The Diversity Story

Chapter 1: The (Not So) Great Escape

What you are about to read did not exactly happen, but it might as well have. In the year 1953, racism was still rampant in the United States. Not only towards adults but children as well. This story is about two teenagers of different colors with the same goal. It began at a place called Uncle Fletcher's Orphanage. Children are bought here when their parents couldn't take care of them.

There was one small problem. The orphanage was segregated, with black orphans doing the manual labor and white orphans not lifting a finger. Not only that, but the orphanage was owned by the meanest couple who ever existed, the Fletchers. Mr. Fletcher is far from the uncle title the orphanage displays. He patrols the building every night, making sure no child ever leaves. His wife, on the other hand, is far worse. Every day, she carries around a whip while breathing threats towards the children. Mr. Fletcher may own the orphanage, but Mrs. Fletcher calls the shots.

Every night, the orphans create a plan to escape. One night, their leader, a young girl named Mary, and her friends waited until the couple was asleep. She looked down the hallway to see if the coast was clear. When the time was right, she ran down the hall towards the door that led to the playground. Mary walked outside and was surprised to find two german shepherds sleeping at the staircase.

With caution, she tiptoed down the stairs until she slipped on one of the steps. One of the dogs woke up and looked behind, but Mary was not by the stairs anymore. She was hiding by the right side of the staircase. After the dog went back to sleep, Mary ran towards a window. She opened it and helped her friends climb out. Her plan was going well until one of her friends, Regina, got stuck in the window.

"Guys," she whispered. "Guys! I'm stuck!"

Mary and her friends began to push Regina back in the room. Soon enough, both dogs woke up when they heard the commotion and began to bark loudly. Mary looked up and noticed a light coming from a window. The noise they were making woke up one of the owners.

"Go back! Push her back in!"

Mary's friends started to push Regina harder until she was back in the room. Then, they climbed back into the room while the dogs barked loudly. Growing more irritable, they pulled on their chains and broke free just as Mary helped the last child climb back into the room. Then, she ran around the building towards the front entrance with the dogs on her tail. Mary hid under the staircase and waited until the dogs ran past her. She was safe for a moment until a massive hand grabbed her shirt. She yelped as she was lifted up and pulled close to the face of Mr. Fletcher.

"What are we doing up this late, hmm?" He sneered. "Running away again? DO YOU KNOW HOW LATE IT IS?!" While Mary was pleading, he slammed her onto the wall and pressed up against her. "You know something?" He hissed in her ear. "You and her mother are alike. Worthless, dumb, trouble-making negros...which is why she's dead...and you'll be dead next if you continue to fool me."

He then dragged Mary into the building while she sobs. Her friends watched from inside the bedroom. When he reached the boiler room, he pulled Mary close and said: "This oughta teach you." He then threw Mary down into the room and shuts the door.

After he locked it, he stomped to the bedroom where her friends were and roars: "NOW, LET THAT BE A LESSON TO THE REST OF YOU!! No nigger escapes from this orphanage! Not today! Not tomorrow! NOT EVER!!" He storms out of the room and slams the door with a loud thud.