Snapshots: It Started In Memphis

the setting: memphis, tennessee. it's august, hot, and humid.

scene 1: the living room of a low-income house. a single mother with her twin children--a boy and a girl--around 10-years old. a beloved shaggy dog is lying on a bedraggled shaggy rug. there is a large box fan in the open window, creating a breeze of dubious benefit.

the girl looked up from a book she was reading. "mom, can we go somewhere different for our summer vacation next year?"

"where do you have in mind, sweety? paris? london?"

"how about the moon?" her brother chimed in good-naturedly. "or mars!"

the girl stuck her tongue out at her twin. "san francisco! look how pretty it is!"

she held up her book, showing them a double-page photo of the Golden Gate Bridge.

her mother took the book. "it's lovely, annie. but san francisco is on the other side of the country, you know."

"we can have an adventure!" the twin brother jumped up to grab another book, opening it up to a map of the united states. "look, we can go through texas and see cowboys!"

"and oil wells!" annie added.

their mother laughed. "you and your bridges and oil wells and skyscrapers! you really are going to be the greatest female engineer ever, aren't you?"

"can we take yorick with us, too?" the boy said as he rubbed the shaggy dog's belly, making him open his eyes and yawn with a light whimper.

"you woke him up! poor yorick. poor yorick!" annie laughed and reached over to pat the dog as she chanted the dog's namesake.

a car horn honked outside.

"there's maryanne and alex," their mother said. "grab your bag, donnie, and give me a hug."

the boy ran into the bedroom and came back with a small bag. "love you, mom," he said as he hurriedly hugged his mother. "bye, annie! bye, yorick!"

"bye, donnie!"

their mother followed donnie to the front door, waving at their friend maryanne michaelson and her son, alex, and watched as they drove donnie over to their house for a sleepover.


scene 2: the michaelson house, later that evening.


"honey, can you check on the boys and make sure they're okay?"

maryanne's husband george nodded and went out the back door. "boys, you doing okay out there?"

there was laughter from inside a small tent set up in the yard, flashlights shimmering dimly from inside. "we're good, dad!"

"okay, well keep the noise down a little bit, all right?"

"okay, dad!"

"they're fine," he told his wife as he came back inside. "stop worrying."

there was a knock at the door.

"who could that be?" maryanne asked her husband, who shrugged.

she looked out the front window next to the door. "it's the police!"


scene 3: memphis police department, the following day. donnie and his aunt are meeting with a police officer and a u.s. marshall.

"look, son," the police officer looked across his desk from donnie. "i know you're scared. a terrible, terrible thing has happened. we're trying to make sure that more terrible things don't happen."

"but what if annie comes back? what if she's looking for me? i have to be there for her!"

the other man--the one wearing a suit--pulled his chair over. "donnie, listen to me. the man who killed your mother kidnapped your sister. he would have taken you, too, if you had been there. he will continue to look for you."

donnie looked up at the woman next to him. "aunt brenda, i don't want to go!"

she pulled him close. "we have to, baby. we're all each other has now. both of our sisters have been taken away from us. we have to take care of each other." she looked at the man in the suit. "the marshall says he can move us anywhere in the country we want to go. we can have new names and start a whole new life. it will be an adventure. okay, donnie?"

he looked at the marshall. "my name won't be donnie craig anymore?"

the marshall shook his head. "no, son. you have to change it. how about danny? danny blake."

the boy shrugged.

"and your name will be lucy, ma'am. is that okay?"

brenda nodded, wiping her eyes. "lucy. yes, that's a fine name. isn't that a fine name, don--danny?"

"where would you like to live, danny?" the marhsall asked him.

"i don't know."

"how about florida? some place near the beach."

he raised his head. "can we go to san francisco?"

"san francisco? why there, son?"

"i...i want to see the Golden Gate Bridge." he turned to his aunt. "can we go there, aunt lucy? please?"

she looked at the marshall who nodded. "yes, danny. we can go to san francisco. just the two of us. it will be an adventure." she hugged him again.

"actually, it will be the three of you," the marshall said as he signaled one of his men. the door opened, and a shaggy dog was led into the room.

"yorick!"