Things in a museum are more than artifacts. Behind each human relic is the ghost of a life.
Plain, solid, cafeteria china for passengers in THIRD CLASS, otherwise known as ‘TRAVELING STEERAGE – AS ABOVE; NOT SO BELOW
EXCERPT (five-year-old Finn Cleary) from ‘THE UNTHINKABLE SHOES’ –– a TITANIC-inspired novel by V. KNOX:
[ Our dining room bowls are made of china, finer than any I’ve seen, pure white with a White Star flag on the bottom and a red stripe running around the rim that reminds me of the gold line on the ship. I look for the eggs in cups but there’s only porridge filling the bowls with the red stripe, and mugs of sweetened tea. Mam takes her tea back to her bed and I sit eating my porridge with an ordinary spoon. The room seems foggy with light. It feels cozy. I’m safe here. The anger is over, but eggs are too good for the likes of a boy who wishes his brother harm.
I’m thinking how much porridge a dragon would eat when a beautiful princess sits down at the table and asks if I mind. “Is this seat taken?” she says and her smile lights up the room already filling with tobacco smoke.
I’m that gobsmacked I can only shake my head, no. “There might be eggs,” I say, to be helpful.
“Well, I like eggs,” she says, will I get you one?”
My eyes open, round as egg yolks. “In a cup?”
“I’ll see what I can do. My name’s Mamie, what’s yours?”
“Finn Cleary, missus.”
“Mamie Broughton-Smith.” She corrects herself and shakes my hand. “My friends call me Mamie,” she says. “We’re going to get on like a house on fire.” And she flashes me another princess of a smile, and when she gets up I see that she’s going to have a baby. ]
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Oh, I do like the cups and saucers. Would like to see more of the artifacts if you have any.