From a land half of mine

A long time ago, when my life was almost there...I cried a lot with this letter...
Now...I'm sure that this child coulbe be mine...
Thank God.


"My Daddy is dead four weeks now, and that's a month. He died on Wednesday morning at half six. He was beaten up in August because he tried to stop them from burning the houses in our street. He was in the hospital four weeks before he died. My Daddy said to me when he was living, he said, "You'll grow up, you'll be a man like me.' He said because I bring dogs and cats into the house and so did he. He brought home fish and all.

"My Mommy said he died happy, because he died in his sleep. When the smoke started coming from the walls of our house, we ran out and down the entry. My budgie and frogs and my cat and hampster were burned in the house. This is the second time we were burned out.

"When the slates were cracking with the heat, we thought it was guns and we cut over into another entry and went to our Granny's house.

"My aunt gave me a dog. I call it Arco. I have a wishing well and I save up money in it. When I have three shillings, I'll buy a goldfish."

Letter from a Derry child