Room 2D

An Irish story by Jean-Philippe Aubourg  from Janus 153 , the first in a series of four with nice illustrations by Anton that I will feature on the coming Saturdays. Siobhan picked nervously at the corner of her missal, only vaguely aware of the deep male voice that boomed through the church. Normally she would have listened attentively to the priest’s every word, but this Sunday she was pre-occupied. Father Murphy’s sermons seemed to be delivered by the voice of God himself. Authoritative and charismatic, his very tone convinced his congregation of the evils of the world outside, the books, the films and above all, the music of this new ‘free love’ generation, and how vital it was that it was kept out of their little corner of Ireland. It may be 1967 in the rest of the world, but there was no reason for this parish to leave the nineteen-thirties. Most of his elderly congregation nodded in solemn agreement. Siobhan may not...