Disclaimer: Jack, Blink, Mush, and all the other Disney Newsie characters
are not mine, and I don't lay claim to any of them. However, Smudge Conlon
, or Jade, as she is also known is my character as well as all of the
Brooklyn newsies, except Spot Conlon. Patriot Wishes, Kay Singer, and
Jewels are also not my characters and I don't claim to have any hold over
them (sorry you guys, but I didn't think that you want anybody else with
yer guys). I am not making any money off this story so, Disney, please do
not sue. Thanx.
It was about four in the afternoon when Blink stumbled into the Manhattan Lodging House, carrying in his arms an unconscious girl. The girl was gaunt with starvation, and her skin was deathly pale. The only sign of life was the sound of her rasping breath and the heaving of her chest as she breathed.
"Heya Kloppman, could youse help me ovah heah?" Blink gasped out. Kloppman hurriedly rushed to help Blink with the girl. Together they carried her upstairs to the bunkroom were some of the boys were playing poker, and others were leisurely taking a smoke and watching the game. As soon as Kloppman walked into the room with Blink right behind him all the boys looked up and Race set down his cards, and stood up with a smart remark on his lips, but before he could say it he noticed the girl in Blinks arms and gasped instead.
"Hey Jack. could I git some help ovah heah?"
"What happened?" asked Jack as he helped Blink carry her to the last free bunk.
"Ise don't know." Replied Blink; "Ise jist found 'er curled up in an alleyway. At foist I thought she was dead, but den she started ta cough so." Jack nodded his head in understanding. "So ya brought 'er heah. ya nevah will change will ya?" Jack gave a short laugh, but then grew serious again. "Hey Boots," said Jack to one of the newsies closest to him, "could ya git some blankets ovah heah?" Jack turned back to Blink, a worried expression on his face. "Blink Ise soiry, but I don't know what ta do fer 'er. She needs a doctah, and ain't none of us got 'nough money fer dat."
"Hot watah." a raspy voice said from below them. "Hot watah." the girl managed to say again before she fell into fits of coughing. Blink and Jack were so shocked at hearing the girl speak that for a few seconds they just stood there staring at her. Jack was the first one who snapped out of it, and he turned to the crowd of newsies that had gathered behind him. "Mush, go git Kloppman ta boil some watah," he commanded. "An' da rest of youse, git outa heah. Go sell da evenin' papes or sumtin'." All the newsies immediately started to file out the door.
"Here's da blankets ya asked fer, Jack." Said boots who had just come back.
"Thanks Boots, now ya cin eidah stay heah an' help, or youse cin go wit da odders." Boots looked at the two older boys, and then quickly made his way towards the door. "See ya bums latah!" he called as he made his way out the door. Jack and Blink turned back to the girl and stared down at her. By this time she had stopped coughing, and was laying back with her eyes half closed. Sensing the boys' stares she opened her eyes, and stared back at them. "Whats da mattah. wid youse. ya nevah seen. a goil. or sumtin'?" She said weakly and between deep breaths.
"No. I mean yes. I mean. its jist dat ya surprised us, dats all." Jack answered, stumbling some over what he wanted to say.
"So, uh, what's yer name?" Blink asked, but her answer was cut short when Mush came in with a small pail of hot water. "Heah's dat watah ya wanted, an' Ise gots some rags too, jist in case."
"Thanks Mush," said Jack taking the pail, and rags from him, and setting them down on the floor beside the bed. When he looked at the girl again she was sound asleep. "I guess I'll go tell da boys dat dey cin come back now." And with that statement Jack left the room.
Blink watched as Jack left and then he turned back to the girl, dipped the rag in the water, and then placed it on the girls forehead.
*~* *~* *~* *~* *~*
"Ag amharc trí m'óige
Sé mé bhí sámh
Gan eolas marbh
Bhí mé óg gan am ."
Blink groggily opened his eyes, awakening to the sweet sound of singing. He rubbed his eyes and looked up. There he saw the girl sitting up in bed, and with her eyes closed, singing softly to herself.
"Anois táim buartha
'S fad ar shiúl an lá
Ochón is ochón ó."
The girl stopped abruptly as she sensed someone listening to her. She opened her eyes and looked down at Blink, and gave him a small smile. "Ise soiry if Ise woke youse up." Blink quickly shook his head.
"No, dats okay, really, Ise enjoyed da show." The girl smiled and lay back down on her side, and propping her self up with her arm. "Me mudder used ta sing to me when I had nightmares, or couldn't go to sleep." Blink nodded his head in understanding. "Me mudder used to sing to me too." They both were silent for a few moments, just quietly thinking about their old life, and when they'd had a family.
"Yer name's Blink, right?" Blink snapped out of his reverie and nodded his head.
"So whats yer real name?" Blink snapped his head up in shock. Nobody had asked for his real name in years. "Umm. Demetri. What did you say yer name was?" Blink asked, changing the focus to her.
"I didn't, but me names Jade." She replied. "Ise don't gots a nickname 'cept da one me mudder called me. but dat was too long ago and I don't remember." But Blink knew that she really did remember, it was just one of those things that you don't forget.
"Ise should go ta bed now." Said Blink as he stood, and looked across the room to his bunk.
"Yeah, and I needs ta git some sleep. Soiry fer keeping you up."
"Like I said earlier, it's fine." Blink slowly walked over to his bed and got in. Just as he began to drift off to sleep he heard the sweet sound of Jade singing.
"Sky is calling to the steeple As it echoes out my name I can hear you in the air I breathe
Spanning the years that have Come and gone You roll like the ocean underneath The sun Weaving my soul to the Holy One Weaving on and on with.
Love it searches everything It searches everyone. Your love, it reaches all that I am And I am overcome by your Deep, deep love Deep, deep love
Candles are burning And I pray that you'll be near Me as I kneel I can see you in the air I breathe."
It was about four in the afternoon when Blink stumbled into the Manhattan Lodging House, carrying in his arms an unconscious girl. The girl was gaunt with starvation, and her skin was deathly pale. The only sign of life was the sound of her rasping breath and the heaving of her chest as she breathed.
"Heya Kloppman, could youse help me ovah heah?" Blink gasped out. Kloppman hurriedly rushed to help Blink with the girl. Together they carried her upstairs to the bunkroom were some of the boys were playing poker, and others were leisurely taking a smoke and watching the game. As soon as Kloppman walked into the room with Blink right behind him all the boys looked up and Race set down his cards, and stood up with a smart remark on his lips, but before he could say it he noticed the girl in Blinks arms and gasped instead.
"Hey Jack. could I git some help ovah heah?"
"What happened?" asked Jack as he helped Blink carry her to the last free bunk.
"Ise don't know." Replied Blink; "Ise jist found 'er curled up in an alleyway. At foist I thought she was dead, but den she started ta cough so." Jack nodded his head in understanding. "So ya brought 'er heah. ya nevah will change will ya?" Jack gave a short laugh, but then grew serious again. "Hey Boots," said Jack to one of the newsies closest to him, "could ya git some blankets ovah heah?" Jack turned back to Blink, a worried expression on his face. "Blink Ise soiry, but I don't know what ta do fer 'er. She needs a doctah, and ain't none of us got 'nough money fer dat."
"Hot watah." a raspy voice said from below them. "Hot watah." the girl managed to say again before she fell into fits of coughing. Blink and Jack were so shocked at hearing the girl speak that for a few seconds they just stood there staring at her. Jack was the first one who snapped out of it, and he turned to the crowd of newsies that had gathered behind him. "Mush, go git Kloppman ta boil some watah," he commanded. "An' da rest of youse, git outa heah. Go sell da evenin' papes or sumtin'." All the newsies immediately started to file out the door.
"Here's da blankets ya asked fer, Jack." Said boots who had just come back.
"Thanks Boots, now ya cin eidah stay heah an' help, or youse cin go wit da odders." Boots looked at the two older boys, and then quickly made his way towards the door. "See ya bums latah!" he called as he made his way out the door. Jack and Blink turned back to the girl and stared down at her. By this time she had stopped coughing, and was laying back with her eyes half closed. Sensing the boys' stares she opened her eyes, and stared back at them. "Whats da mattah. wid youse. ya nevah seen. a goil. or sumtin'?" She said weakly and between deep breaths.
"No. I mean yes. I mean. its jist dat ya surprised us, dats all." Jack answered, stumbling some over what he wanted to say.
"So, uh, what's yer name?" Blink asked, but her answer was cut short when Mush came in with a small pail of hot water. "Heah's dat watah ya wanted, an' Ise gots some rags too, jist in case."
"Thanks Mush," said Jack taking the pail, and rags from him, and setting them down on the floor beside the bed. When he looked at the girl again she was sound asleep. "I guess I'll go tell da boys dat dey cin come back now." And with that statement Jack left the room.
Blink watched as Jack left and then he turned back to the girl, dipped the rag in the water, and then placed it on the girls forehead.
*~* *~* *~* *~* *~*
"Ag amharc trí m'óige
Sé mé bhí sámh
Gan eolas marbh
Bhí mé óg gan am ."
Blink groggily opened his eyes, awakening to the sweet sound of singing. He rubbed his eyes and looked up. There he saw the girl sitting up in bed, and with her eyes closed, singing softly to herself.
"Anois táim buartha
'S fad ar shiúl an lá
Ochón is ochón ó."
The girl stopped abruptly as she sensed someone listening to her. She opened her eyes and looked down at Blink, and gave him a small smile. "Ise soiry if Ise woke youse up." Blink quickly shook his head.
"No, dats okay, really, Ise enjoyed da show." The girl smiled and lay back down on her side, and propping her self up with her arm. "Me mudder used ta sing to me when I had nightmares, or couldn't go to sleep." Blink nodded his head in understanding. "Me mudder used to sing to me too." They both were silent for a few moments, just quietly thinking about their old life, and when they'd had a family.
"Yer name's Blink, right?" Blink snapped out of his reverie and nodded his head.
"So whats yer real name?" Blink snapped his head up in shock. Nobody had asked for his real name in years. "Umm. Demetri. What did you say yer name was?" Blink asked, changing the focus to her.
"I didn't, but me names Jade." She replied. "Ise don't gots a nickname 'cept da one me mudder called me. but dat was too long ago and I don't remember." But Blink knew that she really did remember, it was just one of those things that you don't forget.
"Ise should go ta bed now." Said Blink as he stood, and looked across the room to his bunk.
"Yeah, and I needs ta git some sleep. Soiry fer keeping you up."
"Like I said earlier, it's fine." Blink slowly walked over to his bed and got in. Just as he began to drift off to sleep he heard the sweet sound of Jade singing.
"Sky is calling to the steeple As it echoes out my name I can hear you in the air I breathe
Spanning the years that have Come and gone You roll like the ocean underneath The sun Weaving my soul to the Holy One Weaving on and on with.
Love it searches everything It searches everyone. Your love, it reaches all that I am And I am overcome by your Deep, deep love Deep, deep love
Candles are burning And I pray that you'll be near Me as I kneel I can see you in the air I breathe."