Quasimodo. Let me up the spout. Mikey is fourteen now, bigger than
any of us and strong from his job delivering coal. Hes black from the
coal like Uncle Pa Keating and all you can see are the whites of his eyes
and the white froth on his lower lip, which means he could have the fit
anytime.
Quasimodo says,Wait,Mikey.Theyre first.Wait,my arse,says Mikey,
and hes away up the spout. Billy complains but Quasimodo shakes his
head, I cant help it. He comes every week with the shilling. I have to let
him up the spout or hell beat me up and tell my mother and the next
thing she locks me in the coal hole all day with the rats.The Fit is up
hanging on to the spout with one hand.The other hand is in his pocket
moving,moving and when the spout itself starts to move and creak Qua-
simodo hisses, Molloy, theres to be no whankin up the spout. He hops
around the yard cackling. His BBC accent is gone and hes pure Limer-
ick. Jaysus, Molloy, come down off that spout or Ill tell me mother.
Mikeys hand goes faster in his pocket, so fast the spout gives a lurch and
collapses and Mikey is rolling on the ground yelping, Im dead. Im
destroyed. Oh, God.You can see the froth on his lips and the blood that
comes from biting his tongue.
Quasimodos mother comes screaming through the door,What in
the name of Jesus! and the kitchen light fills the yard. The sisters are
squawking from the window above. Billy tries to escape and she drags
him off the wall.She tells him run to OConnor the chemist around the
corner to ring up an ambulance or a doctor or something for Mikey.
She screams at us to get into the kitchen. She kicks Quasimodo into the
hall. Hes on his hands and knees and she drags him to the coal hole
under the stairs and locks him in. Stay there till you come to your
senses.
Hes crying and calling to her in a pure Limerick accent. Ah,
Mamma, Mamma, let me out.The rats is here. I only want to go to the
BBC, Mamma. Aw, Jasus, Mamma, Jasus. Ill never let anyone up the
spout again. Ill send money from London, Mamma. Mamma!
Mikey is still on his back, jerking and twisting around the yard.The
ambulance takes him off to the hospital with a broken shoulder and his
tongue in ribbons.
Our mothers are there in no time. Mrs. Dooley says, Im disgraced,
so I am, disgraced. My daughters cant wash theirselves of a Friday night
without the whole world gawking in the window and them boys there
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