Well, this is certainly an interesting picture. Thanks to Rochelle Wisoff-Fields who chose the photo and to Roger Bultot for submitting it to our Fairy Blog Mother.
We called you Big Stan the Pretzel Man. Not kindly. You didn’t seem to mind. You gifted us salted pretzels slathered with spicy yellow mustard and told stories about your grandma, cotton plantations, the hard times and the easier ones. We kids sat, picking scabs on our knees, gobbling pretzels, wanting to get away while our mother’s voices repeating, “Be polite to Stan” rattled around in our heads.
The day they found you beaten, your cart burned to a pile of twisted metal and exploded glass, we pretended we hadn’t seen anything and slowly drifted away.
Up From the Ashes 
You went to a pretty dark place. Nice use of the prompt.
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Thanks for reading and leaving a comment, Trent.
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In the end, politeness isn’t enough. Thought-provoking piece.
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Thanks, Neil.
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Poor Stan. Great story, I could see it happening.
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Thanks, Iain. Kids can be pretty clueless.
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Dear Lish,
A very dark and sad story. Excellent characterization in few words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks!
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A really sad tale brilliantly told.
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Thank you so much.
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sadly, we can’t get rid of nasty people out there capable of doing mischief.
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So true!
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A sad reflection on today’s times, beautifully told.
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Thank you, Ali.
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Well told and sad. The saddest thing is that I can’t tell if this is a story from the past or the present.
(And pretzels with mustard sounds evil).
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Thanks! Have you never had pretzels with mustard? It’s really quite delicious. 🙂 (And I was thinking it was in the past and the MC is regretting not saying anything about what the kids saw.)
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No, and I can’t imagine it even. You must have different pretzels over there from the ones where I live. We eat them plain or with (unsalted) butter. 🙂
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What a depressing tale, wonderfully told.
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Thank you, kind sir.
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Oh no. This is gutwrenching
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Thanks for reading and commenting, Laurie.
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Such awful kids.
What a well-written piece.
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You are a sweetie. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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The event only reflected our cowardice and willingness to tolerate injustice.
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It’s sometimes easier to stick one’s head in the sand than stand up for someone. Thanks, Abhijit.
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True. It takes courage of conviction.
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It’s horrible but there are kids who can be very cruel even if someone is being kind to them.
I suppose that’s where all the Jeffrey Dommer’s come from. Evil lurks beneath the minds of many.
Powerful …. Izzy😎
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Thanks, Izzy. Sometimes kids just aren’t reared to be kind and it goes on for generations.
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Should have listened to their mother’s words. With luck, they will be caught
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Or tell what they know. Thanks, JoHawk.
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…tears to my eyes… I don’t read that her kids did that.
I’ve never had a pretzel. I think it’s an American thing. Certainly not Manchester UK.
I’d love to have heard Stan’s stories – now lost forever.
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Thanks, Patrick. The kids didn’t do that, merely watched. What? you’ve never had a pretzel? Put that on your bucket list. 🙂
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It was a dark place but a realistic story. If some people keep feeding the monsters inside them with hate there’ll be more of that behavior in the future. Well written, Alicia. —- Suzanne
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Thanks so much. The world certainly seems to be going to the dark side, doesn’t it?
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Kindness reciprocated in hateful violence, because? Just because they are different. A sad but true reflection of many in society.
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Just to let them off the hook, I’ll tell you the kids didn’t do it. They did watch and not tell, though. Probably out of fear. And, yes, just because Stan was different. Sad but true. Thanks, James.
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