For this weeks Flash! Friday we had to incorporate the theme of Friendship into a story about the following prompt:
“Rose Biodo, Philadelphia, 10 years old. Working 3 summers, minds baby and carries berries, two pecks at a time.” Photo by Lewis Hine, National Archives public domain.
My shadow
They tell us not to eat the berries, some lie about them being poisonous, but Rose and I are always sneaking a few here and there while no-one is watching. How else are we supposed to survive, we can barely afford to eat.
I don’t remember when exactly Rose took such a shine to me, but she’s never more than five feet away, my little private shadow. She’s as quiet as a shadow too, never says a word when the others are around. Get her alone though and I can’t shut her up. Always going on about her Father, a real tough cookie. She must have inherited his vigour, I’ve never seen her tire or waver, even in the hottest midday sun. She just stands there smiling.
I’m just glad to have a friend, the others had taken to avoiding me. They call me names, say I’m crazy. Something about talking to myself. Such nonsense, isn’t it Rose! Rose?
