Emily Losito

Irish Legend
Mairead sat on the porch that morning gripping a small blue book from her
fathers office. Her eyes studied the clouds that had already begun to darken over
the water. The ocean churned unsteadily and crashed into the shore a few miles
away. Mairead thought about how adventurous the man in her book was, and how
he saved the maiden.
Why does the woman always have to be saved? She frowned.
She began to think about how there must be a story out there about a woman
going on adventures to faraway lands. Mairead smiled and fiddled with the ends of
her almost unmanageable hair.
Mother was inside making tea, Now I dont want you out there too long,
Mairead, she called from the screen door. Youll catch somethin and that wont be
a good look on ye. Men dont like a sickly woman.
Mairead rolled her eyes and tossed her dark hair over her shoulder. She
wished she could go places with her father and brother, instead of staying inside
cleaning and cooking all day. Thunder quietly rolled in the distance.
Come on now, dear. Inside it is, Mother was standing with the door open
motioning for her to get into the house.
With a quiet sigh she stood up, brushed off her dress and went in.
Time for tea. Your father might be wantin some after being out on the water
all night.
Mairead looked at the old clock on the wall, He should be in a bit, dont ya
think?
Of course, dear. Him and Patrick are probably unloading the boat. They must
have caught some big ones, she beamed.
Mairead sipped her tea and gazed out the window at the hills. What I would
give to be able to be out there.
Mairead? Are you listenin to me, lass? Mother cocked her head and
furrowed her eyebrows.
Yes. I was just lookin outside. The hills look look so green against the dark
sky, and-
Oh hush now. You shant be daydreaming all the time. We have work to do
after tea.
Like what, mother? Mairead retorted.

Dont you be at me with your sass. You know plenty well what we have to do.
Its what we do every day, Mairead.
Mairead scoffed.
Its what you have to do if you ever want to find a husband that wants ye,
Mother raised her eyebrows and sipped her tea.
Well, I dont want a husband, Mairead set her teacup down forcefully. Not
even if he rode in here on a white horse and swept me off my feet and we rode off
into the sunset.
Mothers mouth quickly turned into a stern pout and her eyes widened. You
go mop the floors right now, young lady. I will not be toleratin your tone.
Mairead stood up and threw her napkin on the table, Excuse me, she said
sarcastically.
Mother simply shook her head and continued drinking her tea.
***
Mairead laid still in her bed that night listening to the distant waves. The
calming noise always helped her fall asleep. She closed her eyes. She thought she
heard a horse neigh in the night, but she hardly noticed as she fell asleep.
***
She was put to work early the next morning. Father and Patrick sat at the
dining table eating breakfast as Mairead washed pans, swept the porch, and
plucked weeds. Mother oversaw Mairead with her crossed arms and her usual pout.
In the front garden, Mairead filled a bucket with straggling grass and flowery
weeds. She liked being put to work anyways. That meant her mother would leave
her alone and just watch from far away.
She plucked a weed here and a weed there as she knelt on the damp ground.
Mairead stopped for a moment and looked around. The grassy hills waved in the
wind; sheep spotted the fields.
A horse trotted down the dirt street.
What the devil? Mairead stood up slowly.
The horse shook its head and water droplets flew off as it trotted closer. It
came to a stop about 50 meters away. Water dripped from its wild mane onto its
dark coat.
Wonder who he belongs to, Mother said walking up to Mairead.
I didnt think anyone here had a black horse.
No one does. Maybe its lost?
The horse seemed to stare right at Mairead.

A man appeared from behind one of the houses and tried to throw a rope
around the horses neck. The startled horse went up on its hind legs, pawing the air
as it let out an aggravated whinny. The horse broke out into a sprint down the road.
The man tried to follow, but wasnt able to keep up.
The man slowed down by Mairead and put his hands on his knees, This brute
has been roamin in and out of towns for a few days. No one knows who the beast
belongs to.
Mairead said, Well he seemed tame til ya scared him jumpin out and such.
The man turned and smiled with a quizzical look, Well no man has been able
to catch him, miss. He looked off down the road where the horse had gone.
Mother elbowed Mairead, Introduce yourself, she whispered sharply.
Mairead stood there and crossed her arms, You say no man? How about a
lady? I bet I could catch him.
Mother frowned, This here is Mairead. I apologize for her rudeness.
The mans green eyes smiled and he brushed off his hands on his sweater.
My names Seamus, he stuck out his hand towards Mother.
She took it and pressed Mairead forward with her other hand.
Mairead smiled forcefully and shook Seamuss hand.
He laughed, You seem like one of a kind, Miss Mairead.
Oh, she certainly is, Mother said.
Well, let me take ya on a walk. We can go find the horse. Maybe you can
catch him, he could be yours if ya wanted.
Mairead liked the sound of having her own horse. She could ride him into the
moors and down by the shore. That sounds fine, she said evenly.
Mother looked surprised as she walked away, but smiled as she scurried into
the house.

Seamus and Mairead strolled down the street. She walked around mud
puddles as he kicked loose stones.
Looks like itll rain, Seamus tried to start.
Its been cloudy for days.
I almost hope itll rain, he added and glanced at Mairead.
Whys that?

Well, that way we would have to find cover under a tree. I could hold ya to
keep ya warm.
Oh please, save me from the horrible water, Mairead scoffed.
I thought itd be gentlemanly of me to protect ya.
Itd be gentlemanly of you to help me get that horse.
He paused and half-smiled, If I help you catch the horse, then I get to make
dinner for ya.
Mairead stopped and put her hands on her hips. Her fingers drummed on her
dress as she considered his offer. Fine. One dinner.
Seamus smirked after Mairead flipped her hair over her shoulder, and they
continued following the horses trail.
The horses imprints meandered in between houses and into the field and
down by the beach. Just when they thought they were getting close, the horses
tracks disappeared.
Well I guess we should head back then. We dont know if he went towards
Barnageeragh or Churchfield, Seamus laced his hands behind his head and sighed.
Come on now, let me walk ya home, he took Maireads elbow and they turned
around.
The whole walk back, Mairead thought about where she would ride if she had
that horse. She could go to the market every day, or she could visit her aunt in
Balbriggan. Seamus asked her questions about her family and her favorite flowers,
but she didnt pay much attention.
They walked up the porch steps. The wind began to pick up and the screen
door wavered.
Could I come by tomorrow and we can continue our search?
I have things I need to do around the house. I dont think-
Mother interjected from the window, Now why dont you come inside for
supper, Seamus? It looks like itll storm. Better get your belly full with some nice
stew, and then you can be on your way.
That sounds grand, Seamus called in the door. He held his arm out for
Mairead to enter the house before him. She rolled his eyes and he grinned.

Mother spent the whole dinner asking Seamus questions about what his farm,
if he was married, and how far he lived. She went on and on, hardly touching her
soup just so she could keep prying.
For the love of all that is good, Ailish, leave the boy alone, Father chuckled.

Theres no harm in curiosity, she defended.

Its getting dark out, Im sure he wants to go home, Father said.
I probably should be headin that way. I thought I would stop by tomorrow
and take Mairead to try to find that pesky black horse.
Black horse? Patrick asked. Be wary, Mairead, he wiggled his fingers
spookily. There are fishermens tales about black horses being bad luck.
I thought that was black cats. Youre just twistin hay, Mairead shook her
head.
Well I think itd be a grand idea for you and Seamus to go out, Mother
raised her eyebrows.
Go out and find the horse, Mairead clarified.
Whatever you say, Patrick said under his breath.
Wed love to have ya back over for another meal, Seamus, Father said
before a fight broke out at the table. Patrick and I wont be here til late afternoon.
Well be off fishin early in the ?morning.
Ill stop by sometime tomorrow then.
Mairead sat at the table with her hands folded in her lap. Mother seemed
pleased with Seamus and Father had taken a liking to him. She felt like she had no
control. The dinner conversation had just dragged her along without her input.

Seamus left after he thanked Mother and Father. Mairead helped her mother
tidy up. Drying the dishes Mother handed her, Mairead stared out the dark window.
Promptly after, Mairead went to bed.
She pulled the sheets up under her chin and exhaled deeply. She thought
about the first thing shed do when she gets that horse. She decided she would ride
into town and get a hot coffee and a warm biscuit; shed sit by the fire in some
small tavern and read an adventure book. There was a distant whinny. Mairead sat
up and crept towards her window.
The moon shed some light onto the neighbors houses. Some puddles were
lightly illuminated on the road. Another neigh echoed and she heard the waves
crash.
Mairead sighed and crawled back into bed. She was determined to catch that
horse tomorrow.
***
Midafternoon Seamus knocked on the door. Mother hurried Mairead around to
lace up her walking boots and pinched her cheeks to give her some color. Mother

shooed Mairead out the door and told her to be pleasant, then proceeded to spy
from the kitchen window as long as she could.
I heard him last night. He must have found something here he liked,
Mairead started.
Food. Horses do that. No matter how many times they run off, they always
come back for food.
Sounds like my brother. Hes always there if food is involved, Mairead
added.
Seamus laughed and walked closer to Mairead. There arent any clouds
today. Its actually kind of hot, he pulled at his sweater.
Do you know where he could be? Mairead asked avoiding the small talk.
I talked to some men this mornin, they said he likes the beach.
So well head down there again.
Seamus nodded. So, you seem keen about getting this horse. Why is that?
I want the horse so I can get away, she blurted out.
Seamuss eyes widened slightly with surprise and his head cocked a little to
the left.
I want to have the power to leave my house on my own. I dont want this
life. I want to write stories like the ones on my fathers bookshelf. I dont want to be
stuck doing laundry and cleaning for the rest of my life, the words tumbled out of
Maireads mouth. She clenched her fist almost regretting telling Seamus.
Well, uh, thats not what I was quite expectin, Seamus rubbed the back of
his head.
Oh yeah? And what were ya expectin? Mairead scowled.
I thought you and I were having a good time. I was going to teach ya how to
ride and I thought we could go on a date andI dont know, really, thats where I
thought this was goin.
Yeah, well, you can forget it, she spat.
Seamus looked taken aback. He actually took a small step away from
Mairead.
And I dont need your help to catch a tame horse, and I already know how to
ride thank you very much, she added with a pout.
Well, all right then, Ill leave ya to it, Seamus tucked his hands into his
pockets and began to walk backwards.

Mairead winced as Seamus turned around and opened her mouth to try to
apologize. She let him walk away. She didnt know why she felt a little bad. Maybe
because he hadnt done anything really wrong. She didnt need him though.
Oh whatever, she turned to keep heading towards the beach.

Mairead took a different path than the one Seamus took them down
yesterday. She went up into the hills and around protruding rocks in the earth. She
picked up her dress and hopped up to the top of one particularly large boulder. She
overlooked the ocean. The white sunlight danced off the ceaseless waves.
Lost in the beauty of nature, Mairead didnt hear the footsteps approach. A
loud whinny made her jump and spin around almost losing her balance. The black
horse stood there staring at her intently. His mane was dripping even though it was
hot outside.
Mairead didnt move, afraid she might spook it. The horse took a few steps
toward her and turned to the side as if it was gesturing her to hop on its back.
Mairead smiled and breathed out with excitement, Youre very tame. I didnt
even need to try. She stepped towards the lower side of the boulder and leaned
over. She grabbed its sopping wet hair and flung her leg over the side of the horse.
They stood there for a moment while Mairead got her bearings. She smiled
and tapped her heels lightly on its side. The horse snorted and began to trot down
the hill. The path towards the beach was clear and bright.
The horses hair was dripping with water, as if it had sprung a leak
somewhere. Mairead thought it was a little odd, but shook the thought away. She
instead thought about the adventures that she could now have.
All right you brute. One quick ride on the beach and then to town. Its time to
leave for a while, she smirked proudly.
As if that was a cue, the horse took off in a wild sprint, startling Mairead. She
gripped on tight to its mane trying to hang on while the horse leapt and pounded
the ground towards the sandy shore.
Slow down! she pleaded.
The ocean got closer quickly. The horse seemed as if it was heading straight
into the surf.
Turn you wild thing!! Mairead yanked at its hair.
The horse jumped into the water, bucking Mairead off its back out into the
relentless ocean. Mairead, terrified, plunged into the shockingly cold water. She
fought her way through to the surface, gasping. She looked around, the horse had
disappeared. Waves kept pushing Mairead under. She kicked hard and tried to stay
afloat. She could feel the weight of her clothes getting heavier and heavier.

The horse had disappeared. A dark shadow passed by her underwater.

Mairead became much more frightened.
A black omen. I didnt want this.
Her eyes began to tear up. Trying to stay calm, she turned and tried to swim
for shore. Something tugged at her boot. She kicked and let out a small scream,
trying to fight through the water to get away.
Sharp, piercing teeth clamped down on her foot and began towing her out to
sea. Mairead gasped and flailed in the water, struggling to keep her head above
each wave. Big red eyes stared up at her through the water.
With a small plunk, Mairead disappeared from the surface. Waves continued
as if nothing happened. The black creature, no longer taking the form of a lost
horse, dragged Maireads squirming body deeper into the dark water.