@mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2112: tin foil hat

Image by FlitsArt from Pixabay

“OK, so, as I read this, what I'm trying to figure out is, how does putting a kid who is struggling in school in a tin foil hat actually help wih anything?”

This was eleven-year-old Velma Trent discussing the reading she was with her two best friends eleven-year-old Eleanor and ten-year-old Andrew Ludlow next door.

“The thing is, you actually want to help,” Eleanor said, “so you're probably missing the whole point.”

“Wait, what?” Velma said.

“See, you were raised right,” Andrew said, “and we are being raised right, now, with our grandparents and our Lee cousins, but there are an awful lot of adults out here that do not care about kids, so, that hat just means, 'not worth being bothered with. Open to being neglected and too dumb to know how to fight back when abused.' ”

Velma paused, and then a tear rolled down her cheek.

“That's so sad. Foster care must have been awful, and I'm sorry.”

“It didn't even start in foster care,” Eleanor said. “You gotta think about why we ended up in foster care, first – and remember, we have other grandparents beside our Ludlow grandparents.”

“That is a lot to have to deal with when you are just our age,” Velma said. “I thought it was the end of the world when my parents divorced, but, sheesh!”

“It's bad out there in the world, Velma, like for real,” Eleanor said. “This is why your father will not even let druggies come around, and although the Ludlows have a few high-end druggies, they all know that if Papa doesn't get them for even thinking about coming over here, Cousin Harry and his folks will. The Lees-and-Jubilees-of-the-mountain have been running folks off and even throwing folks off the side of the Blue Ridge for centuries with that stuff, because adults getting addicted is a surefire way to have kids get messed up.”

“My grandmother is a Jubilee-of-the-mountain,” Velma said, “and so my Trent grandfather was only allowed to marry her after they shook him all the way down, because his people were moonshiners and they checked him out to be sure he had disowned them. Fortunately, the Trents are from the Tennessee side, because you're right; if they had lived on the Virginia side and been messing with my grandmother and aunts and uncles when they were young, the Lees-and-Jubilees-of-the-mountain would have gotten them.”

“And that's not even talking about what happens when you rile up the Fairlanes-of-the-mountain and get some of the more serious foothill Loftons involved,” Eleanor said. “Cousin Harry's grandmother is Linda Fairlane Lee, and the Fairlanes-of-the-mountain shook down the newer Lees-of-the-mountain before even letting them marry in to the established mountain families because the Lees were not known for being peaceful people. Try to take advantage of the mountain people and let the Fairlanes-of-the-mountain and find out that's what you are doing – they are super peaceful until they are not! And then Loftons -- anything can happen there, here in their county!”

“Yikes – folks gonna have a full-color spread of Fairlanes, Lees, Loftons, and Jubilees all on their necks,” Velma said. “I see why Grandma Gladys is moving back to this side of the mountain – once she gets over here, nobody will be bringing her any kind of foolery because sheesh!”

“And that's how to make room and safety to really help people that need it,” Eleanor said. “You gotta shut the foolery down, and then the kids and everyone else can be safe and heal.”

“Good, because I knew these tin foil hats were not going to get it – the people who had that idea needed to just put them on themselves and go sit in the corner, for real!” Velma said.

“And this is the thing about life that I notice after living these ten years, and now with the people I'm with now,” Andrew said. “It's better that you go sit yourself down before God has to send Papa, Cousin Harry, your dad, and all these mountain folks after you. If you don't, in Lofton County, or anywhere Lofton County can reach you, you will get got. You don't have to worry about people getting on your neck in Lofton County – you need to repent and do right while you still have a neck to worry about.”

“Yeah, you just gotta grow up and learn fast how to get right in Lofton County, because it's real dangerous not to,” Eleanor said.

“Basically,” Velma said. “We will not be doing any tin foil hat foolishness around here!”

“Absolutely not,” Eleanor and Andrew said.