

Finn led Fiona and Connor to a small flower stall in the middle of the square.  He went up to an old woman and tugged at her skirt.  The woman looked down at Finn, her face was old and wrinkled, but she looked like a kind woman.  The two exchanged a couple words, then she looked at Fiona and Connor.  She smiled warmly and gestured for the children to come closer to her.

Fiona walked towards the woman, Connor following close behind.  Fiona wasn’t the type of person to feel shy, but for some reason meeting this woman made her nervous and shy.  

“Hello dear.” the woman said kindly.  Fiona suddenly relaxed, her voice was so soothing.  She had a proper British accent, and wore a long purple dress with small flowers dotted all over.  She had a matching purple bonnet and pristine white gloves.

“Hello ma’am.” Fiona said, curtsying slightly.  The woman laughed.  Even her laugh was soothing.

“No need to be so formal, dear.  You can call me Mrs. Moorcock.” she said. “I love your wonder accent dear, where are you from.”

“We’re from Ireland.” Fiona responded. “I’m Fiona, and this is my little brother Connor.” she said, pulling Connor from her skirts where he was hiding. “He’s a little shy.”

“There is nothing wrong with that!” Mrs. Moorcock laughed. “The shy ones always turn out to be extraordinary.”

Connor blushed slightly, muttering a small “thank you.”

“I haven’t met you before, how long have you known Finn?” Mrs. Moorcock asked.

“Since thirty minutes ago.” Fiona said cheerfully. “He saved my brother and I from a group of boys that were trying to steal out stuff.”

“My, my! Someone has been busy this morning.” Mrs. Moorcock exclaimed, giving Finn a playful look.  Finn looked down at his feet shyly. “Since you are Finn’s friends, would you like to join us for dinner?”

“Yes please!” Fiona exclaimed.

“Perfect!” Mrs. Moorcock said enthusiastically.  She grabbed a bouquet of roses from the shop and put them into her wicker basket. “Come along.”

Fiona had just made friends with a complete stranger!  Usually, she wouldn’t have done this, but something about Mrs. Moorcock made Fiona trust her.  Maybe it was her angelic looks, or the fact that her adopted son was like Connor, but her instincts said she should go with Mrs. Moorcock, and Fiona’s instincts were always right. 

Mrs. Moorcock led Fiona and Connor to her apartment on the edge of the town.  The building was white and had two floors.  Mrs. Moorcock said she only owned the second floor, another family owned the first.

When Mrs. Moorcock opened the door she was greeted by a man in a black suit with a small bowtie.

“Ma’am. Master Finn.” the man bowed his and took Mrs. Moorcock and Finn’s coats.  He then turned to Fiona and Connor. “May I take your coats?”

Connor stood there dumbstruck, his mouth wide open.  Fiona was in shock, they had heard of people having butlers, but only rich people had them!  Was Mrs. Moorcock rich?

“N-no thank you.” Fiona stuttered.  The man nodded and walked off down a hallway with the coats.  His footsteps echoed around the walls.  Fiona looked around, Mrs. Moorcock really was rich.  The floor was made of shiny wood, and the walls, tile.  Fiona heard Mrs. Moorcock chuckle.

“Was that your butler?” Connor asked shyly.  Fiona looked over to him, he rarely ever talked to others, much less ask questions.  He must feel comfortable around Mrs. Moorcock to talk to her. 

“Yes, that was Oliver.” Mrs. Moorcock said.

“You must be very rich then.” Connor said.

“Connor!” Fiona scolded.  Mrs. Moorcock laughed.

“I am.” Mrs. Moorcock said smiling. “Thanks to my late husband.”

“Oh, I am sorry for your loss.” Fiona said.  Mrs. Moorcock didn’t seem to be affected by the mention of her late husband.

“Eh, he was a bother.” Mrs. Moorcock shrugged.  Next to her, Fiona could feel Connor trying to stifle his laughter. “Would you like a tour?”

“We wouldn’t want to intrude…” Fiona started.

“Nonsense! My house is big and grand, any child would want to explore.” Mrs. Moorcock said.

“If you insist.” Fiona said shyly.

“I insist.” Mrs. Moorcock nodded.

She led the children around the house.  When they walked in they saw the living room, and two hallways, one on the left (where Oliver the butler walked off), and one of the right.  Mrs. Moorcock explained that the servants had the left wing of the house, and the residents had the right wing, and the living room was “common ground.”

The left wing contained bedrooms, the kitchen, the washing room, and, of course, a bathroom.  The right wing contained Mrs. Moorcock and Finn’s bedrooms, as well as their study, that they share, and a couple of guest bedrooms.  Each bedroom had an attached bathroom, another luxury that shocked the Murphy children.  Each room had different wallpaper, but all were luxurious.

The living room had a beige and gold theme.  There was a tile fireplace with pictures of Mrs. Moorcock and Finn on the mantle in gold frames on the mantle.  There was a small coffee table in the middle with a vase of wilted roses.  The table was surrounded by three large, beige sofas with gold threading.

There were two rooms adjoining to the living room.  The left room was the servant’s dining room, and the right room was the residence’s dining room.  Mrs. Moorcock insisted on equality between servants and their boss’s.  Everything she had, she made sure her servants had it too (if they wanted/needed).

The way Mrs. Moorcock explained everything made Fiona like her more and more.  Fiona liked the way she tried to make life equal between herself and her servants, she also loved how grand the house was, and how clean.  The floor literally shined, as did the walls. 

All of a sudden a light bell dinged from somewhere in the house.

“Ah, that’s dinner.” Mrs. Moorcock said. 

The group walked to the dining room where four places were laid.  Simple ham sandwiches, on white bread, were on gold lined plates.  Four small goblets were next to their plates. One was filled with deep purple liquid that looked like wine, and the other three were filled with milk.  The group sat down, and Fiona and Connor started to eat eagerly.

“My! You both have such a good appetite.” Mrs. Moorcock said smiling.  Compared to Finn, Fiona and Connor ate well.  Finn didn’t eat much and had a hard time being around a lot of food.

“Sorry ma’am.” Fiona said shyly, wiping the corner of her mouth with a napkin.  “We haven’t eaten this much food in a long time.”

Mrs. Moorcock’s smiling face suddenly contorted into a frown, as did Finn’s.

“What do you mean?” Finn asked quietly.

“There is a famine in Ireland.  The sheriff took everyone’s harvest.” Fiona said sadly.  She thought about her parents.  Hopefully, with their children’s absence, they wouldn’t have to ration as much and could eat more.

“Do you have a home, children?” Mrs. Moorcock asked kindly.  Connor shook his head. “Would you like to stay here? Finn would love some friends.”

Fiona thought about it.  She did need to find a home for her brother.  Mrs. Moorcock seemed nice, so did Finn.

“We would love to!” Fiona said.  Connor nodded enthusiastically with a piece of bread dangling out of his mouth.

“Wonderful!” Mrs. Moorcock laughed. “Come, let’s prepare your rooms.”  Mrs. Moorcock grabbed the children’s hands and led them down the hallway.

Every morning a man would come down and pass out food to the passengers and report the ship’s progress.  

Fiona spent her time talking with Molly and playing with Connor.  She also started to practice her writing, she would like to keep in contact with her parents when she reaches America.

By the third week of the journey, multiple passengers had come down with a mild fever.  Those who had contracted the fever were taken to the upper floors of the ship to be treated, including Molly and Liam.  Slowly, the floor of fifty passengers was whittled down to twenty.

The rest of the journey was quite uneventful.  Many passengers had been cured and rejoined the others downstairs.  Fiona kept watching and waiting for Molly and Liam to come back down, but they never did.

“Attention all passengers, gather your belongings and prepare to leave the ship.” said a man from the top of the stairs.

Fiona was so excited, six weeks of sailing on the ocean has paid off.

“Are you ready?” she asked Connor excitedly.  Connor nodded enthusiastically.  The two children packed away their blankets and put on their coats and hats.  

The ship suddenly bumped against something.  Fiona could hear yelling from the upper floors.  A man started to come down the stairs, the same man who was taking attendance when Fiona and Connor first boarded the ship.  The man opened the hatch and dropped a plank down.  

“Everyone out!” He yelled gruffly.  Fiona grabbed Connor’s hand and stepped out onto the plank.  She winced slightly when she felt the cold air slice at her face. 

“We’re here!” Connor yelled, jumping up off of the plank.  Fiona laughed gleefully, they were finally here. 

“Come on, we should find Mr. Kelly before sunset.” Fiona said grabbing Connor’s hand once again.  The streets of New York looked so busy, she didn’t want to lose him in the crowds.

Fiona and Connor had spent almost three hours walking the streets of New York looking for Mr. Kelly.  Fiona had asked almost every person she had seen, none of them knew where he was. 

“Fiona…what are we going to do if we can’t Mr. Kelly?” Connor asked wearily.  Fiona wanted to be confident for her little brother, but she really didn’t know what they would do if they couldn’t find Mr. Kelly.

“I’m not sure yet.” Fiona answered truthfully.  She didn’t know what to do.  If they couldn’t find Mr. Kelly, would that make them homeless?  She couldn’t even write to her parents for help.

“How about we ask one more person, then settle in for the night?” Fiona asked Connor.  He nodded tiredly.  Fiona looked around and saw a nice looking lady closing her food stall for the day, she might know where Mr. Kelly is.

“Excuse me! Excuse me! Ma’am!” Fiona called out, running to the lady.  The lady turned around, her face spread into a warm smile when she saw the children.

“How can I help you, dear?” she asked.  Her voice was smooth and sweet like honey. 

“Do you know where Mr. Kelly lives?” Fiona asked.  The lady’s looked up thoughtfully before answering.

“The Irish man?” the lady asked. Fiona nodded, finally, someone who knew something about where Mr. Kelly is. “Oh! He left for Ireland yesterday. His mother came down with a fever, poor dear.”

“Do you know when he will be back?” Fiona asked anxiously.

“Not anytime soon, I’m afraid.” she said.  Fiona’s heart dropped.  Would he even come back?

“Thank you ma’am” Fiona said, curtsying slightly.  Why did Mr. Kelly have to leave?  What happened to the agreement he made with Mother and Father? 

Fiona walked away from the lady hastily.  The sun was already starting to set, she needed to get food for herself and Connor and find them a safe place to stay the night.  She walked through the streets until she found a porridge shop.

As they ate, Fiona started to think about what they were going to do.  She could try to find a job, but what would Connor do?  She didn’t want him to work in a factory, and her parents wanted him to get a full education, like she did.  She could find a hotel to stay in, but they were expensive, and factory jobs don’t pay a lot.  Fiona sighed wearily, all of this was so overwhelming.  She wanted to go back to her parents and let them figure everything out, but she couldn’t.  Right now, she needed to find a safe place to spend the night.

Fiona found a safe, and relatively clean, alleyway where they could sleep.  She started to lay out their blankets to make beds like she did on the ship.  Connor didn’t ask questions, and he didn’t complain that he could feel the ground through the blankets.  He also didn’t object to Fiona taking his pocket knife.

The first rays of dawn shone through the bedroom window.  Fiona slowly opened her eyes.  She sighed deeply. 

It was time.

She woke up Connor and filled up the water basin so he could bathe.

Fiona and Connor made their way to kitchen for breakfast.  It was simple oatmeal. Fiona noticed how the portions were more than what they usually got lately.  Everyone ate breakfast in silence, no one knew what to say.  This would be their last meal as a family for a long time, maybe forever.

After breakfast Mother washed the dishes while the Fiona and Connor went outside to say goodbye to their animals. 

“Children! It’s time to go!” Mother called from the house.  She tried to keep herself together for her children, but her composure was slowly crumbling.

Fiona and Connor walked into the house, they looked and touched everything one last time.  Fiona walked into the bedroom to grab their suitcases, she looked around one last time.  The four small cots, the small window near her bed.  She sighed, taking one quick glance, before leaving.

As Fiona stepped out of the house, she couldn’t help but think that this would be the last time she would see her house.  She climbed into the horse-drawn carriage, her parents and brother were already seated and waiting for her.  Fiona took one last look at her house as the carriage started to move.

“Fiona, when you get to America ask for Mr. Kelly.  He is an old friend of your Father’s.” Mother told Fiona. “He has agreed to take you and Connor in.  He will find you a job and give Connor a full education.”

Fiona nodded, she remembered Mr. Kelly.  He was a nice man, it would be wonderful to live with him.

“Why can’t you come with Connor and I?” Fiona asked.  The question had been eating at her, she didn’t want to leave her parents.

“We don’t have enough money for all four of us.” Mother said sadly.

“Why can’t we ask Mr. Kelly for money?” Fiona asked.

“Fiona!” Mother scolded. “We do not ask money from people! We don’t need charity.”

“But it’s not charity.” Fiona said quietly. Mother gave Fiona a look, that was the end of that conversation.

When they reached the port, Fiona saw many other families waiting there, including a couple of Fiona’s old friends from school.

“Children.” said a deep voice.  Connor gasped slightly, that was the first time Father had talked to either of them in a while.  His voice wasn’t as cheerful as it used to be, it was dry and grave. “I want to give you these.”  He took out eight small, wooden toys, like the ones he gave to Connor.  The figures were painted with bright colours.  

“It’s the four of us.” He said, giving Connor four, and Fiona the other four.  “I made two sets, never forget our family and our love.”

Fiona looked at the small figures in her hand, each one looked like someone in her family.  Father’s figurine was wearing a black shirt and overalls.  Mother’s figurine was wearing a blue dress covered in red poppy flowers, it was one of her favourite dresses.  Fiona’s figurine was wearing a pink dress with white frills at the arms and neck, and Connor’s was wearing a blue shirt with black pants.

A loud horn boomed, it was time to go.  Fiona hugged her parents one last time.

“Be safe, and remember to always stick together.” Mother yelled over the noise of other families and the ship horn.  She gave Fiona a bundle of money. “Use this for food and lodgings, don’t lose it.”

“I love you both.” Father said, his voice cracking slightly.  He wrapped his family into a tight group hug.

Fiona and Connor hugged their parents one more time before joining the line to board the ship.  

“Name?” said a gruff voice.  Fiona looked up and saw a tall man, with a scruffy beard.

“Fiona Murphy.” she said in a small voice.

“And the boy?” he asked.

“Connor Murphy.” she said.  The man nodded and let them in.

Fiona and Connor walked up the plank connecting the ship to the shore.  Fiona looked into the ship as saw all the people.  There were a lot of kids, a couple of families.  They were at the very bottom of the ship.  It was very dark and musty and smelled of sea salt.  She linked arms with Connor and guided him an empty bench.

She sat there with Connor for about five minutes before the man that was taking attendance outside came in.

“This journey may be six weeks, or fourteen. Enjoy!” he said in his gruff voice.  He closed the door and walked upstairs.  

It was only when the door closed that Fiona realised how hot and stuffy it was down there.  She sighed.

“Better get comfortable Connor. I don’t think they’ll give us any beds.” she said, opening her suitcase and taking out a couple of blankets.  Connor took a couple blankets from her and laid them down on the bench, making a bed.

Fiona took out the wooden figurines Father had given her, she wrapped it in blankets and put it at the bottom of her suitcase next to her storybook.  Connor noticed and followed suite.

“Fiona Murphy! Is that you?” asked a shrill voice.  Fiona looked in the direction of the voice and saw Molly O’Connor, one of her old friends from school.  

“Molly!” Fiona exclaimed.  She ran over to Molly and hugged her tightly.   Molly had been one of Fiona’s best friends when she went to school.  

Molly joined Fiona and Connor on their bench.  The two girls talked for hours, while Connor played with his toy soldiers.

Molly was also heading to America with her older brother, Liam, who was 17.  He was talking to a couple of his friends that were also going to America.

“Did you hear what that strange man said earlier?” Molly asked. “He said we could be here for fourteen weeks!”

“I know! That’s such a long time.” Fiona said.

“I heard that some people can die on these ships.” Molly stated mysteriously.  Fiona’s eyes widened, she glanced at Connor and pulled Molly aside.

“Die? How?” Fiona whispered.

“The fever probably.” Molly shrugged. 

The two girls talked for a little while longer until it started to get dark in the ship.  Molly walked back to her bench and started to make a bed.  The only light was coming from the single oil lamp on the wall.  Connor looked ready to go to sleep, so Fiona helped him get comfortable. 

After putting Connor to sleep, Fiona started to get tired and made her bed.  Fiona couldn’t believe how relaxed Molly was, she was treating this like a day trip.  Molly didn’t even seem concerned by the fact that people could die on the ship.

By this time, the bottom of the ship was pitch black.  Fiona loved the dark, but she hated this kind of dark.  It was artificial, it wasn’t natural.  She hated that she wouldn’t be able to see the moon or stars for six weeks.  

She rolled over on the small cot she had made for herself.  She reached out into the darkness, feeling for Connor.  She smiled to herself when she felt his warm body wrapped in blankets.  

Fiona eventually fell asleep with Connor’s hand in hers.  She felt better knowing that she wouldn’t be going through all of this alone.

By early December, all of Ireland was facing famine.  Many had already died, while others had started to kill their animals for food.  Some families had started to talk of sending their children to America.

That night was the last peaceful night before the biggest change of Fiona’s life.

Fiona was lying in bed, looking out of the small window bedroom window.  Her bed was the closest to the window.  It used to be on the other side of the room before Connor was born.  But when he came, she had to move her bed, not that she was complaining.

Ever since the Sheriff came nothing felt the same, not even the night.  Mother was always muttering to herself, and Father had stopped talking.

Every night, Fiona would try to escape into her small world where she was free to do whatever she wanted.  But she could never seem to leave this dark reality.  She missed her dream world more than anything, but she could never seem to get back to it.

Fiona sighed sadly and rolled over, her back to the window.  There was no use.  She was too hungry to focus on anything.  Her stomach growled loudly and she sighed again.  She never said anything, but she was always hungry nowadays.  Her family had to start rationing their food to make it last until spring came.  

She turned around again, trying to find a comfortable spot.  Mother and Father still hadn’t come to bed, it was already so late.

Fiona slowly sat up and looked at the bedroom door.  If she closed her eyes and stayed very still she could hear Mother and Father talking in the kitchen.  She knew eavesdropping was one of the worst things a child could do, but she couldn’t help herself. 

She slowly got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom and towards the door of the kitchen.  The voices got louder and more audible as she walked closer.  She put her ear against the kitchen door and closed her eyes, trying to listen to what her parents were saying.

“There has to be another way.” She heard Mother say.

“There isn’t.” Father said gravely.  She gasped quietly, this was the first time she had heard his voice in weeks. 

“How would we do it?” Mother asked. “We don’t have enough money for all four of us.” 

There was a minute of silence before Father said, “We would have to stay back.”

She heard Mother’s quiet gasp, then a muffled sob.  She heard Father walk across the kitchen towards where Mother presumably sat.  The rustling of fabric made her assume they were hugging each other.

“I don’t want to send them away to America.” Mother sobbed.

Fiona gasped again.  This time she didn’t bother trying to be quiet. She heard that others had started to send their children away, but she never thought her parents would do it. 

She heard footsteps walking towards the kitchen door and quickly ran back to her bed, hiding under her covers, pretending to be asleep.  Father walked into the room just as Fiona had climbed into bed.  He looked at his sleeping children and left.

Fiona curled into a ball and silently sobbed.  She couldn’t imagine going to America, her whole life was here, at the farm.  Whenever she had talked to Connor about their future, it was here.  Fiona would inherit the farm, and when Connor came of age, he would build his own farm next to hers’.

Connor!

How would he take the news?

The next day was long and tiring.  Fiona helped Connor feed the animals, swept the house, and helped Mother with supper.  But she couldn’t stop thinking about what Mother said last night.

She felt like she was in a daze all day, thinking about when her parents would send them away.  Her question was answered at supper.

“There is no easy way to say this…but your Father and I have decided to send you children away to America.” Mother said. “You will have to leave tomorrow morning, at dawn.”

Fiona already knew that this was going to happen, but hearing it put her into a state of shock all over again.  She looked at Connor to see his reaction, his face didn’t betray his feelings, but his eyes did.  He was scared.  No one said anything, Connor didn’t ask why, he already knew. 

“You should start packing and get ready to leave at dawn.” Mother said breathlessly.  Fiona and Connor nodded and headed into the bedroom.  They gathered their clothes, blankets, and treasured belongings, and packed them into their old suitcases.

Fiona’s suitcase was a light brown, and Connor’s was dark blue.  The suitcases were old and tattered and had a thick layer of dust on them, but the children didn’t seem to mind.

Fiona grabbed her fairytale book and wrapped it in multiple blankets before putting it at the bottom of her suitcase.  Connor did the same with his wooden toy soldiers Father made for him.

Connor went to bed after he finished packing, but Fiona couldn’t.  There was something that she needed to do.  

Fiona went to her favorite place in the house, the doorway.  This would be the last time she would be doing this, sitting in the darkness, dreaming of the stars and the moon.  The familiar peacefulness engulfed her.  Finally.  She was so happy that the night finally felt the same, the same peacefulness she had grown up with.  The sense of foreboding was gone.  It was replaced with the sense of adventure.  Fiona slipped into her dream world once again, imagining running through the dark, the faint light of the moon guiding her.

Eventually, she got tired and went to bed.  She lay there for almost half an hour, thinking. This was the last time she would sleep in this bed, the last time she would stargaze out of the bedroom window.

Fiona sighed softly as she glanced at her packed suitcase in the corner of the room.  Tomorrow would be the beginning of an amazing adventure, and couldn’t decide if she was excited or terrified.