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Prompt: 041. blackberries
1. The children picked berries all day and ran home with baskets full of blackberries and their fingers stained purple.
A. The children picked berries all day and ran home with baskets full of blackberries and their fingers stained purple. Mama tsked when she saw the state of Nadia’s dress, with the finger streaks of berry juice crumpled into the fabric, but she didn’t yell. Instead she baked them a blackberry pie while they retreated to the backyard bathhouse and thoroughly washed off the day’s adventures.
They sat down to eat pot roast with potatoes and carrots while the pie cooled on the kitchen windowsill. And when they’d cleaned their plates, Mama served them each a slice of pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
It was the best day they’d have for a long time.
2. Tangled in the blackberry bushes, the small child howled in fear and pain. There were red scratches marring the dirty face and arms, one thorn having scratched dangerously close to a teary eye.
A. Tangled in the blackberry bushes, the small child howled in fear and pain. There were red scratches marring the dirty face and arms, one thorn having scratched dangerously close to a teary eye.
Anna ran forward, waving her arms to signal No. “Don’t move, kid. You hold still and I’ll help you.”
“Get me out of here. It hurts! It hurts!” the child screeched, making an aborted lunge forward. Anna winced when she saw that a long thorny branch was wrapped around the child’s chest, digging into the patched and worn cotton shirt.
“I’ll get you, I’ll get you, don’t move.” Anna tried to hide her panic and project a sense of calm concern. The last thing she wanted was for the kid to realize how afraid she was. “Why don’t you tell me your name, sweetie?”
“I’m not sweetie. I’m Brandon.”
“Oh. Well, hello Brandon. I’m Anna.” Working slowly, she began untangling the small body. He couldn’t have been older than four or five, dressed in clothes that would have done better in the rag bin. “Can you tell me where your parents are, Brandon?”
“Don’t have any,” he muttered, his attention focused on her hands. Which is why he missed the expression of shock and pity that crossed her face before she controlled herself.
3. It had been nice having blackberries in the yard for the first year. Then the plants had begun to take over and spread until half of the yard was a tangle of branches and thorns.
A. It had been nice having blackberries in the yard for the first year. Then the plants had begun to take over and spread until half of the yard was a tangle of branches and thorns. People driving by thought the property was abandoned and began to help themselves to anything not nailed down, from an old truck canopy to his brand new wheelbarrow.
