The Irish Famine

Written by Alexandra Barrett

Peggy wiped her tearful eyes as she saw the land and crops fading away. Two of her sisters have entered the unknown, at such young ages. Peggy thought she was next because of starvation; she was the last child in her family left. She is 7 years old which is a very long life in the life taking famine.

Her hunger pains were eating her inside out as if trying to d her. She would do anything to eat but she only ate in her dreams. She missed her sisters; she would trade her life for theirs.

She saw a dark silhouette of a tree and an odd in the tree; she wondered what it was, not knowing the dangers that lie ahead, she saw a grey like machine in the tree, she ran as fast as she was capable of, because she knew a human was always with it.

What’s for dinner?” asked Peggy “nothing” answered her mother. Peggy ran to the lovely, old medicine lady to see if she anything to spare. “Only two apples deary” she answered.
“May please have one to share with my family” Peggy asked.

“How are your other sisters? I haven’t seen them in ages, could you tell them to come and visit me some time?” asked the old medicine lady. “I have some sad news, my two other sisters have unfortunately gone to the unknown answered Peggy.

The old lady turned away and in the slight reflection of her mirror Peggy saw a tear run down her pale cold cheek. She asked Peggy if she could be left alone for a couple of days. Peggy gave her a cuddle in case one of them went to the unknown.

Peggy ran home and showed her mother the good news. Peggy always wondered what the unknown looked like and what it was. Her mother never ever mentioned it either which made her wonder if her mother was keeping something from her.

The next day she went to the old medicine lady to see how she was going. There was a note for her mother saying she was taken to the unknown the German. Peggy was wondering more than ever if her mother sold her two sisters to the unknown and if she was next.

She asked her self repeatedly why would her own sell her own daughters for money? How cruel and mean that would be. “What if I was next!” said Peggy. Peggy ran home and acted normal so her mother wouldn’t suspect a thing.

After dinner 9which was nothing) Peggy remembered that her two sisters disappeared in the night so she hid under her shawl in the corner of the room the whole night. The creak of her door opened and her mother was there, it was true. But Peggy was ready for the unexpected; she put lots of books under her shawl on her bed so her took that instead.

When she woke up she remembered she kept one book called Black Beauty it was about cruel hard horse’s life similar to peggies, because she is suffering. She took a shawl, her book, her straw doll and some wheat mix and some mouldy, old potatoes in case she was hungry without her mother seeing.

She jumped out of her window and ran to the old medicines lady’s home to receive some medicine foe the journey in case she got ill. Peggy made a run for it to get as far away as she could from her mother.

She found a lovely big shady apple tree with poisonous berry bushes on the sides.
“Great for climbing” said Peggy. She heard crying in the distance it was her mother, she hid her belongings and herself.

A telegraph was at her door saying Dear Madam, I am very sorry your husband is missing we will do everything we can to find him. Peggies eyes were getting teary all her loves are one and on top of that betrayal from her own mother for money.

Peggy wanted to run to her mother, but she’s the one who made her loved ones disappear from her life, Peggy remembered she left a note saying: Dear mum, I know you’re little secret that’s I made a run for it. Peggy.

Peggy saw someone being taken and someone saying: “You’re going to the unknown”. This is one thing did want to know what the unknown is? She kept on thinking it was related to how the famine accrued?

This story has received 2 comments

Leave a comment
Oola – 31 July 2020

Great! Is it based on the Irish Potato Famine?

Reihaneh – 2 June 2020

Sad story, it is good and I like it