Write It Out: Instruction Video
“”Here we go, Mistress Owens,” he said. “Lots of good things for a growing boy. We can keep it in the crypt, eh?”
The padlock fell off in his hand and he pulled open the iron door. Mrs. Owens walked inside, looking dubiously at the shelves, and at the old wooden pews tipped up against a wall. There were mildewed boxes of old parish records in one corner, and an open door that revealed a Victorian flush toilet and a basin, with only a cold tap, in the other.
The infant opened his eyes and stared.
“We can put the food here,” said Silas. “It’s cool, and the food will keep longer.” He reached into the box, pulled out a banana.
“And what would that be when it was at home?” asked Mrs. Owens, eyeing the yellow and brown object suspiciously.
“It’s a banana. A fruit, from the tropics. I believe you peel off the outer covering,” said Silas, “like so.”
The child – Nobody – wriggled in Mrs. Owens’s arms, and she let it down to the flagstones. It toddled rapidly to Silas, grasped his trouser-leg and held on.
Silas passed it the banana.
Mrs. Owens watched the boy eat. “Ba-na-na,” she said, dubiously. “Never heard of them. Never. What’s it taste like?”
“I’ve absolutely no idea,” said Silas, who consumed only one food, and it was not bananas. “You could make up a bed in here for the boy, you know.”
***
It seems as though the continuing Pandemic has given many of us, particularly in the more wealthy countries, more time to think about our “needs” versus “wants”. The need for clean water, clean air. The need for spending time with loved ones. The need for food security. Things we once perhaps took for granted are returning into focus. How about you? What simple things have you discovered are your “needs”? Share your thoughts below!
