Most Treasured Souvenir
By Kate Freeman
Every morning as the sun begins to peer out from beyond dew kissed fields of green,
a small girl called Samantha wearing her little grey cloak can be seen.
She wakes each morning with joy and love radiating from her soul.
To give thanks for the day and to say good morning to the world are her only goals.
She laces up her shoes, fashions tight her cloak, and breaths in deep the morning air.
Then up she scrambles to the top of the city wall and over the valley she stares.
The wall's about a foot think, six foot in height, and made of white colored stone.
Every morning on top of this wall, around the entire city Samantha does roam.
She watches the activities within the city and to each person she sees she waves hello.
She also watches and waves to the valley folk, those people she would like to know.
Some folk give advice, some tell of troubles, some gossip, and yet others just like to joke.
But all the town people stop to talk to this rosy-cheeked girl wrapped in a grey cloak.
She has a good ear and lots of patience, for she has never ignored one that chats.
Not even that old crazy hag by the pub, the one that always talks about her fat cats.
But the timid people of the valley. . . they usually stayed well away.
No valley person ever approached Samantha until that one strange day.
He was but a boy, a shepard's son, who lived just beyond the rolling hills.
His teeth clattered and his body shook. The cold morning air gave him chills.
"You there! Girl on the wall! Pardon me but do you have any milk or bread.
My mother's ill, my father's away, and if the baby doesn't eat, she'll end up dead."
"My goodness! How dreadful! But I have no food to give you right now.
But please wait right here and I will find something for you somehow."
Samantha ran atop her wall and asked for bread and milk from each person she saw.
One fine lady, just come from the market, handed over her basket, bread, milk, and all.
Samantha thanked her and ran back to find the valley boy crying as he saw her return.
"Oh sweet girl, you have saved my sister and taught me that I have much to learn."
The boy ran off. Samantha waved good bye and pondered the meaning of what he said.
Then she prayed for the boy, his parents, and prayed the child was not already dead.
The next day on her walk Samantha saw the good woman who had given her the food.
Samantha waved a greeting and let the woman know that her generosity went to good.
"Oh sweet Samantha, you are a dear girl and have a great deal of knowledge yet to gain.
That boy lied to you. There is no baby. He is a thief and your good efforts were in vein.
The valley folk. . . well they have their ways and they play on your good intentions.
But all this nonsense of poverty and oppression; that's their own inventions."
Samantha felt confused and full of so many questions that her head might explode.
But the lady said no more and just walked back down the cobblestone road.
So everyday Samantha sat on the wall and watched to see if the boy would reappear.
That she would never again see him, never question him, was something she did fear.
But finally one day on the horizon the boy spotted Samantha and waved with glee.
He ran across the grassy field and dropped before Samantha on his knees.
"Kind maiden, I have looked for you and now I have found you again at last.
I thank you ever so much for you help and you kindness seems most vast.
I come to beg your favor yet again and ask you for clothing and food.
My people starve and freeze each night. We need help from someone good."
"Shepard boy, do believe that I feel for you and for all this pain indeed,
But before I help you there is certain information that I think I need.
A woman from the town indicated that the story you told me seemed like a lie.
She called you a thief. She said you tricked me. This made me want to cry.
So Shepard boy, please tell me. I think need to know. Did you make the whole tale up?"
"Look girl on the wall, I find offence to this. Especially from one with such a full cup.
You city folk have full bellies and sit around eating more than your fill.
City people grow fat and happy and then leave my people to pick up the bill.
Yes, I lied about the child but the truth would have gotten me nowhere.
City people blame me for my condition and do not seem to truly care."
Samantha sat down on her wall and took the boys words in and gave it all some thought.
She wanted to understand this boy but this discussion had left her most distraught.
"I hear what you say and I recognize that, child or no child, you do still have much pain.
But you did not give me a chance to hear your truth, and this seems a bit insane.
I will do my best to help you meet your needs and I'll pray for all your people too.
But shepard boy, please do not lie to me, for I would never do this to you."
The boy dropped his head in shame and apologized to his new unfamiliar friend.
He still thought well of her and didn't wish to cause her any grief in the end.
"Please grey-cloaked girl, just know this, that after we pay our share of taxes and fees,
we have nothing left for heat, food, cloths, housing, and other amenities."
"I hear what you say and I will do my best to bring about much needed change.
I'll talk to friends. I'll talk to family. I'll talk officials and try to get something arranged."
So from her wall Samantha talked to the city folk and pleaded the valley peoples' case.
But much of her compassionate sentiments and goodwill just got thrown back in her face.
"Those people need to work harder. Buck up. Take control of their lives entire.
Just giving a hand-out or free lunch will nothing good in them inspire."
"We pay taxes and fees too, but hold our officials responsible for how they behave.
The valley folk just need to rise up against their corrupt leaders, and all their taxes save."
"These valley folk act as if the world owes them a good and descent living.
But they do nothing to improve their circumstances. This seems most unnerving."
"But tell me my neighbors," Samantha spoke up once again to the crowd below her feet.
"How do the valley folk come to blame us for their basic lack of milk and meat?"
The crowd roared in response to Samantha's innocent question she had contrived.
"They know no better. They play the victim. They must work to change their lives."
Samantha realized that helping the valley people was becoming a very difficult task.
She had to regroup. Think things out. Let the shepard boy know what happened at last.
The shepard boy brought his friends to help him express all he had to say.
After hearing Samantha's tale he informed her that he could only see one way.
"Your people do not know what it means to live on this side of the wall.
But they are right; we must work to bring out change once and for all.
We are tired of hand-outs just meant to keep our people slightly appeased.
We are prepared to fight your people for our basic rights and needs."
On hearing this Samantha's heart burned and she choked back impeding tears.
All her efforts and all her goodwill had only help to materialize her worst fears.
"Please do not make the call for war just yet. Let us try one last thing.
Get everyone together to talk. Force a discussion. Let's have a meeting.
Bring all your people and I will bring as many city people as I can rally.
Let us force them to work out all these problems between the city and the valley.
So two weeks later Samantha and the boy returned to the wall with all their loved ones.
These two kids had great expectations that this day some understanding could be won.
"Here me people of this land. This wall divides us and we need a better plan.
The valley people feel left out of all the fine things, we city folk often demand.
They would like a better life. And I'm sure that each of us can to this relate.
They would like us to understand how our behavior affects their fate.
Valley folk, please understand that the city people feel they have paid their dues.
They work hard and sacrifice certain things by living on this side of the wall too.
They do not have open space and green covered land all around
But they do have plumbing, heating, and cobblestone ground."
The murmurs began on both sides and grew into loud talk amongst the people.
Samantha raised her voice as high as she could but it did seem far too feeble.
The valley boy saw Samantha struggling decided to help her in this plight.
So up on the wall the boy climbed and then he yelled with all his might.
"Hush people please. We need to listen. We have to hear one another out."
But the crowd would not have this boy act out so. One city person began to shout.
"There's the little devil that deceives our well-meaning young folk.
He twists the truth. Out right lies. Listen to him. Ha! Now that's the joke."
And oh how these words had an impact on valley-side crowd.
There was quite a stir and people began to shout their feelings out loud.
"How dare you call our dear child a liar who means to pull the wool over eyes.
He talks of our plight, our poverty, our struggle. How can you call these lies?"
"He does indeed speak the truth you city people seem too dumb to know.
It is this arrogance, this ignorance, that makes you city folk our mortal foes."
"Oh listen to the dumb-hick valley folk blaming us. What a joke.
Valley fools once again use the city people as a scape-goat."
And people on both sides yelled and screamed their anger and discontent.
This was not a productive discussion. This was an unhealthy way to vent.
Samantha and the boy tried their best to hush the two groups now enraged.
They waved their arms. They whistled. Both groups they tried to engage.
But the crowd would not have this. They had other intentions indeed.
The voices grew louder, more angry, and into mass hate everyone did feed.
"Samantha get off that wall and come back to this side where you belong,"
some angry voice bellowed out over the crowd loud and strong.
"You leave that girl along. God bless her for her ability to hear with her heart.
Don't you make her come off that wall. Don't dare. Don't even start."
But the city people had enough and wanted their child back.
They began to grab at her cloak to pull her off the wall in fact.
Samantha fell to her knees and gripped the wall edges to stay in place.
The boy became horrified at this behavior and by the look on Samantha's face.
He kicked at the hands pulling on Sam's cloak and at them he began to yell.
Then someone threw a rock at him and beside Samantha he fell.
Then the valley people erupted in a frenzied action and rushed to help these kids.
They pulled on Samantha's cloak and grabbed at the boy. That's what they did.
Now both sides pulled on Samantha and the boy and the mobs grew more violent.
They pulled and tugged. They threw things. They became a mob on the verge of riot.
The people pulled at Samantha's hair, her arms, her cloths, whatever they could grab.
They pulled at the boy too. Both poor kids did their absolute best to fight back.
But when a mob gets like this the story never ends in a happy way.
The emotional people tore apart Samantha and the boy that very day.
Their blood still stains the white wall at the spot where this all took place.
It is a shame that these wonderful kids could not have died with more grace.
This side blames the other for the fall of the compassionate girl and her friend.
Neither group of people really took any responsibility for the murders in the end.
I was young then and this scene shook my reality to the core.
This was not something I could forget. Not something I could ignore.
And several other people, they were completely changed that day too.
We began to meet in secret to decide what if anything we should do.
We are not heroes and the tragedy taught us not to act so brave.
None of us have any real desire to end up in an early grave.
Many of us blame the wall and we make plan after plan to tear the thing down.
But even after this act, most of us realize it will take more to find common ground.
And this is why I carry with me everyday this piece of rag; bloody and grey.
It reminds me of my role in this stupid 'us and them' game into which we all play.
Track:
The Mental Traveler
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