Feed Them Love

• Hannah Davey , Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2016

“Dear diary,
I’m sad. Our parents hate us. I wish they would let the seven of us go to school.Henry, Tom and I are 8. William, Isaac and Bobby are 6. We need school. Margy overheard our neighbour saying that we should go to school to learn not to act like our parents. Margy is seven it wasn't good for her to hear that about our parents. She acts so young. I’m glad Alister the post boy taught me how to write. Goodnight.” Dad was reading my diary!

“You got taught to write. Is that what you think of us? Calling a diary dear is not suitable. Abominable. Margaret not Margy. You know I hate nicknames. Worse, Thomas not Tom. Naughty girl. The cane.”

We ran away. My idea. Alister managed to get us out of town. We didn't know the way. Father and mother didn't allow us out. Then we were alone trying to get to the next town where a minister will take us in.
Three days walking with only a single drink bottle and fruit we scourged from near the road.

Finally we arrived. Entering the town the first thing we saw was a tiny cute cottage, friendly and warm. Honeysuckle and birds nests, roses and geraniums. Margy knew at once that this was the house, our new home and indeed it was.

Pa and Bunny were elderly, kind and caring. Loving and gentle. Fair and unforgettable. But we didn't last long. They had no experience. They didn't have enough food. Our Bobby died. The funeral was private and tearful. Only the six of us, Pa and Bunny were there.

After a thoughtful meeting the six of us decided to talk to Bunny.
“Bunny we have decided that it’s time for us to move on we can't thank you enough for what you have done for us. But we know now that well you can't afford for us all and so we are going to find a place where someone can look after us. But thank you.” With hugs and more tears flowing we said goodbye and went along on our journey.

A year later we came back after being to many families who did feed us and cared for us but we were not happy. We came back to Bunny and Pa’s cottage that we were happy in. I told them everything. “We left here because you couldn't feed us but we came back because we realise now that you can feed us what is most important, you can feed us love. We went to other houses they fed us but we were not happy so we moved. We moved lots because they couldn't feed us love, the thing we need most of all. You can, so even if we end up dying we want to stay. We want to die where we are loved. Now we know that love is more better than food.”
After that we lived where they fed us love.