Warnings: Mentions of: Sickness, Suggested Abortion, Kidnapping, Racism, Mistreatment, Overbearing Parents, and Generational Trauma
I'm in the mess hall eating yams and steak. The yams taste sweet and the steak tastes salty. We finish.
"Okay guys, no dessert tonight… BECAUSE WE'RE HAVING S'MORES!" Angie announces. We all cheer.
We sit around a campfire on brown logs. Angie holds a stuffed yellow bunny with a lighter belly, pink nose, and whiskers.
"Okay, you can go get stuff for your s'more." She announces. I go over to a white, foldable table with blue paper plates, a package of graham crackers with a blue stripe and yellow badge down the middle, a bag of marshmallows with red, orange, and green stripes on the sides, and a dark brown package of "Hershey" chocolate bars. I grab a paper plate. I grab two graham crackers. I walk further down the line. I grab a marshmallow. I sit. Esmerelda goes over to the table. She grabs a paper plate. She grabs two graham crackers. She walks further down the line. She grabs a marshmallow. She sits. Kida goes over to the table. She grabs a paper plate. She grabs two graham crackers. She walks further down the line. She grabs a marshmallow. She sits. Mirabelle goes over to the table. She grabs a paper plate. She grabs two graham crackers. She walks further down the line. She grabs a marshmallow. She sits. Mei Mei goes over to the table. She grabs a paper plate. She grabs two graham crackers. She walks further down the line. She grabs a marshmallow.
"This is Floffy. Whoever is holding Floffy gets to talk." She says. "Now, tell us about your greatest challenge. You snap after your friends share". She passes me Floffy. I sigh.
"A month before I left home, I was attacked by one of my friends, Gothel while I was pregnant. I got really sick for a month. But, there was the Sundrop, a healing flower. But, another one of my friends, Quirin, said not to take it because of a curse. But, they had to take it. I got better and gave birth to a little girl. But, Gothel broke in and kidnapped her." I tell them. Everyone else snaps. I pass Esmerelda Floffy.
"At home there is this judge called He's a terrible person. He sees him as 'chosen by God to rid the world of sinners' which includes everyone he doesn't like which includes Roma people." Esmeralda tells us. Everyone else snaps. She passes Kida Floffy.
"My dad… I don't know… He's just so traditional. He's so focused on the ways of our ancestors that he's not open to new ideas and I worry about him." Kida tells us. Everyone else snaps. She passes Mirabelle Floffy.
"Everyone in my family has a special set of powers." Mirabelle starts.
"Ooh! What's yours?!" Mei Mei asks.
"That's the thing, it skipped me for some reason. And my abuela, she treats me like I'm less special than my sisters and cousins.". Everyone else snaps. She passes Mei Mei Floffy.
"You know how I can turn into a giant red panda? Two thousand years ago, when the Huns invaded China, my ansencor, Sun Yee, was given the power to transform into a giant red panda. This gift passed through generations to me. But nowadays everybody views it as a curse. But, I kinda like being able to transform into a giant red and being loud and messy.". Everyone else snaps. She passes Angie Floffy.
"Alright, girls, it takes courage to be vonerable like that. I'm proud of you. You may make your s'mores now." Angie announces.
I put my marshmallow in the fire. I roll it around for a minute until the outside is golden brown. I put the chocolate on top of a graham cracker. I put the marshmallow on top of the chocolate. I put a graham cracker on top of the marshmallow. I eat my s'more. It is sweet.
Esmeralda puts her marshmallow in the fire. She rolls it around for a minute until the outside is golden brown. She puts the chocolate on top of a graham cracker. She puts the marshmallow on top of the chocolate. She puts a graham cracker on top of the marshmallow. She eats.
Kida puts her marshmallow in the fire. She rolls it around for a minute until the outside is golden brown. She puts the chocolate on top of a graham cracker. She puts the marshmallow on top of the chocolate. She puts a graham cracker on top of the marshmallow. She eats.
Mirabelle sticks her marshmallow deep in the fire. When she pulls it out, it is black. She puts the chocolate on top of a graham cracker. She puts the marshmallow on top of the chocolate. She puts a graham cracker on top of the marshmallow. She eats.
Mei Mei sticks her marshmallow deep in the fire. When she pulls it out, it is black. She puts the chocolate on top of a graham cracker. She puts the marshmallow on top of the chocolate. She puts a graham cracker on top of the marshmallow. She eats.
"Okay, girls thank you for sharing. I know that was hard to talk about and I'm sure that felt good to get off your chests. Thank you for being respectfu of each other. You can go back to your dorms now." Angie announces. We begin to leave.
"Hey, I'm proud of you for sharing." Esmeralda tells me.
"I'm proud of you too." I reply. We smile at each other. We walk back to our lodge.