Author's Note: Written for the Newsies Pape Selling Competition.
Word Count (with Author's Note): 1,329
Task 1: Write about a newsie gaining their freedom from a bad situation. The situation can be anything, be it a place or a family member.
Prompt: (Word) Darkness
I've met the governor. Back then, the summer of 1899, it was Teddy Roosevelt. He was leading an army of police officers into the workroom of the Refuge, the prison I was staying at. I got scared. Bulls usually mean trouble. At first, despite the horror stories my friends told me, I was always open to the idea that at least some of them were nice. You can't judge one person by an entire group. But then I got to the Refuge and saw for myself how bad they could be. So yeah, I was scared. Not to mention, they were from real prison, or the 'state penitentiary' if you want to be fancy. They were probably even meaner and scarier.
I figured that maybe it was an inspection. I remembered that Teddy Roosevelt had done an inspection about a decade ago, back when Jack was there. (That was when Jack used Roosevelt's carriage to escape.) I was wondering if I could figure out a way to do the same. But then I thought that it was a little suspicious that Snyder didn't try to clean up the place, like Jack said he did last time. Of course it could've been a surprise, but I highly doubted that. It made even less sense when I figured that Roosevelt wouldn't be doing any inspection, since he became governor and can get someone else to do his dirty work. I knew that it was not an inspection. Sadly, even if it were, I don't think I would've been able to escape. I can't jump out of a window like Jack.
"The House of Refuge was created as a place for prosecuted children to bring out their honorable qualities, to turn them into upstanding citizens of society. I was at first concerned about corruption. I have seen many wonderful organizations fall victim to greed, or selfishness, and I was worried that this one would be no exception. My anxieties were cleared when I examined this place a few years ago. It was in perfect order and up to code. And then, I discovered this!"
He shoved a piece of paper into Snyder's face. Snyder took it and looked at it for a minute with a confused face, before looking utterly terrified. He tried to compose himself, and I couldn't help but smile. It was so great to watch him flounder. And Roosevelt wasn't too happy either, making it all the more satisfying. "This is disgraceful, Snyder."
"Sir, I-"
"Don't argue with me!" Snyder took a step back and fixed his tie. I could tell he was nervous, though he wouldn't show it. "Every child here will be transferred to a temporary facility in Brooklyn, where the events of their arrest will be examined. If they haven't done anything wrong, they will be entitled to compensation. And by the way this article sounds, that's most of your boys here." I thought, You tell 'em governor! Even today, at those words, I can remember the feeling of release, the rallying cry. There was finally a politician on our side!
Roosevelt continued his speech. "In fact, an outside source has given me the names of a few innocents standing right here in this room." Jack was that source, no doubt. "They will be released and sent on a carriage to the square." I had no idea why we were being put there, but I didn't care. I was just glad that I could go home. "When I call your name, step forward." He kept naming people. I was waiting for mine to come up, and when I didn't, I got slightly upset. I assumed that Jack hadn't actually given the names, and was worried that I wouldn't be on the list at all. "And I was specifically asked to save this child for last. His name is...Crutchy." I could barely hobble to Roosevelt. My good leg felt all loose and shaky, but I did the best I could. And I didn't care if I looked ridiculous. I was too excited.
Sitting in the carriage back home, I could hardly contain myself. Roosevelt explained that we were being dropped off specifically at the square so that we could see a protest in action, right outside Pulitzer's office. The strike had been doing well after all! The toes of my good foot were flexing and pointing in anticipation, and I gripped my crutch tightly so tightly that my knuckles turned white. I wondered if anyone else noticed. They probably did, because I'm apparently not good at hiding emotions, at least according to Jack. He's caught every single one of my lies with a, "I can see right through you." I was eager to see him again, though I was more excited about reuniting with my other friends. I hadn't seen them in much longer. I was most excited about leaving the Refuge, which is the worst place on Earth. There is no word to describe how awful it was.
It was always dark and cold. Not so dark that you couldn't see, and not so cold you would freeze to death, but just bad enough to be fairly uncomfortable. Even the food was gross. (Coming from me, that means a lot.) I was a humble newsie back then. I didn't have the money to eat like a king, or even like the middle class folks. I would get breakfast from the nuns and scrape up my savings to get a small snack for the afternoon, maybe dinner if I sold enough papes. Before I made it to the Lodging House I would scour the garbage cans. I could get a piece of bread with a tiny bit of mold, or a badly bruised apple, or whatever else people decided to throw out. I could eat if I worked hard enough to find the food, and I usually had options.
The Refuge was basically the same thing, except that my portions would be a lot smaller, I couldn't pick what I wanted, and there were a dozen other hungry boys who would bully me for my share. Now I held on tight to what I had, but they managed to take it from me half the time, and the other half of the time, I gave some to the younger, weaker ones. They seemed to like me and I would try just about every joke I could think of to get them to laugh. So I promised myself a fancy dinner every night. All the meats- turkey, bacon, sausage, with as many sides as I wanted. I thought about cole slaw, potatoes, and bread (warm, bread). I planned to eat until I got sick and eat some more, just because I could. And it appeared I was finally able to keep my promise to myself. I was hungry and in need of a celebration.
Finally the carriage stopped. Since my crutch gave me extra bulk, I was put in the back, and was the last to get out. I could barely wait. I could see the buildings radiating from the outside windows, could almost taste the streets. It was my home, and I had been away for too long. When I stepped outside, it was the most satisfying moment of my life. (Not happiest- that would be my wedding day.) Nothing is sweeter than freedom. I didn't know what the future was going to hold, but I was stepping into a bright light and I had a good feeling about it.