Anna Green's Story
By Marie Payne
Prologue:
Painful thoughts filled Anna's head. The first one was how she'd ever be able to find her mother up in heaven. Out of all the thoughts of dying dramatically, imagine that one being first. Well, it had been a top-priority for 12 years. She could definitely imagine that thought being first when she was dying.
Anna twisted and turned. No! She thought in horror, I'm an average (Ok, maybe not completely average) 7th grade girl. Death doesn't occur until you're 90 or something.
The life-threatening object moved closer and closer. Not now, she thought, Not ever.
1996
It was almost midnight. The wolves were in their glory, howling their heads off. The owls hooted in protest. If you were a foreigner, you probably would be surprised at the amount of racket. The locals weren't, though. Owls, wolves, noisy bugs, and other loud animals were just part of their day, just as much as breakfast.
The noise hadn't disturbed one woman, running down the street and into the shadows, clutching a small, healthy, barely a day old baby. Silently, the baby was crying. She was probably crying loud, for all that woman knew, but she couldn't hear it because of the racket.
The woman placed the baby gently down on an orphanage doorstep.
"Good luck," she whispered, yet the baby could hear it fine, "you'll need it more than I will." With that, the lady disappeared into the dark alley shadows. The baby looked up at the world for the first time. She had blue blankets wrapped around her, and a tag around her neck. It had a name on it. Her name. Mary-Anne Green.
September 2008
Anna walked down the same street her mother did, years later. Only this time, instead of holding a baby, she had a backpack. Her friends, Mandy and Jenny, walked with her. They were each a few years older than she was, but that made no difference in the fun they had. Sure, Anna should have probably been at the orphanage down the street. But when somebody else found her there, he couldn't resist in kidnapping her. She was part of a mine (lingo for child labor centre) about a year after, and stayed with the mine until she was 7 years old. By then, Anna had made close friends. So when she decided to take off, she brought them with her.
"Amanda! Jennifer Marie! Mary Anne! Danielle! Crystal Lee! Come here this instant, you little hooligans!" Anna cringed at the voice of her new caretaker, Grandma Perry. She still lived in the 30's, and when she found runaways from the mine, she brought the orphans into them, too. She called them all by their birth names, something all of them hate. Mandy, Jenny, Danny, Cris, and even Anna, hated Grandma Perry. She had strict rules about almost everything. She called them troublemakers, hooligans, and rascals, just because of a few accidents. One time, Danny spoke without raising her hand in class. Grandma Perry, the parent helper that day, took Danny outside with a ruler in her hand. Cris wandered into the older kids' yard, while Grandma Perry happened to be strolling by. Cris was signed out of school and later grounded.
All of them had a tight bond with each other. Cris and Danny had an especially close bond. They were a few years older than Mandy and Jenny. When they were in the mine, they almost collapsed the section where the leader worked. Then Mandy and Jenny came along and stopped it from happening. Mandy hated Danny at first, but she got used to her crazy ideas that usually involved dynamite and explosives. Cris and Danny had lived in the same orphanage before they were kidnapped. They also spent longer in the mine and both had sisters who worked there too. Then, the co-boss killed their sisters, and Danny started to get serious about her exploding ideas.
"Mary Anne Green! I told you this morning to get your filthy shorts off the banister! That's it, no supper for you!" Perry Clearwater shouted, her accent very noticeable. Anna sighed and ran upstairs to claim her brand- new shorts she got at the street market that morning. She had put them in a bag against the banister in the hallway, right before she left for school.
Anna picked up the bag from the floor and skipped into the room she shared with Mandy, Jenny, Danny and Cris. The room was crowded with school bags, bunk beds, old school desks from when Grandma Perry went to school, and dressers against from the walls. Someone always occupied the room too, especially when she wanted space. At that moment, Danny and Mandy occupied the room. They shared the same bunk bed, dresser, desk, and even clothes at times. Mandy was hanging upside-down from the top bunk, her pigtails on her face. She subconsciously batted them away every 5 seconds while talking to Danny.
"I plan to escape the first chance I get." Danny was telling Mandy. Anna walked in silently and sat down on Jenny's bunk. "It's torture here. I wish she never spotted us that day. We were doing perfectly until she came along." Danny sighed.
"Maybe if we think it through first, we could probably run away. But, we'll have to think of things like school, shelter, food, and water. Grandma Perry and her friends practically patrol the place." Anna said, looking down at her feet. Mandy stopped batting her pigtails and rolled over on her bunk so she was facing upright.
"We need everybody in on it. I think we just might make this work."
"You guys got the bags?" Anna asked Cris and Jenny. They nodded. "And you have the food and water, right?" Anna turned to Danny and Mandy. They nodded as well. The 5 girls tip-toed by Grandma Perry's room and ran as silently as they could out of the house. Anna nearly hollered when they fled, hand in hand. "We're free!" She whispered softly. The girls ran into the forest behind their house.
"Compass?" Danny turned toward Cris. Cris pulled out a small circle. It was too dark to tell if it was a compass or not, but Danny shone the flashlight on it. A few moments later she concluded, "We have to go in this direction for about 20 minutes until we reach the train station. The girls, wide-eyed, nodded. They had stolen Grandma Perry's stash of money from behind the cabinet. It added up to just enough for their train tickets.
Mandy nearly stumbled on a tree root. They had been walking for 10 minutes before they started stumbling on tree roots and each other's feet. Cris yawned. Danny mumbled their time every 5 minutes.
"It's 2:57. 3 more minutes or so should bring us to the train station." Danny yawned and tripped over her feet. Jenny steadied her. Anna, wide awake and at the head of the group, called out.
"We're here guys!" Anna started running. She made it to the office pretty quick while the rest of them stumbled along. Anna had already paid for the tickets when they got to the platform. Anna put her hands on her hips. "Hurry up, you slowpokes. We've got a train to catch." Anna plopped herself on the bench. The others lazily followed.
When the train got there at 3:09, it greeted 4 girls sleeping on the bench. The fifth one was pacing along, yawning every few seconds. The train slowed to a stop and a few workers popped out to pack the last few cars with wood. Anna shook everybody awake and they climbed on the train, tripping and leaning against the walls.
"You can rest all you want on the ride!" Anna hissed as Cris fell asleep and stayed asleep in the middle of the hallway. Cris mumbled something then followed Anna to an empty room. It didn't take long. They were almost all empty except for the odd stowaway or middle-aged man, sleeping soundly and snoring loudly. They all collapsed into their seats. Anna was the first one to sleep.
"Ladies, it's the last stop. We're in Morrisville, and if you wish to go farther, purchase another train ticket." said the attendant. Anna yawned as he left. She shook Danny.
"Get up," she mumbled, elbowing Cris, who kneed Jenny in the back. Jenny rolled onto Mandy. The girls stumbled out of the train. Anna checked her watch. It was 8:00 a.m. The town was rising. Anna looked around a bit. This town wasn't even a town. It had a couple of houses and a grocery store, a gas station and a general store. A small school was set on the prairie, well behind the rest of the town.
"This is perfect!" Anna shouted, throwing her hands up and turning to face her confused friends.
"It is?" Jenny asked. She looked around a bit. "We're in the middle of nowhere, and you think this is perfect? It's far from perfect. We can sleep on the streets, but in a town like this, the people here are bound to know everybody and their lives. We're newcomers, and small newcomers at that. What if they don't accept us?" Jenny, the little worrier, crouched down a bit.
"There isn't an orphanage. There isn't a decent school. There isn't a family willing to grab us up." Cris added her worries.
"You know what there also isn't?" Anna smiled, turned towards where the train had come from, and pointed. "There isn't Grandma Perry and her annoying little friends. I don't know about you guys, but I see a fresh start. I see our futures in a town like this. There's barely enough people, but there's enough to have gossip spread, right?" Anna looked at her friends. "If we ask a few local citizens some questions, just enough to put them on that we're homeless, then eventually someone's going to be nice to us." Anna was so confident about her plan that she walked up to the general store. She smeared a bit of dirt across her forehead and messed her hair up a bit. Then she walked in.
Cris and Jenny followed her. They walked inside, then split up. Jenny went to the back of the store, Cris to one of the aisles, and Anna walked up to the cashier. She was in her early 30's or so.
"What can I do for you, sweetie?" she asked, her tone implying that Anna was a needy toddler. Anna ignored her tone and went right down to business.
"How old can I be to work here? My friends and I are down on our luck and need extra money." Anna replied, in the same sweet tone the cashier had used. A few stray customers suddenly got interested in the gum near the front. Cris appeared from one of the aisles. Jenny was behind her.
"Come on, Anna, it's time to check with the grocery store." Jenny said, smiling.
"Well, dear, you have to be a bit older to earn money around here. So, are you a new resident?" The cashier said a little too eagerly.
"Of course. We have no where else to go, and this seems like the perfect place. No criminals to murder us in the middle of the night." Anna replied sweetly. "Well, we've got to get going. We're settling in near the school. I'll see you around. I might even stop by once in a while." Anna pulled Jenny's arm. Cris followed behind them.
"So, we're going to the grocery store now?" Danny said. She was watching their bags with Mandy outside. "Can I do it now?" Danny asked, smiling. "I've always wanted to play little cute girl." Anna laughed.
"I don't mind. I'd rather sleep on a nail bed than play dumb and cute. Besides, I don't even look like one." Mandy shrugged.
"Sure, I'll get Cris to watch the bags with you now." Anna replied, dragging Danny's arm.
Anna headed towards the front with Danny. Jenny lingered around in the back, pretending to be interested in little cheddar animals in a baggie. Anna pulled Danny aside a second to get her image right. Smear some dirt there, mess up a little hair here, and she was good to go. The two girls staggered to the front.
"I was wondering if you have any orphanages around here. You see, me and my sisters are poor, homeless children from a big city a few hours away. We're wondering if anybody could take care of us, you know, until we can buy a house around here." Danny whimpered, putting on her pathetic scratchy voice. "We need somewhere to stay tonight, or else we'll be forced to sleep in the prairie. We're all deathly scared of animals." Danny continued. Anna nearly giggled.
The clerk looked up from his paperback. "I'm sorry dear, nobody I can think of would want a few 8 year olds." Anna nearly told him straight that they were 12, 13, and 14 years old, not 8. Danny kicked her a bit.
"Oh well. If you know anybody, we'll be sleeping near the school building." Danny and Anna linked arms and walked out, Jenny trailing behind. They picked up Mandy, who was reading a novel, and dragged her towards the school. They made themselves quite well known, yelling and making lots of noise. Many people passed by, craning their necks to see what five girls were doing on a prairie, attempting to set up a tent.
Danny yawned when she got up the next day. She rolled over and nudged Cris a bit. "Hey Cris, I had the weirdest dream. It was of Anna being kidnapped. Who'd do that though, right?" Danny laughed then broke out into a yawn. She rolled over and elbowed Anna. Only, her elbow went farther than usual. "Anna?" Danny bolted up, searching Anna's blankets. They were slightly shredded. Cris noticed them around the same time Danny did.
"GUYS! WAKE UP!" Cris shouted. The general store clerk ran over. She was passing by on the road when she heard shouts.
"Girls, what's wrong?" she said, searching the girls wordlessly. She spotted the ripped sleeping bag and pillow. There was slight blood in one spot. "I'll go back to the store and call 911." The clerk ran like she was in a cross-country meet. Danny looked at the blankets. She ran her hand through them like they were concealing Anna.
"She's gone. She's really gone." Jenny started crying silently beside Cris. Mandy, the thick one, was still sleeping.
"Mandy, wake up, you selfish fool! Anna's gone!" Cris yelled in Mandy's ear. Mandy shot upright.
"Where could she have gone to?" Mandy asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.
Anna woke up in the backseat of some car. She realized some things pretty quick. One, she was supposed to be sleeping with her friends on a prairie. Two, she's never been in any car. Three, who put her in this traveling 4-wheeler? Anna bolted upright to be shoved back down. No voices. Whoever had brought her here either had laryngitis or didn't want Anna to them. Anna ignored the weak force and tried sitting up again. This time, another force, a manly one, pushed her down. She heard her back crack and felt the searing pain, but didn't argue with this one. She must have been sitting between 2 men, one weak and the other strong. She kept this in mind.
Anna searched for her surroundings. She had a blanket on her head that smelled strongly of laundry detergent. Even though the blanket smelt strong, she could still smell a bit of smoke. She looked at her hands for some kind of binding. Either these people were stupid or they didn't expect her to run sitting between 2 men. Anna could easily tell which man was on which side, for one bulged more than the other. In other words, one squashed her more. He wasn't fat, for the bulge wasn't flabby, but hard. She felt a skinnier man sitting to her right. Anna's back was facing him. She felt slightly safer knowing this fact.
"Where am I going, and who are you?" Anna mustered her courage to speak, knowing full well they weren't talking. Even if they did, why would they tell her that? Anna heard mumbling and felt a sharp slap. It missed her face, but she felt it hit her knees in front of her. It was the muscular man who had slapped her. Anna ducked more behind her knees as a bruise began to form. The truck stopped suddenly. Anna lurched forward, but was caught and shoved back by the skinnier man. Then she was picked up like she weighed nothing and brought inside somewhere. The bag was pulled off Anna's head as the door was locked.
Anna saw hundreds of kids from ages 5 to 19 working. They all wore the same; dirt-covered bags. Anna gasped as she saw a body of a 6 year old. It was lifted and thrown into a garbage dump. Anna saw dried blood on the floor and on people. She saw the kids working hard and getting whipped every second. Anna was hurdled into a room suddenly. She fell at the feet of her old boss. From working at the mine, he had opened a new child labor place. Anna liked the old one better.
"So, I see our best little worker has returned?" The boss said, his accent showing. Anna couldn't place it though. She nodded a bit. "See that she gets her work clothes." He said, his voice booming. Anna was given her bag almost immediately. Anna's face fell. She was caught. Caught, and placed in another living hell. "Get to work already!" He shouted, pushing Anna out of his office. Anna looked around. She didn't recognize anyone from before, but she knew it's been a long time. Anna dragged herself to the nearest work station. They were making rubber soles for shoes. Anna shoved hardened rubber blocks under the machine. Where were her friends?
"So, we know Anna's past, do we not?" Danny said, tracing her finger in the dirt. "She lived in an orphanage. She didn't belong very well. Then, she was kidnapped and put into a child labor station. She was one of the best workers. We were all, let's admit it, slackers. Then Anna went to Grandma Perry's like the rest of us, and took a train here." Danny looked down and continued. "The only thing I can think of is our old boss from the mine kidnapped her so she could work at a new location. The question is, where is this place? He couldn't have just put her back. That's too obvious for someone of his intelligence." Jenny looked away.
"Well," She said, "I remember him talking about opening a new place somewhere in Morrisburg. That isn't too far away, so we should be able to get to Anna in time." Jenny jumped up. "The next train should land us in Morrisburg. We better hurry, because there are only a few trains a day." Jenny stuffed the blankets closer to her in her bag. Mandy yawned and shoved her book in as well.
"That's it!" cried Cris, running toward the train with her bags. She jumped into the caboose as it sailed by. "Quick, guys! It's not stopping!" Cris grabbed Danny and Jenny's wrists and hauled them on. Then she reached for Mandy, who hurtled her bag on first, then took a running jump. Cris caught her and pulled her on.
"Next stop, Morrisburg." The attendant's voice boomed over the intercom on the ceiling. Cris' eyes kept a sharp lookout for Morriburg.
"We'll have to jump." she whispered, gathering the bags together. Her friends nodded in agreement. The train was most likely not stopping. Cris was carrying three bags. Mandy refused to give her bag to Cris and was carrying her own. The 4 friends jumped as soon as Morrisburg loomed into view.
"We're coming, Anna." Danny whispered, "We're coming."
Anna shoved hardened rubber into the molds. Her hands burnt easily and were red and black by the end of the day. She had made one friend so far, Les. She hated her real name and she was a poor servant. She literally expected the ax soon.
"The boss hates me, I know it. I'm going to die or run away soon, but this place is booby-trapped and crawling with security." Les muttered, shoveling some extra rubber pieces into a nearby can. Anna nodded.
"I ran away from another mine location he had. He found me and brought me back, but to one where you can't escape easily." Anna whispered, keeping an eye on the guard nearby. She glanced at the door. 3 guards were talking in front of it. It was locked in 3 places, and most likely more guards were behind the door. Anna shivered when she imagined her chances of escaping. "I hope I get rescued soon." Anna said, "Though it's quite unlikely in a place like this." Anna glanced around at all the windows.
"I think I see an open window, but it could be my imagination." Les put down her shovel for a second and pressed more rubber into the mold. Anna squinted at the window.
"I guess even guards can't stand rubber fumes." Anna said, looking out the window. She saw a few people walk by on the street. "I'm guessing if we make enough noise, we could get heard and people could save us." Anna looked out the window again. There was a gas station across the street.
"I guess our boss is dumber than we thought, renting an illegal child labor mine in the middle of a busy town." Les picked up her shovel again. She slammed it down on top of the bucket, shoveling even more rubber in its place. All the kids and some of the guards looked at her. Les got shoved down into the hardened rubber by one of the guards.
"Keep it down! We don't get paid to be baby-sitter!" The guard yelled in Les' face. She kept really quiet. When the guards left, Les picked up her shovel again. She quickly put the rubber into the mold. Anna continued her work, carefully placing the rubber into the mold and shoveling it out again. Her shovel was pretty rusty, but she had to make do.
"So much for my theory," Les said, picking up a different shoe mold. "It pretty much busted. I can't get shoved again." Anna looked into Les' face. There was a small gaping, bloody hole on her forehead, about the size of the hole in a CD. She gasped. Les smiled. "The hole, right?" she said, still smiling. Anna nodded. Les shrugged. "It's just another scar to add to the collection." Les ran her hand along her forehead. There were a few small lines and one jagged lightning-shaped one going half-way down her nose.
Anna shook her head. Just a few scars? There were at least 10 different shaped red lines on her forehead.
"Anna!" Anna snapped her head towards the window, almost giving herself whiplash. Her friends stood on tip-toe and were pushing each other to get a good view of her. Anna waved a bit, but the action was still noticeable. One of the guards near the window turned towards Anna, then at the waving bunch of children. The first guard grabbed Anna and pulled her into the office. The second one closed the window. Anna looked at Les. Her expression showed a mix of sympathy and fright. Anna gulped as she looked at the guard. He pushed her to the ground one they reached the office.
"She has friends on the outside, sir. They're most likely going to help her, and her friends, escape." The guard said, shoving Anna down again. Anna was flat on her stomach now, looking up weakly.
"What do you have to say for yourself, girl?" The boss looked sternly in Anna's eyes. Anna barely managed to shrug. She gulped again. The boss pulled Anna by her collar into a back room near the office. Anna got tied to the pipe on the ceiling. Now Anna was alarmed. They were going to kill her, so her friends won't save her. Then they were going to show her friends she was dead, and take the rest of the slaves to the other location. Anna's life flashed before her eyes a bit. Many stories say that, but Anna's life really did. She pictured her at the orphanage, her at the mine with her friends, her with Grandma Perry, and her in the fields of Morrisville, sleeping soundly until the guards came along to kidnap her. Anna had a pretty interesting life, and it played like a 5-second movie. Anna decided she wasn't going to blink and miss the last few moments of her life. She looked up at the ceiling.
"So, what are your last words?" The boss looked at Anna's hand, which had started bleeding. Anna gulped and shrugged, before responding.
"At the very least, sir, move me with the rest of the slaves. I'm one of the best you've got, and I promise to work harder and not run away this time." Anna said, looking at the floor. The boss chuckled again.
"Sorry, but no can do. I can't risk letting you live, because then your friends- very intelligent friends you have- will find you. Quite easily, too." The boss pulled out a machete. Three, small, rusted letters were written on the handle. Anna squinted. They read, DIE. How encouraging, Anna thought. The boss immediately jumped forward. Anna's mind set to one topic she tried, unsuccessfully, to bury over the past few years. She had given up on finding her mom a few months ago, when Grandma Perry gave her a reality check. Her mom was alive, Anna told herself, and out there. Anna thought of how her mother knew Grandma Perry through a few friends. Of course, she never told Anna anything. Anna was always itching to ask about her mother every time she saw Grandma Perry.
The machete started moving towards her in slow motion. Anna didn't see the boss holding it, or his evil I'm-going-to-murder-you expression he always had on. Instead, Anna saw the glint of metal from the huge knife. What a great way to die. Getting your head chopped off like you were a helpless chicken, about to become supper. Anna glared at the machete and pulled on her aching wrists. She tugged, trying to bite on the bloody rope. Not now, not ever. Anna had given up pulling on her wrists when a police officer bounded into the room, Anna's friends following him. They bounded toward Anna, easily untying the rope and yelling at her.
"We thought you were dead already when we came in!"
"Don't scare us like that again."
"I'm so glad to see you alive and doing well, Anna."
"Your friend outside, Les I think, told us you were here."
"So this is the new work suit. I think he should've gone with navy."
Anna grinned. "Slow down! I can't answer all your questions when you're all talking." Anna sat down on the floor and pointed a dripping red finger at Danny.
"We're all glad you're alive, Anna. We thought you were gone and we hadn't acted fast enough." Danny's eyes were overflowing with tears now. Anna started crying too, not only because of seeing her friends, but because her wrists were aching. The police officer interrupted their reunion, though.
"Girls, I sent some more officers over. They're going to collect the kids and the guards. They'll end up behind bars, don't worry. I've also called for an ambulance, Anna. They're coming soon." The officer paused for a moment, faint sirens streaming through the windows. Anna smiled at him. Everybody filed out of the tiny room, but Anna stalled a bit. She put her sore hand on the officer's shoulder.
"Thanks," Anna whispered, "for saving my life. I really appreciate it." Anna ran out of the room with the rest of her friends. She met the ambulance outside. A woman paramedic was walking toward Anna with her nose buried in a clipboard.
"You're… Anna Green?" The woman immediately dropped her clipboard. Anna looked up at her pleasantly.
"Yes, that's correct." Anna smiled. The paramedic searched her face before her gaze traveled to Anna's hands.
"I'm… I'm Suzanne Green." She looked Anna over again, before escorting her into the ambulance. Anna looked her over. She had a similar nose, eyes, and her hair looked almost identical to Anna. Anna gulped.
"So… you're my mother?" Anna squeaked out. She smiled a bit. "That takes a lot off my shoulders now. One of my main goals was to find you. The other, was to escape this boss who keeps following me." Anna smiled. The paramedic-no, her mother- laughed. The ambulance squealed out of the parking lot. Anna waved to her friends, Danny, Jenny, Cris, and Mandy. She was wondering where Les was, though. Anna smiled at her mom. "I've always wanted a mom." she said, laughing. Another set of laughter followed Anna's. Anna turned around to find Les in the van too.
"Les!" Anna cried, hugging her. She pulled away almost instantly. "You're hurt?" Anna asked, searching Les. Les pointed at her forehead, where the hole was more noticeable than ever. Les smiled a bit.
"Other than the hole on my head, I'm fine, thanks." Les said, resting her head on the pillow. "So, you finally found your mom? Just like a fairy tale, you get a happy ending." Les smiled at her. Anna looked at her mom's face. She smiled pleasantly.
"No question, you're staying with me. I doubt you have a home, and even if you do, you're my daughter rightfully." Suzanne said, looking out the back window. "We're almost there, hold tight." She continued, resting her hand on Anna's. Anna leaned her head on her mom's. Everything was normal now. She had a mom, like every average girl should have. Even if they don't realize it, moms play very important parts in a teenage girl's life. Especially to Anna.
Epilogue:
Anna walked down the street. It wasn't the same street that Grandma Perry lived on, but it resembled it. Anna shouldered her backpack and strolled along, taking in the neighbors' flowers and gardens. She was walking with Les, who walked home with her every day. Les lived with Anna now, because Anna's mom was so open to it.
"Anna! Les!" Suzy called. Anna's mom was so friendly and casual, that she didn't want Anna calling her Mom or Les calling her Ms. Green. "The snack's ready!" Suzy grinned. "It's your favourite, Oreos!" She walked back inside, leaving the door open. Anna plopped her bag next to the bench in the front. Les copied her, placing her blue school bag next to it. The two girls ran into the kitchen. Two glasses of milk and a few cookies greeted them. Les opened her book and continued reading, nibbling on the side of her cookie. Anna pulled the 2 chocolate parts open and licked the cream. She dipped the rest of the cookie in her milk.
"I knew you'd like them." Suzy smiled, subconsciously piling some magazines that had been left out. "So, is this what an average girl's house should look like after school?" She asked, looking around. Anna took in the magazines piled up on the counter, dirty dishes in the sink, and cookbooks stacked next to the baking supplies. Suzy loved baking.
"It doesn't look like Grandma Perry's house, that's for sure." Anna commented, munching the cookie slowly. "In fact, it's much better." Then Anna jumped up and ran to her mom to give her a hug. "Thanks," she mumbled, "I love you."