• Blackberry Patch
    When I was a young child, I was adopted into a family. There was a girl a little younger than I, a boy about the same age, and another boy a little older. I missed my old family but Momma died and Daddy never came back.
    I had fun with my new family; there was a woods next door with a small stream and a blackberry patch. Everyday Momma Marline sent us outside with pails in hand to go and pick some blackberries for jam. The eldest boy Nick led us to the blackberry patch next to the stream. We’d pick a berry and put into the pail then pick a berry and eat it, like little kids do. At about noon we sat down and ate our sandwiches for lunch. Nick started telling stories about the faries that protect the blackberry patch and kidnap little kids. Derrick, the boy about my age, scoffed a this idea saying, “there ain't no faries in these woods and they sure ain’t kidnapping no one.” Little Jamie spoke up, “ well the faries sure wouldn’t want a bad kid like you.” Derrick stuck his tongue out at her and she threw a rock at him. I sat in wonder faries in the woods. ”When do hey come out,” I ask quietly. “They only come out at night Chrystina, singing and dancing around the blackberry patch,” Nick answered. When we all finished eating we finished filling up our pails. When they were full we walked back home. We handed over our pail to Momma Marline. She smiled, “y'all ate more berries than you saved.” we smiled and washed our faces and hands for dinner.
    After everyone was asleep I got dressed I wanted to see the faries. I grabbed my pail and slipped outside. As I ran through the woods there were bright balls of light and humming everywhere. When I made it to the blackberry patch all the balls of light were dancing in a circle. I found the faries. I gasped, they must have heard me because they stopped moving and started singing, “Come away O human child to the waters and the wild with a farie hand in hand for the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand.” I dropped my pail and walked over to the faries, their lights got brighter, then I was gone.
    The next morning Momma Marline sent out my brothers and sister to the woods to look for me. They went to the blackberry patch and found it dead. Jamie started to walk over to it and tripped over my pail, she started to cry. Derrick put his finger to his lips, “shh listen.” They heard the faries singing faintly, “She went away the human child to the waters and the wild with a farie hand in hand from a world more full of weeping than you can understand.” They ran back to Momma Marline and told her I was gone. But I’m still here dancing every night with the faries and spending every day with Momma.