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Love Flies

By Julia David

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Hancock, Pennsylvania Summer 1852
A HOT, DRY wind tousled the brown-hair of the brothers as they straddled the chestnut mare through the tall, parched grass.
“Robbie, did you hear that?” Young Reed Chapman asked as he twisted on the rump of the sweaty horse.
“If you mean my stomach growling, then yes.” Robbie gave the mare a little kick. “Let’s get home.”
“Wait.” Reed tugged on his older brother’s shirt. “I heard it again.”
Robbie pulled back on the horse’s mane. “It sounds like some cat stuck in that barbed wire fence that the Polish land grabbers put up.” Before he could catch him, Reed slid off the back of the horse landing with a thud.
“Reed, no—” Robbie whined. “We knew we weren’t going to get past that fence for a swim in our lake. Dirty Poles, who cares what is caught in their fence. Reed! Leave it be.” He watched his pesky younger brother jog through the field toward the long line of wire and posts.
“I will leave without you. Reed! I swear you have the brain of a jackrabbit!” Robbie shouted to his back.
Reed understood two things clearly, he was partly jackrabbit, never able to sit still or focus. Any strange noise, or peculiar new sight pulled instantly on his curiosity. And his brother was right, the Polish family who’d bought this land out from under his family didn’t deserve any help. But he just had to see.
A tall, nubby oak branched out over the area providing the only shade. An old knotted rope hung from a branch. He knew the Polish had a bunch of children. Robert wanted to fire rocks at
8/LOVE FLIES
them with their slingshots, but Reed hated the idea of shaming their grandparent’s time-worn heritage. Their father had lectured them; just as their people had come over to the colonies, America was open for all people needing refuge. We are to love our neighbors, not despise them, his father’s words echoed.
Abruptly Reed stopped cold. A little girl, maybe five or six was sitting in the dirt somehow caught in the barbed wire. Her huge, brown eyes shocked to see him, yet pleading for his help.
“What happened?” He carefully pulled the wire apart, crouching down, he stepped through. Trying not to scare her, he stepped closer. Tugging on her long thick braid the color of molasses, she choked out words in some strange language.
“I don’t know a word you are saying,” he said, noticing the thin lines of blood on her hands and cheek, “but your hair is caught around the barbs and in all this other wire. He began to pull on the long, brown braid and saw why she couldn’t get free. A tight ribbon held the braid together, and her hair had wrapped around the barbs. It was a tangled mess. “I have to take your hair apart.” He watched her, waiting for permission. Her huge watery eyes waited, trying to understand, finally nodding at him. This appeared to be simple. He had two older sisters that twirled and tied their hair in every invention. He slipped the white ribbon off the end and separated the thick strands, carefully pulling on the pieces that had twisted in and around the wire.
“Reed!”
They both looked up.
“Just my brother.” He grinned at her red and white spotty face as he freed the last of her hair. “You’re a ways from your home. Do you want me to help you back?”
She stood up wobbling, and he gripped her arms to keep her from tumbling back into the fence. Something strange shuddered up and down his skin, like the first refreshing plunge into the blue lake. Quickly, he let go of her pale gray sleeves. She nodded and spoke some squeaky gibberish he couldn’ t understand. Her hair fell long around her shoulders and past her waist.

“I-I—” he lifted a lopsided grin, “don’t know a word of what you just said. And, well, you probably didn’t even understand my question.” A commotion of strange foreign talking came from the field, and Reed realized her mother and siblings were coming to help.
He handed her the ribbon fluttering in the breeze and took her soft little hand, bowed and kissed it. Separating the wire, he carefully climbed back through. Running back to where his brother waited, he smiled shyly, a bit embarrassed. Why did he just kiss her hand?

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