Ivoire
Legacy Name: Ivoire

Ivoire wasn’t a loner. When all of the kids on the block got together, they inevitably played a noisy game, though, and she didn’t always want to do that. Especially now, because the game they all wanted to play this week was Freddy. One of the other girls had seen a movie with a bad guy, Freddy, who she said he runs after people and if he catches them, they die. She also said he always goes after the girls with brown hair. So, each day for the last week, they’d pick a boy to be Freddy and he’d chase everyone. Because Ivoire had brown hair, he always had to go after her the most. It was fun. But she didn’t want to be chased every day.

Today, she carried a bulky bag over to a neighbor’s oak tree. She sat down and started pulling her things out. First the tea set her mama had given her for her last birthday. Then her favorite doll, the one that looked like her. And then her other favorite doll. The one that looked like the old lady who lived a couple of houses away from her.

When she pulled that one out of the bag, she stood up and peered around the tree at the old woman’s house. She had such a beautiful garden. No boring, scratchy grass there. The rose bushes and lavender shrubs were so beautiful. She couldn’t decide which one she liked best. One evening, a few weeks ago, she’d even caught a glimpse inside of a table set for tea.

Ivoire wanted very badly to see her tea service up close and maybe pick a rose. She thought the woman looked very elegant. Fancy. She liked to imagine that the woman invited her in for tea and they’d talk about very grown up things while sipping from lovely teacups at a table covered with flowers. She wished the woman would come outside, call to Ivoire and invite her in. But for now, she’d settle for tea with her dolls. Tomorrow, maybe Freddy again.

Profile by Bug
background image from Pixabay
Text by Blythe