The Fourth Life of Sean Donoghue by Trish Hanan (children's books read aloud .txt) 📕

Granddad Sean are back from Topanga and want them to come over to the main house and see them right away. You got that?” he asked and Young Sean looked around.
“Their Granddad must really be old, where is he?” he asked. Sean sighed.
“Just give them the message, what is it?” he asked him. Young Sean sighed.
“I’m to tell them that their brother Ryan and their Granddad Sean are back from that island place Topanga they’ve been living and they’re living in the first Sean’s house and they want to see them right away, okay I got it. Can I go now?” he asked with the impatience of youth. Sean nodded and reaching into his pocket handed him a five gilder gold coin. Young Sean’s eyes got big and round.
“Five whole gilders, just for delivering a message, wow you must be rich,” he exclaimed and ran off. Ryan and Sean looked at each other and laughed.
“He’ll get the message all wrong,” Ryan predicted. Sean nodded.
“But he’ll get someone here who won’t,” he said and Ryan nodded.
They went inside the house and Sean went to light the carbo-oil lamp and didn’t find one. What he did find was a lamp that looked sort of liked a glow light only bigger and when he flipped the lever it lit up the whole front room.
“Well, look what the clever Ennish have thought of next,” he remarked to Ryan who laughed.
“It could have been the Hamish who invented it,” he said. Sean shook his head.
“The Hamish couldn’t find their own arses with both hands,” he remarked and they both laughed. There was one of those new lights in the kitchen too only this one was mounted on the ceiling and the switch was on the wall. Sean flipped it and the whole room lit up.
“That’s pretty clever,” Ryan said and he sat down on a chair with cushions and sighed. “My arse was growing roots on that carriage seat, I don’t see how you made that trip on horseback,” he told his Granddad. Sean laughed.
“You forget, lad, I have a twenty year-old arse,” he said and Ryan laughed.
“I guess that does make a difference,” he teased. Sean looked around and found coffee and a pot so he made coffee. There was sugar but no milk in the cold box.
“I guess we’ll have to drink it black until I can buy us a cow,” he said and there came a soft knock on the door. “Ah, I hope they brought milk for the coffee,” he muttered as he went to open it. He opened the door to find a nice woman of about forty-five and several other women and children, all looking very excited. He opened the door wider. They all gasped when they got a good look at him.
“I told you, Mom, he looks just like the painting Sean,” Young Sean told them. Sean held out his hand to the boy’s mother.
“You must be Lizzie, Douglas’s wife, I’m Sean Donoghue,” he told her and of course they all gasped again. Ryan came to the door.
“Is that Danny or Annie,” he called out and frowned when he saw all the young faces. “Where the hell is Danny and Annie, why didn’t you bring them with you?” he demanded and Sean put his hand on his shoulder. Ryan sighed.
“We weren’t sure if the lad was telling the truth or not,” Lizzie explained. “He has a habit of fibbing.” Young Sean fidgeted. Ryan sighed again. Sean smiled at them.
“Well, you can see it’s true so please, Ryan has traveled a long way and he really wants to see his brother and sister, can you please run and get them?” he asked politely. They all nodded and several turned to rush down the slope. “Bring back some milk for the coffee too,” he called to them and one of the waved. Lizzie stayed and came in with them. She sat down at the table and stared at Sean.
“You must be Ryan’s grandson,” she finally spoke and Ryan laughed.
“No, I’m the grandson, Sean is my Granddad,” he informed her rather smugly. Sean laughed.
“You really like shocking people with that don’t you, lad?” he teased him and Ryan nodded. The coffee was done and Sean got up to pour it, Lizzie brushed him aside and poured it herself.
“We’ve kept the house nice and tidy in case you ever came back, Ryan,” she told him obviously intended to ignore what was just said. And in the way of adults, ignoring the young ones and talk to the older people in the room. Ryan rolled his eyes behind her back and Sean shrugged.
“That’s awfully kind of you, Lizzie, Sean and I really appreciate it, don’t we, Granddad?” Ryan said and Sean nodded.
“We sure do, it’s nice to be able to come home and find everything almost exactly the way I left it,” he remarked and she flushed. They sipped their coffee and waited.
Eventually there was a commotion outside and they heard a man’s voice yell out.
“Let go of my arm, you arsehole, I can walk by myself, I’m sixty-three not a hundred.” Sean and Ryan both grinned.
“That sounds like Daniel and he’s in another bad mood,” Lizzie murmured and pulled at her hair. The two men got up and walked to the door. Ryan was the first out and onto the porch.
“You were a brat at fifteen and it doesn’t sound like you’ve improved with age, Daniel Donoghue,” Ryan shouted and the old man who had been fighting with his grandsons stopped and turned to stare with wonder at the brother who he hadn’t seen in forty-nine long years.
“My God, Ryan is that you?” he asked softly, tears coming to his eyes. Ryan nodded and then they were in each others arms and hugging and kissing.
“Look at you, you’ve still got your hair,” Ryan gushed and he ruffled his brother’s hair. Danny grinned.
“You too, you old bastard, how can you still be so skinny,” he teased and they hugged so more. Then Ryan turned him around.
“Look who I brought with me, Danny,” he said and the other man saw Sean standing there.
“Granddad, oh, my God, Ryan, it’s Granddad,” he said and began to cry again. Sean held out his arms and the old man fell into them. Everyone looked puzzled but it was a heart warming moment.
“Ah, Danny, lad, I love you, don’t cry, I came back didn’t I?” he teased him gently. Danny nodded.
“I never thought I’d see you again, you either,” he said to Ryan and all three men hugged. Then a wagon pulled up and people began to help an old, slender woman out of it. Danny grinned and looked at Sean.
“Stand back so she doesn’t see you, Granddad,” he told him and Sean did.
“Where is Ryan, where is my little brother?” Annie demanded and when she saw him she began to cry. Ryan rushed forward and they hugged.
“Oh, Ryan, you great big fool, you had to go off and have an adventure, you don’t know how many nights Mom cried herself to sleep missing you,” she chided him. Ryan smiled.
“Ah, Annie, but what an adventure I had with my Chris,” he told her and she hugged him.
“I know, lad, I had an adventure with my Dennis and I didn’t even have to go six months away to find it,” she said. Then Danny turned her around.
“Look who Ryan brought with him, Annie,” he said and her eyes filled with tears and both of her hands went to her mouth.
“Granddad, oh, my God, it’s Granddad,” she exclaimed and she rushed into his arms. Sean wrapped his arms around her.
“Ah, Annie, lass, ah, don’t cry, I’ve come back for good now, I’m staying here forever with you now, I love you, Annie, you’re my good girl,” he cooed and she put her head on his strong chest and closed her eyes. He was really here. Young Sean looked at his mother.
“I guess he really is the Sean Donoghue in the painting with Maggie,” he said and she nodded. They all went into the house and more old people showed up. One, Mickey Jefferies was the same age of Ryan, sixty-five and the rest of the cousins were younger all the way down to Douglas who was forty-eight and not even born when the two had left for Topanga but for the ones who had been old enough to remember Ryan and Sean there was no doubt about it, this was their Granddad. And they convinced the others and the legend of the Fairie Cave and the Moon Pearl Pool was repeated at bedtime once again.
“I’m not going home, I’m moving in here with you two,” Danny announced when his son and daughter-in-law told him it was time to be getting home. Sean and Ryan both nodded.
“Dad, you shouldn’t be a bother to these two, they just got home,” Dan his son told him. Sean put his arm around Dan’s shoulder.
“Now, Son, you mean well when you talk to your father like he’s a child, but it’s not really appreciated,” he said calmly. Dan looked confused. “Daniel is a grown man and he can decide where he wants to live. Now if he’s bothering us, we’ll let him know. Now why don’t you and Sophia go on home, milk time comes early on the Ridge and we’ll stop by tomorrow sometimes for his things, okay?” The two nodded and left. Danny burst into laughter.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for years,” he said and put his arm around Sean. “It’s really good to have you home, Granddad,” he gushed. The two old men decided to share a room so they could talk. Annie sighed.
“Well, if he’s moving in, I’m moving in, otherwise the two of them will drive you to drink,” she remarked so casually that Sean knew she was dying for him to say yes. He put his arm around her and kissed her cheek.
“There’s always room in my house for a lovely lady, Annie, lass,” he informed her and she giggled.
“Ah, Granddad, you were always such a charmer, Grandmom said you could charm the skin off a snake, you were that smooth,” she told him and they both looked at the painting of him and Maggie.
“I still remember her,” Annie said and sighed. He nodded.
“I still do and I still love and miss her too, lass,” he told her and she went home. She would come over the next day with her things. Sean wandered into his bedroom. A large gray tabby lied on the blanket and blinked at him when he approached. Sean picked it up and saw that it was a male. He scratched his head and the cat began to purr.
“Hey, kitty, your name wouldn’t be Toby, now would it?” he whispered gently. The cat didn’t appear to mind being called that so Sean lied down and the cat curled up on his chest and fell asleep. Sean smiled.
“Ah, yes, kitty, your name is Toby alright,” he whispered and fell asleep.
The next morning Sean was up at five like he always was when he was on the Ridge, he guessed some habits were harder to break than others. He went out to the