The Secret Behind the Wallpaper [Book 1]

The Secret Behind the Wallpaper

     Dad emerged from the kitchen and called us two in to join them.  We both shuffled guiltily in and before Mum or Dad could say a thing, I said, “I didn’t do anything, it was all his fault,” I said, pointing at Jack.

     “Cunas!” Dad said, “I have some very important news to tell you.”  Jack’s face brightened up visibly.  Dad continued, “I have received new orders today from the General, that I am to take command of an Army base on Bere Island and we will all be moving there to a new home.”  “Where’s that?” I said.  “West Cork,” he replied.  Well, it might have just as well been on the far side of the Moon as far as I was concerned and after thinking about it for a half a second I burst into tears and ran from the kitchen into my bedroom and jumped face down onto my bed where I  wept and wept. 

    A little while later Mum came in to try to console me, but it didn’t do much good.  The thoughts of having to change school, leave all my pals behind and how could I break the news to Leanne.  Mum told me that Dad really wasn’t that pleased to be going there either, but that, just like the rest of us he did not have any choice in the matter and that is Army life.

    The next week went like a whirlwind of activity with arrangements being made, all of the stuff in our house being packed away, saying goodbye to Leanne, that was really tough, even though we told each other that we would stay in touch for ever, we knew in our hearts that things would never be the same between us again. 

    Soon the day came that we finally said goodbye to the Curragh Army Camp in Kildare and started out on the long journey to West Cork in our family car accompanied by an Army lorry with all our belongings.  I thought that the journey would never end as our little convoy wound its way through the winding narrow roads that eventually led us to arrive in Castletownbere.  By this time Jack and I were sound asleep in the back of the car.  Mum gently woke us up and told us that we were nearly at our new home. 

    Wiping the sleep from our eyes, we surveyed our new surroundings which could not be more different that those which were present before we had fallen asleep.  Gone were the green fields and lush forests and wide open fields to be replaced by a busy, built up town with a large harbour, chock full of fishing trawlers and narrow streets thronged with people busily going about their business, occasionally some would pause to point and stare at the new arrivals in town.  I just knew that we would be the topic of conversation over a good few dinner tables that evening.  I asked Dad the usual question “Are we there yet?” to which he replied, “Not quite yet my dear, we have a short voyage to undertake first to get to Bere Island as we are still on the Mainland.”

    Mum and I went to find the local supermarket where we bought some food to bring with us to the island as we were not too sure when we would be back on the Mainland again.  Meanwhile Jack and Dad went down the harbour to find out the time for the next ferry crossing to the island. 

    We did not have to wait too long after we all met up again as the ferryman had agreed to do a special run just for us as he said that because we had a car and a lorry to go across to the island, there would not be room for anyone else. 

    I found this a little worrying, what on earth kind of ferry could only take one truck and one car, I soon found out when this tiny rust bucket antique of a ferry put-putted around the mouth of the harbour and just before it looked as though it was going to crash into the slipway, the large metal ramp at the front lowered down to make a road up into the old tub. 

    We all piled back into the car and were slowly directed up the ramp and into the rust bucket,  we then got out of the car to watch the lorry driver attempt the same manoeuvre, he took several attempts and with millimetres to spare he finally got it onto the deck by which time the poor driver was soaked in sweat. 

    The ramp was raised and the noisy engine started up once again and slowly we made our way out of the harbour and away from the Mainland, we then turned our attention to Bere Island which was a large island without many trees but with a mountain in its centre the slopes of which ran into rough fields with dry stone walls.  

    It did not take long for the ferry to arrive at the little harbour on the island and the unfortunate lorry driver now realised that he would have to disembark by reversing his lorry up an even narrower slipway that the one he had embarked upon earlier. 

    I was biting my nails watching him going back a bit, forward a bit, the wheels coming ever closer to the edge of the slipway and all I could think about was that my CD collection and player was in that lorry and he had just better be extra careful.  I could see Mum and Dad give a big sigh of relief when the lorry finally made it to the top of the slipway and waited for us to join him. 

    It did not take too long for us to arrive at the entrance to an Army camp, there was an old sign over the gate with the name Camp De Danaan drawn in faded green paint.

    Once Dad had gotten clearance from the guards there, we passed by and then having driven by several rows of green painted barrack huts, soon stopped outside a very old looking red bricked large two story house with decorative wooden windows and a red tiled roof.  

    Dad said “Welcome to our new home,”  Jack and I looked at each other and then both said at the same time “YUCK! Its horrible.”  Mum ever the optimist said “Be quiet, you two, it’s sooo cute, I just adore it.”

    A Sergeant in full dress uniform stood to attention outside the front door, he saluted Dad, welcomed him and invited him to inspect a Guard of Honour of soldiers all stood to attention, that were lined up perfectly in two rows one behind the other holding their guns up as though they were toy soldiers, only bigger. 

    Finally we got to open the creaky door of our new home and all went inside for the first time.  We were all silent as we took in the surroundings, the smell was musty and damp the interior looked as though it had not been decorated in a very long time and it was like going back in time by one hundred years. 

    Dad explained to us that this base was built by the British Navy to provide supplies to its Battleships that patrolled the Atlantic Ocean, as the waters beside the Island were one of the few places deep enough to berth these enormous fighting ships.

     Our house he told us, used to belong to the British Navy Admiral who commanded the base and who lived here with his family.  After the British Navy left in 1938, the house had been used as offices and for storage since the Irish Army took over.  We were the first family to use it as a house again.