Chapter 1
Kathleen Connelly and her boyfriend Owen O'Rielly sat together on the small, uninhabited isle of Innisfallen on lake Killarney, as the two did every morning. This morning seemed to be perfect- even more so than usual. The blackbirds sang, and fish splashed around Owen's fishing poll; still sitting silent and untouched. Suddenly Owen broke the silence, "how's your Da doin'?" "Oh," Kathleen sighed, "he's very ill. The doctors say he might make it, though. He seems to be sleepin' a lot lately." Owen pulled Kathleen closer to try and comfort her. He knew how worried she was about her sick father. Her mother had died just the year before, and her father, whom she was terribly close to, was all the family she had left in Ireland that she knew of. Kathleen layed her head on Owen's shoulder and looked at his face. Fair pale skin, a scatter of freckles, sapphire blue eyes, and that lovely, shaggy red hair. Other than her father, Owen was the only person Kathleen really, truly loved, and Owen loved her too.
"Who's that?" Kathleen asked as she gazed across the lake and saw a boat being rowed towards Innisfallen. "Hm. I don't know," Owen answered. The boat hit the shore and the man who got out was the Connellys' long time friend and owner of McAllister's pub, Seamus McAllister. "Why hello there Mr. Seamus," Kathleen greeted. Seamus didn't look as if he were very happy to see the them- he merely took in a deep breath and gave Kathleen a serious look. She was confused. And just as Owen was about to ask what was wrong, Seamus spoke. "Kitty," he addressed Kathleen and sat next to her with his hand on her shoulder. His eyes scanned the lake for nothing in particular, and a tear escaped and rolled down his cheek. "M- Mr. Seamus…?" Kathleen began to grow worried, for she seldom saw Seamus cry. "Kitty," he said again and wiped away the tear, "your Da. He's dyin'." Shock surged through Kathleen's body, and without a word she grabbed Owen and took him into the Seamus's boat with her. Seamus followed; knowing that Kathleen wanted to see her father.
Three horses awaited them on the other side of the lake. Kathleen mounted hers as quickly as possible and didn't even bother waiting for the other two. She raced home, jumped off the horse, and burst through the door of her small cottage. In her father's room, a doctor sat next to the bed where her father lay. "Da!" She gasped as tears began to well up in her eyes. "Kitty." Her father could barely speak. She held his hand and sat near him as he tried to speak to her, "I wanted to give ye somethin'," he had a small box in his weak hand and gave it to his daughter just as Owen and Seamus came into the room. Shaking, she took the box. "It was for yer 15th birthday." Kathleen's birthday was only two days away. She broke down into sobbing. "Now, Kitty. There's no reason to be cryin'. Just remember that I love ye." Those were the last words that her father spoke. She gasped and stood, only to fall back to her knees. Owen came over and took her in his arms to try and comfort her as best he could. She broke out of his grasp and ran out the front door. She fell to her knees again and cried up to the sky pleading for this just to be a nightmare. Just then, Seamus came up behind her and sat down. "Child…I'm so sorry…" he began, "yer gonna have ta leave this place." Kathleen couldn't say anything, only stare with an expression that asked the question "why?" "There's no one in all of Ireland who can keep ye. You'll have ta go to America and live with yer aunt and uncle."
She shook her head in horror. "No. No I can't leave Ireland! You can't send me away!" Kathleen protested. She shook hard and began to cry even harder. "I'm sorry me child." Seamus held her until Owen came to take her in his arms.
Kathleen spent that night packing everything she owned or was special to her, because tomorrow was her last day in Ireland- her home. She had never experienced such a lonely and sad feeling. Everything she held dear had been ripped from her heart and burned along with happy memories of her past. Nothing happy existed anymore, and she dreaded sleep, for she was sure nightmares would haunt her while she slept.
Kathleen decided not to sleep, but to go outside and look up at the stars over Killarney one last time. Morning came too soon, though. It only seemed like no more than five minutes before the first bit of sunlight made it over the mist green hills. Once again she started to cry, and things began to get dark.
Everything from then until that evening when she was taken to the airport was a complete blur. All that lingered in her memory was the last look she got of Owen before she kissed him goodbye forever, and the last time she would ever see her home again. What else was there to live for?
Seamus, the last person she was to see before boarding the airplane said little until her plane arrived. He gave her one last embrace and whispered something in her ear, "Always think fondly of yer dear Emeral Isle. For someday soon ye shall return. I have faith. Goodbye me child." She saw tears in his eyes just like she had in hers. Losing her father was Earth shattering enough, but having to leave her home and friends was enough to ruin her life. She didn't even know her aunt and uncle in America.
As she took her seat on the plane, she laid her head on the window and silently cried herself to sleep.
