The Brace
by Donna L Martin
Sarah tugged at her laces, making sure the bindings were snug against her ankle. Papa finally gave in and bought her new skates before it was too late to enjoy them this winter. Brushing snow from her brand new dress, Sarah stood up carefully, testing the razor sharp blade against the thick layer of ice covering the pond. Her chores were done so now all Sarah could think of is working on the figure eights she saw older kids doing the last time she came to the pond.
Soon a flurry of snow hung in the air as Sarah skimmed the surface of the ice. Pigtails flapping in the breeze, Sarah circled the pond twice before she heard the laughter coming from some of the village boys. Older than her, Sarah tried to avoid them whenever she could. Braggarts her papa called them and she saw the mocking faces they made whenever their teacher made them work on cleaning day at the school.
Sarah cautiously made her way closer to the group as the laughter suddenly turned to teasing. Surrounded by the boys, Sarah saw a girl about her age struggling to stay on her feet as they watched. She saw the oldest boy look around to make sure no grownups were watching before "accidently" bumping into the girl, sending her sprawling on the ice, and they all laughed again before going in search of other, more enjoyable entertainment.
Quickly Sarah skated to the girl's side and that's when she noticed the ugly metal brace covering one leg and partially hidden by a well-worn, homemade skirt. The girl seemed embarrassed by the thing as she quickly pulled her skirt down over the tops of her hand-me-down skates. Papa always taught her to be kind to strangers but Sarah never met anyone like her before. She'd seen adults in her papa's clinic struggling to walk again after the polio sickness came to town so she knew what that brace meant. But she had never seen it on someone her age before. Green eyes met brown ones as Sarah wondered if she should help her up?
***Okay, it's your turn! What does Sarah do? Does she skate away or help a new friend out? Put your creative cap on and add a sentence or
add a paragraph. Continue my story or start one of your own. Join the fun and
see where this picture prompt takes
us!***
