Stranger Fruits

The Strangest Fruit

The grass was greener than Millennium Park, acres of land seemed to stretch as far my imagination. I remember feeling like a princess, running wild as the southern wind under the naked sun, living in a castle of a house.  I loved our new home, but I missed my friends and my cousins. I mean what is the point of having all this space with no one to play with? The only person I had to play with at the time was my older step-sister, Anita. She used to be cool until she started liking boys. We used to play all the time, now she's bossy and always trying to avoid me. But the first day at our new home she seemed just as excited as I was at first.

"Nita, do you want to play hide and seek?", I asked.

"Sounds fun. You're it!" She beat me to the punch. "See that tree in the middle of the field? Well that's home base. Count to 30, I need time to hide in this big 'ole place."

We were far from the house already, but the tree was even further away near a wooded area and I was a little worried that I'd get lost trying to find her, so I started counting aloud as I ran for the tree.

"1... 2... 3..."

"Stop cheatin!" Anita dashes off behind me trying rush out of the open field.

When I reached the tree I started counting as fast as I could so that I could have a chance of catching her. After I finished counting I turned towards the house assuming that she ran back, but then I heard shuffling in the grove next to the tree.

"I see you Nita!"

I dashed in hot pursuit into the grove after her. She weaved between the trees but I was on her tail. Then right when I thought I was gonna catch her I lost her at a turn. It was quiet but I knew she was somewhere close, hiding behind a tree. I heard a shuffle, saw her foot behind a tree and pounced.

"Aha! I found you!" I was so excited to catch her, I forgot I was in the woods. And when I heard her shout from far away I realized I had gotten lost.

"ZOEY where you at!? Come in the house, I quit!" Anita shouted.

She was at home. I didn't know who it was I was chasing but I panicked and bolted as fast as I could out them woods. I tried following Anita's voice out but I ran into a river I hadn't seen before, so turned around and just ran until I could see beyond the trees. As I approached the end of the grove I finally see the house. Then I stopped running, so that I could catch my breath and I noticed red peaches were all over the ground. I picked one up and walked towards the home base tree in the middle of the field. I sat down, wiped the peach with my shirt and took a bite. It was the sweetest peach I had ever had in my life! I devoured it like I hadn't eaten in days and then I noticed the juices running down my arm was as red as the peach itself. It was so good I ran back toward the edge of the grove to gather a few more.

"They good ain't it?"

Scared outta my mind I jumped and started to dash, but I saw it was little girl like me so I just screamed, "Who are you!!?".

"I got you huh?" She laughs hysterically, "You just about pissed yourself! Ha heee!"

"Where did you come from?! And I asked who are you, you better tell me or I'm gon tell my mama some stranger is in our yard!"

"Calm down gul, I was just playin. Shoo you was chasing me for no reason. I don't know you either and this grove ain't yours. But anyway, my name is Aanu."

"What kind of name is that?"

" It's my name and it means mercy. I take it you're Zoey, right? I heard somebody calling for you, you probably better go home before you get in trouble. Oh, and if you want to play tomorrow I'll meet you here. There ain't no girls my age around here, so we should be friends."