Blearily opening his eyes, a six-year-old Kyle O’Quinn squinted at the bright sunlight shining in his face, wishing he could go back to sleep. Then, he remembered the significance of this morning, and all traces of fatigue vanished from his body. He hopped out of bed and, not bothering to change out of his bright-green pajamas, ran downstairs.
“It’s St. Patrick’s day! It’s St. Patrick’s day!” Kyle yelled, awakening his parents. “We have to celebrate our Irish heritage!”
While he waited for his parents to drag themselves out of bed, Kyle rummaged through the refrigerator, looking for the proper celebratory beverages. Pulling out a six-pack of Miller Lite, Kyle cracked open a can and began to drink happily. The taste wasn’t as good as the fruit juice he was used to, but he knew that beer was the only appropriate drink on this most sacred of holidays.
The second that his mom walked into the kitchen, she screeched, “Kyle! Put that down! Beer is for grown-ups only, how many times do I have to tell you?”
Kyle, upset at being chastised, put down the can and started to sniffle. “But, Mom, don’t you know what day it is?”
“Of course I do, honey, it’s St. Patrick’s day. But kids your age aren’t allowed to drink beer. I’m sorry, those are the rules.”
Now Kyle was crying fully. “Don’t you love the Goddess Ériu, the mother of the proud Irish people? Do you not have respect for the beautiful land of Eire, where the ashes of our ancestors enrich the soil?” Tears poured down his cheeks as he thought about how disappointed his Irish ancestors would be in his family’s disrespect. “Can’t you hear the voice of Erin blowing through the trees at dusk?”
Kyle’s mother sighed. “I don’t know where you come up with all this stuff. It sure isn’t from me or dad. Now why don’t you get ready for school.”
Getting up from the table in a huff, Kyle stormed back upstairs. His stupid parents would never understand. But as he opened his closet to pick out some clothes, he smiled. Inside was a shrine to the goddess Ériu, as well as her sisters Banba and Fódla of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Even if the entire world had forgotten, Kyle still remembered. He would always remember.