She

The Elephant Man

Saoirse hid on the boat to cry at her heart's content.

She had been rejected.

By the Elephant Man.

And at those thoughts, she felt awful. After all, he was her friend, wasn't he?

Her Granny would have a heart attack should she ever found out.

Saoirse found little consolation in her tears.

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The first thing Saoirse did when arriving at Cork was not admiring the landscape. She was practical to rent a cab to take her to her Granny's house.

Saoirse's Grandma, Mary, lived in a small, adorable cottage. Saoirse could swear the Grimm Brothers had written that one particular fairy tale about it.

A red-headed lady opened the door and gasped.

"Saoirse! How grown up you are! Let me hold you! I've been so you worried!"

Oh, that brogue... Saoirse felt her heart break. She was losing her irishness...

Mary could see there was something amiss. Saoirse disappeared every now and then, and that hurt the old lady. But her grandchild was a force of Nature, just like the meaning of her name: "freedom".

"Come in. There's nothing a bath and muffins won't do for you."

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Saoirse couldn't concentrate to sleep. She saw paper, pen and ink on the mahogany desk.

She would write. Pour her feelings out. Why did she keep thinking of him?

"He may be unique, but is sweet and kind, amorous. We had long conversations, he's interesting--"

She realized her surroundings.

"What am I doing?"

She tore the paper and threw it in the basket. Then, fished a new leaf and started:

"Dear Joseph..."