Stopped
Effie Seacole and Mila Nightingale were best friends.
Their mothers were both nurses in the Crimean war, helping injured young and old soldiers recover.
One day, during the war, Effie and Mila were playing when suddenly Effie’s mother, Mary Seacole, burst in the room with glimmering tears in her eyes.
“Mother, whatever is the matter?” Effie asked, concerned.
“Darling! It makes me sad seeing one’s best friend’s mother in tears!” Mila cried, confused.
Just then, Mila’s mother, Florence Nightingale, came in beaming. She was grasping a beautiful red cross in her left hand, and a lantern in the other.
“Mother! Where have you been? And what is that beautiful item?” Mila asked beaming!
“Daughter! I have just won a Red cross!” Florence smirked at Mary.
“EFFIE LETS GO DAUGHTER. YOU ARE BANNED FROM VISITING HER!” Mary cried, still in heaps of tears.
“MARY! You cant just run off because I won something and you didn’t!” Florence sniggered.
“YES. YES I CAN. And its not because you won something! As one’s black, NO ONE NOTICES MY WORK!” Mary was now just purely angry.
Effie stared at her shoes, dirty, old. Then her dress, ripped, grubby, tattered, patched. Her afro hair. Messy, unwashed, tangled.
She looked over at Florence. Her shoes: New, polished, shining in the gleaming sun. Her dress: Brand-new, ironed, frilly. Her hair: silky, washed, perfect.
At that moment, Effie was angry.
Her mum was black. So was she. These days aren’t fair. Her mum did the same nursing job what Florence did. Perhaps even more.
Effie stormed angrily over to Mila and cried,
“MILA NIGHTINGALE!” And stamped on her foot.
Florence grabbed Mila and her lantern and dragged them both across the room to the door.
Effie realised what she had done.
“Mila...I... You are my best friend. I’m sorry. I will miss you!” Effie shouted over with tears stinging her eyes.
“Effie…I... I will miss you,” Mila said, also in tears.
“Come on Mila. We don’t have time for this!” Florence rolled her eyes, annoyed.
Just as Mila and Florence were travelling up the road, Effie yelled.
“MILA! WAIT! TAKE THIS!” Effie threw her shoe up the road to Mila.
Mila decided to do the same.
Little did they both know, Henry John Temple had seen that very act of kindness.
In the end, two friends splitting apart and coming together stopped all racism towards black people.
That wasn’t going to last long though...