Children’s Echo

 

photo source

 

 

The morning bell pealed loudly for the call to breakfast.

They walked, some whispering, some crying, some yelling out.

Sixty – five children in all, dressed in blackened muslin nighties and bed bonnets, found their place along the wooden benches that provided them little comfort.

The surroundings, too ornate for them to merely single file into, three times every day, to eat their meals.

Tarnished spoons, steel cups and bowls filled with porridge were set in front of them, as they were every morning.

When they had eaten, they stood, silently, facing the front of the hall.

In unison, as they had done for the past seven-nine years, they thanked the cooks and mistress of the orphanage for preparing their food.  The great hall echoed with their frightened and feeble voices.

One by one, they walked bare footed, through the walls, waiting for the bell to peal again.

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For the amazing photo challenge given by Angela Goff at VisDare.

VisDare 23: Ornate  Challenge – 150 words or less – My contribution 148 words.