“Ring-a-ring-a-roses; A pocket full of posies; Hush-hush, Hush-hush; We’re all tumbled down!”
“She can play like this for hours,” Mary sighed.
Alice gazed at the child, who with arms spread wide to the sides, continued to spin about the garden’s green, dipping a curtsy at the final line before going back again to the first. Her pitch was perfect and her voice was sweet, but the bouncy ringlets and pinafore over a knee-high calico dress only highlighted the oddity.
It was adorable when Rosie was six years old. The girl was nearly thirteen.
“How’s Rosie’s schooling coming along?” Alice tried.
Mary’s smile faltered for a second before a placid screen unfurled over her face. “Just fine,” she breathed. “It’s coming along just fine, dear. Did you try the rose-petal marmalade? Mrs. Hannah outdid herself this year.”
It is like watching a wind-up toy, Alice thought. She never could get her sister to speak candidly about the child. None of them could. They all knew much was wrong, yet it was nigh impossible to discuss it. There’d been some concerns before the accident, of course, though Rosie had been very young then and much was explained away as the idiosyncrasies of an only child with an active imagination.
Then the accident happened and it was as if Mary had stopped the clock. On her own life as well as Rosie’s. The child seemed content enough, delayed and mostly mute outside of singing as she was. But how much did any of them know about the child’s true reality and potential, and how much was her mother’s doing, impeding her growth?
“Ring-a-ring-a-roses …”
Rosie’s singing rang in Alice’s ears and suddenly she could not stand it any longer.
“Mary,” she pressed, “I know this expert …”
Her sister raised a delicate hand. “We have all we need, Alice.”
Alice shook her head. “No, you don’t. I love you, and I know you love Rosie dearly, but she’ll be a woman soon … and she can’t stay six forever. Let me get the both of you some help. It’s not about trying to force her to do what she cannot, if she cannot … I mean, I know she’s a little …” her sister’s eyes stopped her. Brittle. Angry. Warning.
“… I … I can see she seems happy,” Alice inhaled and paused, hoping for a relenting crack in her sister’s eyes.
There was none.
“Indeed she is happy,” Mary clipped. “And we shall keep it this way, shall we?” She turned her head a tad, so that her eyes rested partially on the closed wing of the manor where the stone would forever be a bit dark, and partially on the child she’d frozen in time. The sweet girl who did not need to know more than what she’d known the day before she had tipped a candle onto paper and accidentally, fatally, set fire to her father’s study. “Now, about that marmalade!”
For the SoCS prompt: Rhymes with rosy
Oh dear… Mary’s denial will hurt everyone. Such a sad story, Na’ama. Written really well. This one sounds too true to life.
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Thanks, Dale.
Yes, I am afraid Mary’s denial and coping isn’t helpful in the long run.
Like most of what I write, this draws from the well of realities I’ve come across or know of in one way or the other. While the exact portrayal is more along the lines of historical fiction, I have known families that ‘organized around’ a child’s issue in a way that both maintained the issue and ‘allowed’ the family to avoid dealing with difficult realities. The price the children pay is not always evident, especially when certain routines are initially done in protective intent or to help with day-to-day management of a child with special needs. However, what starts for one reason may well continue for many other reasons … and not all of them are truly beneficial for the child … (even without any malicious intent by the caregiver). Another good reason why wounded caregivers need their own support. …
Hugs
Na’ama
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I agree, wholeheartedly.
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Me like being agreed with. Me happy. 🙂
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You easy to make happy 🙂
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Yeah. I hear that all the time … 😀
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I like being an easy to please person, myself. Doesn’t take much…
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Speaking of … I’m on my way to get some ice-cream.
Because.
Well. It’s a happy.
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I want some!!
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C’mon over!
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Be right there!
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😀
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That is both a chilling and a moving story.
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Thank you, Crispina!
These streams of consciousness draw from interesting wells … 😉
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A good exercise to release our demons.
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🙂 Yes, and/or share realities we’d known or seen or witnessed, through whatever creative veil and flow they make an outlet of … 🙂
I’ve worked with children whose abilities were stunted not by malice, but by routines that began for one reason and remained for another … and where to maintain things unchanged served a purpose not so much for the child as for those caring for the child, who’d otherwise may need to face things they preferred not to or felt unequipped for or just did not know how to … Sometimes caregivers weren’t even aware that they were holding a child back, especially if the routines a family built around a child’s issues/disability helped avoid discontent or conflict …
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Coincidence, my daughter and I were discussing similar while travelling home today
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Gotta love synchronicity!
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Kicks in when least expected
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Whoa. Wonderfully written. Wonderfully disturbing. You pulled me along the whole way.
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Hi M.
I’m so glad the story held your interest and took you along! Thank you for reading and for commenting!
Na’ama
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That’s how my mother was about my brother. My aunt was cut out of our lives for even suggesting mom get him help. A mother’s denial is stronger than steel.
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Hi J,
I’m so sorry this was an experience in your family. I can’t imagine it was easy being the ‘sister of’ (with what you were or were not allowed to discuss, suggest, ‘notice’, ‘mention’, guard, pretend, go along with…). I am so sorry.
Alas, this can be true … and it used to be even truer still (and still is in some places) where society viewed/views disabilities or issues … or trauma reactions … as something to be ashamed of.
And then there are the many other levels of coping and shame and need for denial…
I’m sorry this hit home for you, though I am glad you read and commented, for perhaps this will be a service to others who can recognize some of this in themselves, and can know they are not alone.
Take good care!
Na’ama
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I am glad this hit home. It reminds me of how far we’ve come. Both in our 50s now, our parents deceased. This is art imitating life. Your story is a good one, definitely a service to others and comforting to know we are not alone.
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🙂 Thanks, J!
Indeed, you are not alone. If I had my way, no one would ever feel alone in hardship again. 🙂
Na’ama
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Exquisitely crafted.
So much clarity, depth and commentary on Human Tragedy and the skewed coping mechanisms we sometimes employ.
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Thank you, Roger! What lovely feedback!
And … yes … so often human tragedy can skew perception and coping in ways that may begin for one reason, and become ossified in unhelpful ways later on, continuing for other reasons (or for extra reasons) long after they’d outlived any real coping … becoming their own prison, of sorts.
I’m gratified this got communicated!
Thanks again for the generous comment!
Na’ama
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My pleasure.
What you say is very true. Coping is fine for emergencies, which can last for some time, but once the emergency turns to a life then it is time to go beyond coping and fine a way to go above, no matter how long it takes.
And on reflection…this post just has to be re-blogged!
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Yes. Exactly!
And as for your reflection … YAY! 😉
Reblogging rocks.
🙂
Na’a
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Glad to spread ‘The Words’😃
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🙂 Yay hurray!
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Except re-blog isn’t working for me today…So I’ve shared instead.
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Way! It’ll work however it’ll work and still the intention means a lot to me! 🙂
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Only to be pleased to Na’a 😃
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🙂
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Thanks my friend!
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