Who's Opal? March 6th, 1917
Darnell Hardy woke up to a white and bright world, in a bed he did not recognize. As he looked around, Darnell remembered the night before, with the raids and the burning zeppelin and the suitcase. Thinking about putting off the mysterious girl, he saw his mother walk in, still dressed in nightwear.
"Darnell, if you see the landlord pop in, he should have breakfast with him." "Alright Ma, I got it."
Darnell changed into work clothing, consisting of a worn, white shirt, with brown trousers. As he was fastening his belt, the landlord, dressed in overalls popped in.
"Hello lad, how are ya?" the landlord said, in a somewhat Scottish accent. "Here's a hearty breakfast right over 'ere, some butter toast, and some sausage. Eat up with ya mother." "Thank you sir." The landlord left with a smile, while Darnell yelled,
"Ma! Landlord delivered breakfast, but he wanted us to eat it here!" "Why would you mention that?" "There's no table!" "I thought you would've figured it out by now, Darnell."
Darnell's mother popped in the room, with a slightly annoyed look on her face. Without speaking, she pulled a wooden table attached to the bottom of Darnell's bed out from under it, and locked it in place. Then, she took out a rag from her pocket, and wiped the table down. Darnell looked under the bed for more fold up furniture, and took out 2 wooden chairs, both slightly caked with dust. Once done with the table, Darnell's mother began wiping down the unfolded chairs. Darnell then put the meal on the table, with accompanying silverware, and began to set the table as much as he could with two open plates of lukewarm food and 2 forks.
Darnell's mother then walked out of the room, and came back several minutes later, with hands that were not dusty. Without many words, the two began to eat.
The breakfast was pitiful. The toast had been burned, and butter merely spread on it. The sausages were canned, which is acceptable for a war-time situation. The landlord popped in when the Hardies were almost finished.
"We're going to open the cellar door, and you two can take a peek." Once the landlord had passed by, and Darnell had privacy, he asked his mom about the pictures.
"So, ma?" "Yes, son?" "I went to get some night clothing, and I saw a compartment inside the portmanteau. There were pictures that I would understand you would have, but I saw a strange picture of a young woman, who looked nothing like you." Darnell's mother showed a surprised look on her face, then spoke,
"I have to be honest with you... that women is named Opal." "Who's Opal?'' "She was your cousin." "Was?" "She died of a bullet wound to the chest, back in 1906." "How come you never told me?" "You were young, and you didn't understand back then." "How'd she get a bullet to the chest then?" "Opal worked as a soldier. It may seem strange, but she was part of a group called the Feeders of the Innocent. They took food and gave it to those in need, like Robin Hood. The information they gave me was that Opal and a crew took control of a small, British cargo ship full of food off the Mediterranean. The food was to feed soldiers in Somaliland, during the Dervish War. The Italians were also fighting in this war. Once word arrived that the ship was captured, the Italian navy boarded the ship, and retook the ship, killing Opal. We never received the body."
All of this was too much to take in for Darnell. His cousin was a mercenary, and she had fought the British to feed people? All of the sudden, Darnell and his mother noticed the large crowd gathered up by the cellar door. All those people were waiting to get out, and see if their homes, their livelihood destroyed. The cellar opened to a blue day, with clouds puffing in the sky. After the crowd cleared outside, Darnell and his mother, (with the suitcase) climbed the cellar stairs and walked outside.