Mischief and Racals: A southern Irish tale | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: Mischief and Racals: A southern Irish tale | Previous Challenge Entry
By Ric Williams
05/18/08
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The day Mr. John brought him home, Mama wanted to name him Rascal. With the red flowing hair and being Irish Mr. John said he should have a good Irish name. So he and mama named him Shaunnesy. There wasn’t a way under the southern sky they could have known what would happen. But we’re gittin ahead of the story.

To understand Shaunnesy its best to explain one of Shaunnesy’s first tales. You see, Mr. John had been working all afternoon on the front door. Runnin’ late to work he didn’t have time to put the door knobs on. So he rigged the door so it would close but it wouldn’t lock. Before he left he told Shaunnesy that he needed him to watch that door. That Irish rascal must have understood ‘cause while Mama slept near the door on the couch, Shaunnesy sat and watched the front door. Later in the wee morning, Shaunnesy let out one of those low growls. He perked up and sat eagle eyed at that front door. When Shaunnesy saw a finger come through that space where the door knob was supposed to be, he got up on all fours. Mama was still sleepin’ away. As that door slowly started to open, Shaunnesy waited until the door was open just enough and took a runnin’ leap. He hit the owner of the finger with all four paws. Knocked him back so hard, he fell over a small wall and into the hedge. As they went into the hedge, Mama woke up and heard Mr. John hollerin’, “Mama, get him off me!”

A year or so later, Henry came along, and Shaunnesy watched over him. Mama would be inside watching her soaps on the TV and realize she hadn't seen him. If he didn’t come when she called, she always knew where to look next. Out in the backyard if you looked inside the doghouse you would see a dirty faced little boy huggin' on Shaunnesy. They were inseparable friends. Henry always shared his food if Mama wasn’t lookin’, and a couple times when Mama wasn’t watchin close, so did Shaunnesy.

If Henry got into trouble, before Mr. John could get on to Henry he would have to take Shaunnesy outside because he would get to growlin’ and carryin’ on. Henry would have repaid the favor if Shaunnesy wasn’t always with him when he got into trouble. If Shaunnesy’s red coat was fire, Henry was the matches.

There was one night, as I recall, Henry was about four years old. Mama used to have some of the ladies from church over, when Mr. John was at work, and Henry and Shaunnesy were down for the night. Mama would fix up her famous French onion dip and get out the fancy cookies. These ladies would have a high time discussing books, men, and other church ladies. Well, once all Mama’s church ladies had gottin to carryin on good, Henry and Shaunnesy figured they would sneak a few of them cookies. So they snuck down in the kitchen and pulled out a coffee can to stand on. Henry was balancin’ on one foot and stretchin for them cookies when the can started to tip underneath him. As he started to fall, Henry’s hand caught the edge of the bowl where the extra dip was. Shaunnesy saw him startin’ to fall and tried to grab the back of Henry’s britches. All at once, Henry fell forward as Shaunnesy pulled back. Henry’s britches ripped off, and the dip flew all over both of em. Mama, hearin this commotion, was callin into the kitchen as she walked towards it. Henry and Shaunnesy knew trouble was coming and started to run. Mama opened that kitchen door; Henry and Shaunnesy run past going the other way.

They run only with what God gave them , covered in French Onion dip, right into the middle of those church ladies. Mama came runnin’ trying not to be Sunday’s supper discussion. The church ladies didn’t know what to do. I don’t know who screamed more- Henry or the church ladies. Once she got em corralled, Mama got em upstairs and apologized to the church ladies. Mama was so embarrassed her face was redder than Shaunnesy. In fact she was so upset that she didn’t tell Mr. John or go to church Sunday. When Mr. John got home from church that Sunday at Supper he looked at Mama “I heard the funniest story today …”

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