Disclaimer-I don't own any of the characters from newsies though I wish I
did own one in particular (Spot). But, until that's legal, he's staying
tied to my wall.
Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace;
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go;
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for its living;
But the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.
The old rhyme hummed in Elizabeth's head. The one's her mother used to sing to her as she lay in the canopy bed.
Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess
They all went together to seek a bird's nest, They found a bird's nest with five eggs in, They all took one, and left four in.
But she was far from that now. She sat cold in an alley, an experienced pickpocket. Across the street three boys with newspapers glanced at her.
"Hey Shoot, who's dat goil? What's she doin' heah?"
Shoot looked up. "Dat's Tease. Not ta go ovah ya authority but I'd stay away from her."
Ace glanced over Spot and Shoot who were conversing over the girl. "She's only been dere 'bout a day now. She'll leave."
"I don't care. She shouldn't be dere anyway. I'm goin ovah ta see her."
Spot jogged over and sat down next to her. "Ya know where ya are Tease?"
"How do you know my name?"
"I'se got connections. Ya in Brooklyn."
"Who gives a shit?"
"I do. I'm da leadah heah an ya can't be heah without me permission."
"Oh really? Well I don't care."
"Where ya stayin'?"
"Where I fall asleep."
He knew he couldn't bring a girl into the Lodging house like that but it wasn't like he had much of a choice. She would get killed out here. "Ya can come back wit me."
"Look, Spot. I know who you are. I know you reputation and I'm not going to be your whore. Sorry."
Spot grabbed her arm. "Fine. Ya wanna play dat way. Be me guest. Ya still heah tomorrow an' I'll send Ace ta get rid of ya."
"Oh I'm scared."
"Ya should be."
"Well I'm not. Go away."
Spot glared. "Ya don't talk ta me like dat!"
"I do."
He stood up and smashed a crate with his cane. It sent an entire stack tumbling down on Tease as he walked away.
Tease pushed the boxes away from her and tossed her light brown hair over her shoulder. Her dark green eyes blazed with Irish fire as she stared after the blue-eyed boy.
Rain, rain go away. Come again another day...
Her brother and sister's voices called to her as tears stung her cheeks. "Life is to cruel."
"Dat it is Bethy."
She snapped her head around. "Who are you? How the hell do you know my name?"
"Ya don't remember?"
"No. I remember very little anymore. Only little things like my mother's rhymes and my brother and sister singing to the rain. I don't even remember what their names were. Not since..."
"Since ya muddah left ya dat day? Ya shut da woild out. I know."
"Who are you?"
"Da name's Snap. When ya figure out who I am, dat rain ya talk about might just go away."
"What...?"
He disappeared into the alley and as much as she looked for him for two hours, he wasn't there. He was gone. She sat back down.
"Snap...Snap...Snap...how do I know you?"
She didn't remember anything before her twelfth birthday except for the rhymes and the songs. The faces and names were shadowy. "Snap...Snap...Snip...Snoop...SAM! Sammy! That was his name."
But who's name? She didn't know. All she really realized was that she knew a boy named Samuel. How she derived that from Snap, she didn't know. His face was fixed in her memory forever though. His dark brown hair and blue eyes...what a mystery. Snap...she'd have to ask a newsie tomorrow.
Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace;
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go;
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for its living;
But the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.
The old rhyme hummed in Elizabeth's head. The one's her mother used to sing to her as she lay in the canopy bed.
Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess
They all went together to seek a bird's nest, They found a bird's nest with five eggs in, They all took one, and left four in.
But she was far from that now. She sat cold in an alley, an experienced pickpocket. Across the street three boys with newspapers glanced at her.
"Hey Shoot, who's dat goil? What's she doin' heah?"
Shoot looked up. "Dat's Tease. Not ta go ovah ya authority but I'd stay away from her."
Ace glanced over Spot and Shoot who were conversing over the girl. "She's only been dere 'bout a day now. She'll leave."
"I don't care. She shouldn't be dere anyway. I'm goin ovah ta see her."
Spot jogged over and sat down next to her. "Ya know where ya are Tease?"
"How do you know my name?"
"I'se got connections. Ya in Brooklyn."
"Who gives a shit?"
"I do. I'm da leadah heah an ya can't be heah without me permission."
"Oh really? Well I don't care."
"Where ya stayin'?"
"Where I fall asleep."
He knew he couldn't bring a girl into the Lodging house like that but it wasn't like he had much of a choice. She would get killed out here. "Ya can come back wit me."
"Look, Spot. I know who you are. I know you reputation and I'm not going to be your whore. Sorry."
Spot grabbed her arm. "Fine. Ya wanna play dat way. Be me guest. Ya still heah tomorrow an' I'll send Ace ta get rid of ya."
"Oh I'm scared."
"Ya should be."
"Well I'm not. Go away."
Spot glared. "Ya don't talk ta me like dat!"
"I do."
He stood up and smashed a crate with his cane. It sent an entire stack tumbling down on Tease as he walked away.
Tease pushed the boxes away from her and tossed her light brown hair over her shoulder. Her dark green eyes blazed with Irish fire as she stared after the blue-eyed boy.
Rain, rain go away. Come again another day...
Her brother and sister's voices called to her as tears stung her cheeks. "Life is to cruel."
"Dat it is Bethy."
She snapped her head around. "Who are you? How the hell do you know my name?"
"Ya don't remember?"
"No. I remember very little anymore. Only little things like my mother's rhymes and my brother and sister singing to the rain. I don't even remember what their names were. Not since..."
"Since ya muddah left ya dat day? Ya shut da woild out. I know."
"Who are you?"
"Da name's Snap. When ya figure out who I am, dat rain ya talk about might just go away."
"What...?"
He disappeared into the alley and as much as she looked for him for two hours, he wasn't there. He was gone. She sat back down.
"Snap...Snap...Snap...how do I know you?"
She didn't remember anything before her twelfth birthday except for the rhymes and the songs. The faces and names were shadowy. "Snap...Snap...Snip...Snoop...SAM! Sammy! That was his name."
But who's name? She didn't know. All she really realized was that she knew a boy named Samuel. How she derived that from Snap, she didn't know. His face was fixed in her memory forever though. His dark brown hair and blue eyes...what a mystery. Snap...she'd have to ask a newsie tomorrow.