in Solidarity

Up on the fourth floor, in Suite 410, Mrs. Sztebranski napped on the couch, and looking down at her were the three little sibling monkeys she was to be looking after. Eight-year old Danka, her younger brother, Larry, and the youngest of all, five-year old Eddie, all stood snickering and giggling, proud of their achievement. It was Larry, who in his grade one class, learnt that enough cough and cold medicine would prove a fascinating magic potion, and so they drugged their babysitter as soon as their mother hugged and kissed them all goodbye at the front door.

Danka gently reached for the old lady’s hand, and slowly pulled off the object of her desire: Mrs. Sztebranski’s wedding band. The ancient ring was too big for any finger but her middle, and after slipping it on, Danka turned to Larry and started right where she left off the day before. She shoved him hard, pulled his hair, told him she’s Queen and ran straight down the hall towards his room. Caught off guard, screaming and yelling, Larry took the bait and chased his sister, and poor lil’ Eddie, always the one to get stepped on, raised himself off the ground and shrieked, bouncing off the walls.

“Get out of our room!” He screamed as he fell through the door. The two brothers stood shoulder to shoulder, Larry a foot higher, ready to take on their older sister, ready for the next chapter in their familiar war. Talented and manipulative for such an early age, Danka stood calmly in the middle of the room and merely raised her finger to her lips, hushing them down both. “Let’s play a game,” She said. “I will be Queen. And you two are my servants.” And before either could answer, Danka suddenly sprung to life and went mad with attack. She swept all the toys off of Larry’s desk, jumped on Eddie’s bed, tossed all the books off his shelves, ripped open the boys’ dresser, dumped all the drawers out onto the floor, threw the pillows at her brothers, pulled the sheets off the beds, dragged the mattresses off their frames, and even tore their posters off the walls, crumpling them onto the floor.

Satisfied, smug and victorious, she looked at the two boys and smiled. “It’s your room, you did this. I was quietly playing with my dolls. Now. Take me to my throne!”

Eddie, dumbfounded, looked up at his older brother for guidance, who looked back down at him, ready to explode.

“The dolls.”

This, as they had talked of and planned secretly in whispers and sleepless nights before, was a form of brotherly code. As Larry suddenly ran out the door, before Danka could react, Eddie tackled her to the floor. The boy was scrawny, but fast and vicious, biting and pulling until Danka stuck her fingers up his nose. Freeing herself, she kicked him away, and crawled toward the hall. Larry, in the meantime, sat in her room, covered in dolls. He bit their heads off, spat them out, and then proceeded to hurl them at his sister who stood screaming at the bedroom door.

A drooling Mrs. Sztebranksi was dreaming of puppies, and had no way of knowing that the monkeys went rabid, jumping all around her, knocking down furniture, crying and yelling, loud as could be. The two boys cornered Danka, but not for long. Mercilessly, she grabbed Eddie by the hair, threw him into Larry, and gave chase to the bathroom, slamming and locking the door. Inside, she breathed relief as she slid to the floor.

“If you want to hide in there,” Larry yelled, “Then go for it! Eddie, get the chair.”

Inside the bathroom, Danka wasn’t sure what the boys were doing, but when she tried she found she couldn’t open the door. To teach their sister a lesson, they jammed a chair under the handle so she couldn’t get out. Standing in the hallway, the two boys celebrated, high-fived their accomplishment and went searching for her diary.

But Danka would have none of that! She was frantic—she needed to get out! She pulled at the handle, threw herself at the door, even called out to Mrs. Sztebranksi, but with no such luck. She was trapped, but not all was lost. The window over the toilet opened just enough for her to get out, and she felt for the railing with her toes as she promised herself she would not look down. Step by step, inch-by-inch, she held on for dear life as she slowly and carefully moved toward the next window, the cool winter air blowing against her cheek. Somewhere below her she could hear the cars drive by, the trumpeter practice in an apartment nearby, squirrels in the trees, yet still, she would not look down. Danka reached her bedroom window and pressed against the glass. Her eyes and mouth widened when she saw the two boys sitting on her ground.

Eddie rolled around, screeching with delight, kicked his legs up in the air, as his older brother read to him out loud. Entry by entry, day by day, Danka’s diary was finally in their care. And they read and laughed, giggled and screeched, eagerly flipped each page, until finally Eddie looked up to find his only sister, and a look of terror he’ll never forget, standing outside on the windowpane.

Silent and shocked, Larry had no choice but to slide open the window, allowing a determined Danka to fall in. Face first she went, right to her bedroom floor, and when she rose, she held out her hand.

“Oh no! Mrs. Sztebranski’s ring…”

It must have fallen off.

Mrs. Sztebranski’s loud snore echoed down the hall as their three heads hung out the window in solidarity, scanning for the ring somewhere down below.

Eddie was delighted. “I see it! I see it!” He pointed to the ring he claimed was resting in the garden beneath a leaf outside the kitchen window of the bottom suite. Their only problem? Not a single one of them was allowed to walk past their front door. Larry and Danka, watched each other in silent deliberation, then both turned to their youngest sibling, who was immediately on guard.

Danka tripled her chores and gave up dessert, and young lil’ Eddie found himself hanging out the bedroom window, head first, a rope tied around his waist. He was their only hope to retrieve the ring, and as Larry and Danka held on and lowered him, Eddie finally grasped the meaning of that word he’d heard so many times, yelled out by his neighbors and their guests, at those parties that kept him awake so many nights. In Danka’s bedroom, the only thing tougher then lowering her brother was having to help pull him back up. Afterwards, a sweaty and sore Danka cleaned up the entire mess that was left by their storm, her head hanging low.

Returning home, Sheila politely thanked Mrs. Sztebranksi as she went out the door.

“It was no trouble,” the old lady smiled, revealing she left her teeth at home. “In fact, I haven’t felt this relaxed in ages. Those children are jewels.” She turned and carried down the hall. After Sheila watched her go, she turned to the children. They stood at attention, side by side in the hall. Sternly, she eyed each one down. For their sakes, she hoped Mrs. Sztebranksi wouldn’t be too shocked to find out her face was a bright white and red.

The three monkeys giggled and ran off to pick up the crayons they left scattered on the living room floor.


Ldm.