Klara's Journal

[Gummy]

February 5th 1907

It was a cold morning, snow was heavy on the ground but not too bad to walk through. It was a normal day for Klara, the work had been hard that day her fingers were sore she had needed to sew on so many buttons it was crazy. She didn't complain just kept sewing. To her horror another box of clothing had just been put next to her meaning she still had about another 20 items to finish. What made it worse was the amount of people out the front shouting about something which might result in her not being able to work again. They wanted to close this place down like so many others. If she was unable to work here there was nowhere else for her to work! She was legally too young to work anywhere else yet she had to be the good wife and earn the money for her husband.

Her fingers ached from where she had embedded the needle into through exhaustion. She had not slept well last night due to her husbands needs. Her body was still hurting from the kick she had received the night before with the accident with the matches. Now she had the foreman who was pacing looking anxiously towards the doors every few minutes. Time seemed to go slowly by that day, the tension in the air was horrible and there was no normal singing or chatting. Just the muffled shouts from outside. She kept her head down as she sat on the floor like all the other 12 young women sewing the buttons on. She was not the only one who had lied about their age, a couple of others looked the same age as her but she was the only one who wore a wedding band.

The foreman came over as she wiped the sweat from her brow, the building was unbelievably hot that day, the machines were busy whirling in other rooms. She was sat on her red shawl for comfort but now she wished she could have taken more layers off. The foreman saw her taking a small breather and she was rewarded with a smack on the side of the head. He said something to her and she lowered her head submissively, there was no use crying she was expecting worse when she got home. He would be drunk tonight which she knew she would have a bad night of it. She would probably have to sleep in the small kitchen area or the fire escape if she was lucky.

She focused once more on her sewing, putting another button on another pair of trousers. Three buttons on each pair needed to be completed satisfactory or she would be docked pay. That would never do. She knew her place, knew where she was supposed to be, working here while her husband stayed at home drinking away the last of her pay. If she was lucky he would be down the pub. If she was unlucky he would have refused to go out and demand she go instead to get his drink. Time would tell.

Later she stood up when she had finished enough to move them to the finished pile. The foreman came over and inspected every pair, she kept her head down waiting to have either the items thrown back into her face or them moved off the table. Her job was the last in the assembly line for trousers. If they were not approved she would feel it. She hadn't realised she was holding her breath until they were moved and she headed back to her shawl and sat on the floor once more. Ten down, ten more to go.

Her body was aching as she got up with the last set, the bell was going to chime and she had just managed to finish them. The others sat by her watched out the corner of their eyes as they knew she had done what they couldn't. They would loose pay, she wouldn't. She placed them on the table, the foreman looked through and moved them over. She started tidying, the last job that was done so the next group could start easier. This always made her cough, the cotton in the dust being disturbed was going straight to her lungs. Soon all of them were coughing but then the bell rang loud and clear. Screaming at them. Change of shift. It would ring again in 10 minutes time when the next shift should be in their positions to start working. If you were not in by the second bell you would loose a days pay, if you were late several times then you were fired. That was how it went. There was always someone to take your place.

She left through the dirty grey snow, her shawl pulled tight as she shivered on the way home.

[Gummy]

February 24th 1907

The snow had stopped briefly but then it started falling heavy again. Another six inches fell this day. It made going to church hardwork but she got there. Her shawl was wrapped tight around her shoulders. Even her husband attended with her that day. Most people thought she was his daughter but they knew the truth. They had always had a seat in the middle but on the aisle. This was the only time she could think. Someone had asked him why she wasn't at school and he scoffed at them.

"She's 14! Premature birth! Always was small."

She nodded as she had been instructed because if she contradicted him... there would be hell to pay. The service was good and she kept her demons under control even though the cut roses in a flower display were saying they were dying and thirsty. The church was a safe place and as the service ended she couldn't help but will the roses to grow and take route. The display never seemed to stop flowering from then on, it was not until someone decided to change them that they realised the flowers had taken root and a miracle was declared.

On her way home her husband was pulling her along, she knew there were chores to do when she got back. The whole apartment needed to be cleaned from top to bottom. Moving through the snow she struggled with his large pace, somehow she managed. Finally at the apartment she started her chores while he sat in front of the fire reading a newspaper. Sunday was one day he would not drink, at least that was a blessing for her. She cleaned the house and then made sure the plants on the fire escape were growing fine. Her roses were all closed and she spoke gently to them.

"Keep warm, grow strong, keep hi...."

She felt a hand grab the back of her skirt and pull her back inside.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU LITTLE DEMON! I TOLD YOU NOT TO TALK TO PLANTS EVER!"

"I'm sorry Mr Prast! I was just..."

"YOU WERE JUST USING YOUR DEMONIC POWERS AGAIN!"

He slammed the window down so hard she was afraid it would crack the glass but luckily it didn't.

"DO I NEED TO SHOW YOU THE PUNISHMENT?"

"No sir. I'm sorry! It won't happen again!"

"GET BACK TO WORK! YOU SPOILT BRAT!"

He moved back to his seat as she stood there in silence.

"MOVE!"

Then she got back to cleaning. It was just the bed left to change, she always left that until last. She hated doing it, she hated the bed. Changing it was done as fast as possible, she knew he was now watching her and not reading the newspaper. She took the items to the small kitchen and started washing them. All of it by hand scrubbing out stains caused from the previous week. She started coughing as she was desperate for a drink but knew better. At least with the cold air the sheets will freeze so causing them to become whiter. A trick she had learned from back home. Placing the sheets on the line she noticed hers were the only ones out. No one else would be doing housework for even in her beliefs the Sabbath is a rest day but she could not keep up with demands if she did rest.

Dinner on, house clean, bed changed. Now, for a few she could rest. She sat on her wooden stool in the kitchen, she must have dozed off for she woke with the feeling of pain in her face. A slap and Mr Prast was stood over her frowning down at her. There was a noise of something boiling over and she got up to find the soup was boiling over. That was not good. She quickly started tidying apologising about falling to sleep and that she didn't mean to. Mr Prast did not leave her side. When it was all tidied he grabbed her and took her to the fire where sat down and bent her over his lap and spanked her. She was not allowed to scream or make a noise, he had made that clear from the start so she just took the beating. At least it was short, if she had made a noise then he would have removed the belt and used that instead. Tears streaming down her cheeks she stood up stiffly and moved back to the kitchen where she started to dish up dinner for Mr Prast. He always had the majority and she had only a small amount.

She was exhausted when she went to bed, but the day had not finished. He pulled her out and pointed to the floor by the fire. She moved over and laid down the bare wood cold and the fire hot. Exhausted she fell to sleep.

[Gummy]

March 11th-13th 1907

Fairly dry day. Work had been hot again but she had not finished her quota for the day. Two pairs of trousers had been rejected and she had to do them again. She stayed to finish the work with the foreman glaring down at her, she was not feeling well and her cough was worse that day. She needed rest. Days were starting to blur into each other her hands were starting to become numb to the pain. At least she was not hurting them through jabbing the needle into them. Tired she headed home shawl pulled tight.

When she got in, she automatically got to preparing food and placing it on the table. Mr Prast walked over to the table and started eating. He looked at her and took something out of his pocket. It was a letter, she couldn't read it so there was no point. Mr Prast spoke, his voice cold and harsh.

"Your Mother is dead."

It hit her like one of his punches. She sank onto her wooden chair, he was still talking but she could not hear him. She stood up and crawled out the window onto the fire escape where the roses curled around her. She didn't know when but she found herself in bed, it was the middle of the night for the fire was low and Mr Prast lay snoring next to her his arm holding her body close to his. Her mother was dead. She didn't cry, there was no point. She had her husband and that was all that mattered, she had someone.

The following morning she woke late and Mr Prast was not in bed or in the apartment. She looked outside realising she was late for work. Panicking she got up and headed out but as she got to the door Mr Prast was walking in and glared at her. He pointed back upstairs and that was when she turned around and walked back up. For one day she was allowed off. He spoke to her.

"Today mourn, tomorrow work. The foreman knows and expects you back tomorrow morning. You lost one days pay."

He pushed her into the apartment and spent the rest of the day enjoying her company. She drifted off to sleep occasionally only to be woken up by him enjoying himself. She allowed herself to cry and all the way through the crying he laid with her. He didn't grumble just carried on.

The following day she headed to work sore with red eyes but at least she was back at work and not trapped with him for the day, the room was so humid due to the rain but she worked hard. The foreman glared at her as she entered. He was sporting a black eye, the other children were whispering between each other as Klara took off her shawl and sat on it. She finished the first batch but the foreman told her to do it again. She took the work back to him and he yelled at her to do it again. This time she got a smack on the back of the head. The day felt long as she had to stay during the next shift just to finish all the work. Her back was sore as she had got hit by him a few times. The other children had told her that her husband had given him the black eye and that Klara had better watch her back from now on. They were right.

[Gummy]

Sometime 2021

Well, there had been a lot that happened. Just laying on the grass looking up was new, there wasn't any factory smoke or smog or anything else. It was like it had been back in her home. The only issues was she was lying on artificial grass and instead of birds in the sky there were great big metal birds of different shapes, sizes and flying techniques. There was one that looked like a pear but seemed to stay still while above it something span so fast she could only make out the circle. She had found out that they were not birds but rather metal flying machines with people controlling them. That just seemed wrong! People were meant for the land, if they were meant to fly then God would have given them wings... which she was sure she had spotted someone flying with wings on the news. Then again she had just travelled through time on a weird thing with a bunch of others.

Oh the TV! That was a marvellous device. The programs were just so true! At first she had thought people had been shrunk down and put inside but that was just stupid. The TV was fantastic! She could watch it all day whilst recovering from shock. The future... no... present... she wasn't sure what to think of it! Was crazy! There were more here like her but still there were viewed as second class citizens. Then there were the others... Avengers, SHIELD, Stark, X-Men and sooo many more it was hard to figure out where non-powered humans fitted in.

At least today she would be able to turn the artificial grass into something more green. There was something benieth it all and she was going to enjoy removing it. Sitting up she moved to one side of the area and started to clear away the furniture. It must have been a break area or something similar as there were chairs and tables plus a bin. All of it got moved to one side before she started to figure out how to move the artificial to get to the natural. There were some weeds (as people in this time called them) growing at the very edge at it was these she was going to use to help remove top layer.

Smiling she knelt down and gently stroked the leaves and whispered.

"Grow."

Soon that one weed was growing and pushing up the turf. The dandelion was pushing up a flower forcing its way through. Soon a bright yellow flower shown in the shade and then burst into seed. She spread the seeds and repeated the thoughts and words. The boarder was soon full of yellow flowers and the edge of the turf had been lifted up. It was down to her but she didn't forget her manners.

"Thank you. You can rest now. Weeds are welcome, just don't overstay your welcome."

She smiled and the dandelions stopped growing and just stayed as they were. They would have their own area in her garden of this she was sure.