Hi everyone! So, this is just something I pulled out from my random stream of thoughts. It won't be long, so expect shorter than usual chapters and huge time gaps. Once you get the next few chapters you'll eventually understand the story if you don't already.
June 1958
"What a silly thing to call it, don't you think? Strawberries don't even grow here!"
I laughed at Lily's wise words. The two of us had met each other in this very place, when we were both very young. Orphans, we were, living here in Strawberry Field.
"Yeah, well, so?" I shot back at her. "It's just a name!"
"But a name should say something meaningful! Like your name!"
"Harris? That's sounds like someone's pet gerbil." I laughed at my own name. The orphanage was the one who had named me, since I had been here since I was an infant.
Lily stuttered. "Y-yeah . . .well . . .uh . . .whatever! You get the point anyway."
I lied down and smirked at her, just emphasizing even more my triumph over her.
"Summer's coming," I said, wanting to talk about the awaited event in the orphanage.
"Yeah . . . who do you think will be playing this year?"
"I think I heard it was somebody new . . . the Quackymen, or something like that . . ."
Lily giggled. "I'm sure it's not Quackymen."
"You said names mean something, right? They must like ducks a lot, then."
The bell rang from inside the building, meaning our free time was over. I didn't really understand the point of a bell, though, since there were only twelve kids, including us, in the orphanage. They could just as simply call out to us and we would come running anyway.
Lily and I were the oldest, being both ten years old, so we were excited the most for the Salvation Army band that came every Saturday. But during the summer, a local group would be the ones playing. It was always nice for the two of us to listen to something different and new. We had a habit of making good friendships with the band members.
We all ate our dinners in utter silence, except for the little ones being fed by their caretakers and squirming in their seats.
After that, we would be told to go to our rooms and sleep. My bed was next to Lily's so we could chat for a few before going to bed.
"Ey, Lily," I whispered out to her, tapping her shoulder just as the lights were turned off.
She turned in her bed to face me, slightly annoyed. "What do you want, Harris?"
"D'you think John will be coming here?"
"John Lennon?"
Last year, we met a nice Teddy Boy named John Lennon, who told us that he used to visit Strawberry Field to see the Salvation Army band with his aunt.
Most of the people here knew him, but we were his friends, as we were always the most excited to see him whenever he came along.
Now he visited less often, though, because he said he had a band and usually practiced with them.
"Of course him! Name one other John that we know."
"Well, maybe he's coming, I don't know." We'll all be off of school by then, so most likely."
I turned in my bed and closed my eyes, smiling. Hopefully he was coming.
We used to call him "The Field's Strawberry" because he was the only one who ever brought the "fruitiness" of the place. Without him, life was mostly dull and boring, contributing to the fact that everyone's clothes were faded to gray, and it was always cloudy, and the orphanage itself was dusty and battered.
The music was the thing that made the magic happen. That's why we had always looked forward to seeing the band, or John himself.
I slowly drifted off to sleep after a few minutes. I could already hear the rock and roll playing in my head before I even heard it.