By Emmaleigh Bush
Colored Egg
Five children stood in a line, their backs against the cold, aluminum shed. Another child, the oldest of the bunch, sat in a plastic chair, her legs propped up. The youngest stood next to her, red in the face and short of breath.
鈥淧ick a color,鈥 the oldest said. 鈥淨uick before Mawmaw makes us go in.鈥
The youngest shook, her legs aching from all the running. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not fair! I鈥檝e been the wolf the whole time!鈥
鈥淵ou need to be faster, then,鈥 the oldest said. The other five chorused their agreement.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not fair!鈥 The youngest cried out again. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to tell!鈥
She ran across the yard and inside the house. The oldest just laughed and stood. She picked up a stick and pointed it at each of the kids. 鈥淪o, who will be my next victim?鈥
She went down the line, jabbing her stick into each of their shoulders. She stopped in the middle; a short, brunette girl stood a little straighter. 鈥淗anna, you鈥檙e the wolf.鈥
Hanna opened her mouth, closed her mouth, and scurried to the spot the youngest had been. The oldest whispered to each of the remaining four, giving them a new color, and then sat back down in her chair. 鈥淵ou know the rules, eggs. Around the jungle gym, around that tree, and then back here. You cut, you lose.鈥
She dropped her stick on the dirt and motioned for Hanna to start. Hanna took a breath, her heart raced.
鈥淜nock, knock.鈥
鈥淲ho鈥檚 there?鈥 The oldest asked.
鈥淭he big bad wolf,鈥 Hanna said, her voice in a whisper.
鈥淪top whispering, you鈥檙e ruining the whole thing. Say it again,鈥 the oldest ordered.
Hanna closed her eyes and repeated, 鈥淭he big bad wolf!鈥
鈥淕ood, and what do you want?鈥
鈥淚 want a colored egg,鈥 Hanna said.
鈥淲hat color?鈥
Hanna froze. She finally managed out, 鈥淏lue?鈥
Hanna searched the kids for a blue egg, each one shook their heads.
鈥淥ut the window!鈥 they all called at once.
鈥凌别诲?鈥
鈥淥ut the window!鈥
鈥淯h, yellow?鈥
Hanna barely saw him start running. She took off after him, running as fast as she could. He was taller and covered half the distance in half the time it took her. He made it back to the hen house, safe. Hanna skidded to a stop in front of the plastic chair, kicking up dirt in the process.
鈥淎gain, Hanna,鈥 the oldest said.
Hanna lost again, then again, then again. They played three more rounds and then another before finally the sun was setting and their Mawmaw ushered them into the house. Each one washed up and went into the playroom. Hanna was the last one in.
The blue-green painted tables were moved out from against the wall and each of the kids sat in a chair around it. Mawmaw and Hanna鈥檚 aunt brought in plates of food: green peas, macaroni, cornbread, a hotdog cut into small bits, and ketchup. They each took their fork, stabbed a piece of macaroni, and dipped it into their ketchup; they did that with everything on their plate.
Once supper was over, the kids split up. Some of them colored, using the crayons in the box with their names on it. Some of them put on a movie about a small girl named Thumbelina. Hanna sat in her chair and stared at the unmoving ceiling fan. Red, blue, green fans. The other one, a yellow one, was missing, having been broken off during the years they all spent crowded in that room, forced together by blood and relation.
Slowly, their parents started to pick them up. The oldest and the youngest and Hanna were the last to be picked up by their mother. They all came back the next day and started all over again. The day after that too. All the days after until each of the seven kids had grown up. Until all the fans were broken off and all the names were faded. Until the jungle gym broke and the tree was cut down.
鈥淜nock, knock,鈥 Hanna yelled.
The oldest grinned, 鈥淲ho鈥檚 there?鈥
鈥淭he big bad wolf!鈥
鈥淲hat do you want?鈥
鈥淎 colored egg!鈥
