Aim to Participate: An Anthology

Too Young

"Take the picture!"

"C'mon. C'mon. C'mon!!!"

Rosie lifted the disposable camera. The picture took with a bang. And the little kids watched from the balcony as the man in the float slumped over. Rosie screamed and bolted back into the apartment. Her friends followed, all screaming and clutching their mothers skirts.

Rosie looked at the camera. There was a picture of a guy getting shot on her phone. What if her parents saw it? She wasn't even allowed to watch the people die on tv yet. What if they didn't let her keep her camera? What if they didn't let her watch tv anymore? What if she had to go to jail cause she saw the dead man? She was too young for jail!

She stuffed the camera and her favorite stuffied bunny in the bag. Then she snuck across to the kitchen and stood on her tip toes to put the peanut butter in as well. Everyone was on the balcony, so nobody saw her put on her little shoes and then her Rainbow Dash coat. The door made a click, but no one noticed as the little girl slipped out.

Rosie pressed the down button for the elevator. It was empty, and nobody joined her on the way. On the bottom floor she stepped into the full lobby. It was hard for someone her size. She was bumped around, and even knocked over in the panic of the adults. After escaping the lobby, she found that the street wasn't any better.

There was a honk and Rosie turned to see the car, just before she was yanked out of the road. Hands held her firm as she was pulled onto and across the sidewalk into a little alley. The girl that squatted in front of Rosie was no older than her big sister who just finished high school.

"That was close, huh sweetie?"

Rosie wiped her running face with the arm of her jacket. She wasn't supposed to talk to strangers.

"What's wrong?"

"I took a stupid picture of the guy getting dead, and now mommy is going to send me to jail." Rosie couldn't help herself. "I don't want to go to jail. I'm running away."

"Oh, tell you what. Why don't you let me take the camera and hide it for you?"

Rosie's eyes got wide. "You'd do that."

"Oh, of course. You're too young for jail."

After a moment of thought, Rosie conceded. She took her bag off of her back and handed over the little pink disposable camera. The girl smiled and put the camera in her jacket pocket. Then she took Rosie's hand and helped the child back to her apartment building. She settled the little girl in the elevator and pressed the button for the fifth floor.

"How do you know the floor?" Rosie asked astonished.

"That's a secret." She winked at the little girl as the elevator doors closed.