(Photo: Jennifer Burk on Unsplash)
She was not there.
Of course, she did the work. She wiped the sinks. She did the wash. She peeled the taters. Washed the floors.
But she was not there.
Not when people stopped by. Not where there were any windows open or any blinds up.
She’d been smuggled to them as a child.
A gift.
From someone.
To the man and lady of the house.
For Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt: Smuggle in 66 words
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Na'ama Yehuda 
Child slavery is not a thing of the past. Thank you for highlighting this so vividly, Na’ama.
Pax,
Dora
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Thank you, Dora. No, unfortunately, it is not a thing of the past. It goes on in many places in the world, including in so-called developed countries, where it is often hidden or explained away as something else. It also comes in many forms, and is important to be talked about. We cannot shine a light on something one does not see as real. Na’ama
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So sad.
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Yes. Thank you, Sadje.
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A Cinderella with no hope of saving from a prince. A terribly sad story for far too many.
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Yes. Very much so. And what is heartbreaking is how there are those who’d insist that it doesn’t happen anymore, or “isn’t that bad” or is “better for her than where she came from” or just that it is “not what people think it is.” Oy.
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Sadly, yes. They don’t believe it still exists. Believing “this” is better than where they came from is a delusion helping people ignore the reality…
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Exactly. As there are still those who would claim that slavery was “not that bad” and that slaves were “happy to not have responsibilities” and that their ‘masters’ took care of them, and that to teach about racism and slavery is to teach hate. Oy. Yeah.
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Yeah. Right.
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xoxo
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Na’ama Y’karah,
In 66 words you’ve made me weep. Good job.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Mine that I wasn’t going to write is here: https://rochellewisoff.com/2021/12/12/weekend-writing-prompt-smuggle/
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Thank you, Rochelle! It is apt that those realities break our hearts. I worry about those whose hearts don’t ache from it … Hugs! N.
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Wow. Dark and yet so true. Well done, Na’ama, for giving a voice to the voiceless. ❤
Also, I found the line "she peeled the taters" so endearing.
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Thank you, Sunra. And I’m glad you noted that sentence. It nestled itself in the story and would no be changed.
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A sobering tale of those unseen, forgotten. Well done.
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Thank you, Keith! It is so important to be a voice for the voiceless!
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Oh, that gave me the shivers. Tragically true for many, so wonderfully written.
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Thank you, Brenda! It is indeed a tragedy, all the more for how well it is hidden from view, so much so that many would claim it does not exist. When it does.
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A fine, well-told story that harkens to the dark side of reality. 😦
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Thank you, Bill. For all too many it indeed is reality, and it ought not to be.
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Truth.
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🙂
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