First Manuscript of the New Year

The story is not titled yet. I suppose I should get to that soon. And it is slipping closer to novel lenght, having just crossed 30k. However, I think I'm going to go in for the ending in the next 10k and then edit it back down to something reasonable.

Here's a snippet from the start -- which really, was just a way for me to get a feel of the character before I got into the story.

One of the clearest memories I have from childhood is me grandfather holding me up so I could wave to the departing ship that sailed from Dublin, taking me cousin Dyfed O'Neil -- and the rest of his family -- off to America. He'd just turned twelve, Dyfed had, and he sailed with his parents and four sisters. I would miss Dyfed, who had been me closest male relative with all the other O'Neils I'd known had already gone to America. He'd given me his precious rock collection, there on the docks before he left -- a small wooden box with bits and pieces of odd stone in it. I'd been barely five, but I swore then that I'd follow him and give it back.

And I did, eventually but it was a long eighteen years between those days on the docks and the time I finally stood on a deck and watched Dublin disappear in a grey foggy morning. I had stayed longer than I wanted, I had -- but after grandda died, I did my best to see after grandma and keep her safe and warm. I worked when I could, stole when I had to, and got into too much trouble in Dublin for it to really be safe for me there. Once I buried the last of me grandparents, I started saving every copper penny I could lay me hands on, and checking the fares on every ship that took to sea. With Hitler moving and the war building on the continent, the price of everything doubled, including the fare to escape. But I kept at it. I wanted to join Dyfed -- a child's dream, but it kept me going in dark days when I lived in alleys and stole more than I worked for. It took me another four years before I finally sailed.