Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies. I do not own the characters from Newsies. I do not own the poem that this story was based upon.
This is dedicated to Shel Silverstein and to Lute!
Author: Aura
Title: The Thumbsucker's Thumb
Rating: G
Snitch sat on his bunk, sucking his thumb. Skittery walked into the bunkroom and flopped down next to Snitch. "Heya."
"Hey." Snitch mumbled around his thumb. Skittery laughed a little.
"Snitch, why do you suck yer thumb?" Skittery asked. Snitch shook his head. "Why not Snitchy?" Snitch smiled sheepishly.
"You wouldn't get it." Snitch smiled as he took his thumb out of his mouth. "Only another thumb-sucker would understand."
Skittery shrugged. "I was known to spit out my pacifier and suck on my thumb as a baby. Try me…" Snitch shook his head, embarrassed.
"I couldn't…" he whispered.
Skittery laughed. "Come on. Just tell me why you like it… what it tastes like... something…"
Snitch shrugged. "Okay... here goes…" he settled down on his bunk carefully. "When I was little, I sucked my thumb… it reminds me of my mama… so I do it cuz it reminds me of her. She was real nice… like an angel. She'd play with me all day, while my papa was out at work. We would play marbles… and sticks, and I would sit at the dining room table and paint, while she listened to the phonograph and sang, or while she baked bread." Skittery nodded.
"That's nice." He said softly.
Once in a while, when it's real quiet at night, you know how Mr. Kloppman stays up late sometimes and plays his Victrola. Well, sometimes at night when I'm sucking on my thumb, I can smell the bread. My thumb tastes like bread to me." Snitch finished.
Skittery looked at Snitch's wrinkly thumb. "Oh, okay. I was just wondering."
***
Thumbs
By Shel Silverstein
Oh, the thumb-sucker's thumb
May look wrinkled and wet
And withered, and white as the snow
But the taste of a thumb
Is the sweetest yet
(As only we thumb-suckers may know).
***
AWWWWWWWWW wasn't that sweet? I don't know where I got this... I was looking through my Shel Silverstein book, Where the Sidewalk Ends and the poem reminded me of Snitch.