Tanya McGinn - Issue 36

Tanya Mc Ginn is finally utilising her BA in English as she enters the world of writing. A bursary recipient of the John Hewitt Summer School in 2025, and selected for mentorship by the Irish Writer’s Centre in 2026, she is currently editing her first novel with award-winning author and editor, Grainne O’Brien. Tamely feminist, she hopes to raise her three kids as such, with the help of her sidekick/husband John. In performing at Flash Fiction Portrush, she came out publicly as neurospicy, ADHD with a side of anxiety. She writes across genres, from YA novels to flash fiction. She is influenced by the work of Sue Divin, Emer McLysaght, Sarah Breen, Byddi Lee and the inimitable Julia Donaldson. She is a primary school teacher by trade and has undiagnosed neurodivergence. She sneaks across the border from rural Monaghan to write. This is her first published work.

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Race Against Time

The back door slammed and the whole house reverberated.  

‘Christ alive, Kai. For the umpteenth time, close the door gently,’ Kellie pleaded. She clasped her mug to her chest to still its racing beat and put her phone face down on the table.

‘Whatever, Mam,’ he replied, tossing his bag to the floor and stripping off his school blazer. He flung the blazer onto the table where it pooled like navy ink on the wood top.

‘Watch that tone, wee man,’ she snapped. ‘And pick up that bag from your backside or you can kiss goodbye to the Wi-Fi code for the rest of the week.’ Kai retrieved his things from the tiles mulishly

‘Alright, I get it. I’m going upstairs.’ He bounded out before she could say more. With a sigh, she picked up her phone to resume her doom-scrolling. 

As she flicked through video after video on her socials, her stomach churned. What was happening was sickening. How could there be so much violence on the streets of her crappy little hometown? After the knife incident, Angela and Nina had started shopping elsewhere. Unfortunately, at least two criminals were immigrants, giving the haters an excuse to cast anyone different as dangerous. Such shite. The long and short of it was that hate had ramped up a notch, the insults hurled from one group to another across a gulf that seemed to widen by the day. It was plain wrong, the whole thing. 

Kellie’s gaze travelled after her son, nibbling at her nails. With his copper skin and coil of midnight-black hair, she could almost see the vermin of Gab feasting on him like he was prime meat.

Shaking the image from her mind and flicking on the kettle again, she made up a tray with tea and his favourite chocolate pretzels and clambered the stairs to his room. Maybe a snack would loosen his tongue. She might hear if the recent skirmishes had been buzzing around the school, get his take on it. A gentle tap on the door gave nothing but silence and it was a moment before he bade her entry. Settling the tray on his desk before plonking down on the bed Kellie looked at her son. He sat stiffly, his face angled away.

‘Ah, don’t be huffing, Kai. You know rightly you can’t just dump your stuff in the middle of the kitchen and expect me to walk around it all evening.’

‘I’m not, Mam, honest. I’m just… tired or something, that’s all.’

‘Well, at least you’ve a half-day tomorrow. Government still dragging their heels? Closing schools early on Wednesdays?’

‘Yup,’ he said with a grin and for the first time all afternoon, Kai looked straight at her. Her heart leapt into her mouth and she hopped from the bed, pawing at her son’s injured face.

‘Jesus, Kai, what happened to you?’ A fresh bruise bloomed blue-black from his left eye and stretched almost to his ear, his face a puffy state. How hadn’t she noticed it when he came in? Was she such a terrible mother that she couldn’t even tell when her child’s face was mashed purple? No, calm down, Kellie. Think logically. Kai had angled his face away from her as he’d strode through the kitchen earlier. Come to think of it, he usually put his things away with such care. He’d been trying to distract her so she would miss it.

‘Calm down, Mam. It’s not as bad as it looks, okay? I’m grand.’

After she’d given his face a thorough inspection and applied a slather of Arnica, she perched on the bed, arms folded, face grim.

‘Right. Spill. What happened?’

‘See, this is why I didn’t tell you, Mam. I knew you’d go ape sh— I mean, I knew you’d lose it and it’s no big deal—'

Kellie raised her hand and fixed him with that stare. Kai knew it was futile. With a heavy sigh, the tidal wave of truth crashed out of him