Daughter of the Strike
"Daughter it's begun," shouted Joshua as he pushed the heavy door inwards bringing with him the piercing autumn breeze.
Anne rushed to her feet throwing the monotonous sewing aside. "That's wonderful news father; do you believe that the strike might last this time?"
"I only hope that the men do not give in so easily, almost half the workers went back to their mills before the others during the last strike," her father replied.
Anne helped her father remove his coat before turning to make some tea. "Come and sit down at the table father, you look tired." "Thank you Anne, it has been a very eventful day."
Anne turned back towards the fire, as she watched the bubbles start to dance and play in the pan all her worries started to flood back once again. What would happen if the strike lasted for months? How would she feed her family? She had promised her mother she would protect the little ones. How would she be able to keep that promise now?
Rain hit the window and as the children were sat at the round, dark brown, crooked table, tears flooded down their cheeks. This reminded Anne of having to comfort her siblings when her mother died during Edmund's birth these six years past.
"Anne, I'm Hungry, please can I have some food?" Lizzie sobbed.
"Can I have a butty?" Edmund said clutching his stomach. "I'm very hungry sister, please." Their pleas all merged into one unbearable noise.
"Listen," she begged, her voice breaking as she tried to be heard. This brought with it another fit of coughing, stopping the children in their tracks. They all rushed to her side and helped her to the crooked chair as she was gasping for her breath once again.
When Anne began to recover, she lifted her head to look at her brothers and sisters. "Do you all understand what a strike is?" They shook their heads. "Well, our father and I will be keeping away from the mill for as long as we can, so that the masters will treat us better because if we don't work for them they cannot sell anything but, because we are not working, we have no brass for food."
"I understand," said Lizzie
"Maybe we should all go and ask people in the street if they could spare some food." Anna pulled Edmund close and hugged him and, as she did, she whispered,
"Maybe, Edmund, but remember that everyone is suffering, not just us."
The sound of the basket hitting the table echoed in the empty room as Joshua Price brought food for the week after receiving his strike pay from the union. "Anne, Anne where are you?"
"I was next door with Charlotte, father," said Anne as she followed him through the door, "I saw you walking past the window."
"I have some food for us; it is not much but it will have to do," said Joshua gravely as he sat at the table.
"Did you see anyone on your travels, father?" asked Anne trying to change the subject as not to worry her father.
"I saw some other strikers; we had to stop them from becoming knobsticks. They tried to break through the barricade through force, but we stood strong and pushed them back without adhering to their malicious behaviour".
Anne, who had been cutting small pieces of bread from the basket for the evening meal, stopped and looked at Joshua with a shocked expression on her face. "Only three weeks have passed father, they cannot give up, we deserve better treatment."
"I know Anne, but they are not as strong as you or I," said Joshua in a soft voice as he stood and rested his hand on her shoulder.
A fit of coughing erupted from Anne. She sat at the table clutching her chest as if trying to make herself breathe. Joshua rushed towards Anne and tears came to his eyes as he rubbed her back. He knew that it wouldn't be long now. The cotton fluff had made its way to her lungs and breathing was getting harder every day. He feared the day would finally take her from him, as he knew it was his fault for not making her work in a better place.
As Anne began to breathe normally again, Joshua hoped that she would still be here to see the efforts of the strike succeeding and to see her brothers and sisters growing up in a better world.
But nothing was certain in this godforsaken place.