All About Keira part 2

Day Eight



Someone close to your character desperately needs your help. Your character agrees, but finds themselves in a morally compromising situation. What do they do?



Questions to Keep in Mind:

  What does your character consider "morally compromising"?

  Is your character the kind of person to do anything for their friends? Where do they draw the line?

  How does your character feel about having a friend ask them to do this?



Word count – 1,067



The baby was tiny. Laid on a blood-stained towel he cried and cried. Instinctively Keira picked him up and wrapped the towel around him. She looked from the baby to her mother and back again.  His umbilical cord was clamped at his belly button with one of Maisie’s hair slides and had been cut with the nail scissors from the bathroom. It looked white against his bright pink skin. On the bathroom floor, on more bloody towels, lay the placenta, a dark purple mass like raw liver. Keira’s mother lay in the empty bath. She was wearing her dressing gown, the pastel blue fleecy fabric stained with more blood.



“What do I do?” Keira said finally. “Do we call an ambulance or a taxi to go to hospital?”



“I don’t need a hospital” said her mother.



“But.” Keira paused “ You've had a baby” The words hung in the air, childish. That much was obvious.



“I don’t want it”



“But.. All the blood. You need the hospital”



“ I've done it three times before in hospital. It’s just blood”



Keira was lost “ Shouldn't the baby go to hospital? To be checked..”



“I don’t want it. If you take it to a hospital, we have to keep it”



Keira sat on the floor. The baby had stopped crying. Downstairs, just arrived back from school, Maisie and Sam were watching

cartoons loudly. Keira just stared and stared at the baby. Her mother didn’t look at him; she had turned her head towards the wall.



“Take it away. I don’t want it.”



“But he’s.. yours.”  The baby had his eyes closed. He wriggled slightly, comfortable in Keira’s arms.



“Did you know?” she asked her mother. No response. “I mean, did you know before today?”



Her mother made an indistinct noise that wasn't any word. Finally, she laughed hollowly and then began to cry.



“I just kept thinking today that I could put him in a bucket. I could drown him while you were all at school and when you came

back you wouldn't know.”



Keira flinched and pulled the baby to her. His foot poked out of the towel and he flexed his tiny toes.



Her mother continued in a dazed voice. “I thought... I thought, I could put him in the wheelie bin, wrapped in a bin bag. No one

would know. You wouldn't have known”



Keira’s lower jaw and lip seemed to be out of her control. She gagged.



“We can’t keep it Keira.”



“But.?” Keira didn’t want to ask the question. She didn't want to hear the answer.



“Leave him somewhere.” Keira’s mother turned her tear stained face to hers. “I can’t cope with this Keira. I can’t. I can’t. I don’t want it. Leave him somewhere. Someone else can have him.” Her mother was getting manic now, her voice strained against her words. “I don’t want it. Take it away”



“Okay.” Keira started to cry.



Her mother turned her head towards the wall again. “Take it away.” 





Keira put her face to the baby’s and used him to hide her sobs. His wrinkled hands patted his face. His eyes were still closed.

She lifted her head up, in awe of him. He twitched his lips. He looked so calm, so relaxed.



She breathed deeply. Standing up, she carefully lifted him with her. He turned his head. She opened the bathroom door to listen downstairs. The sound of children’s television blared from the living room. She quickly moved to the bedroom and shut the door behind them. She laid him on the bed carefully. He opened and closed his mouth, tasting nothing. In the bottom of her wardrobe she found a fleece blanket. She had to fold it several times to make it small enough. She threw the bloody towel onto the floor. She twisted the blanket around him making sure he had space to move a little. As she did so she noticed how long and thin his legs were. They made him look less like a baby and more like a person. He would be a person.



She took him out into the cold, dark afternoon. She had no idea where to go, where she could take him. Suddenly she was possessed with the idea that she could keep walking, never go back. She could keep him. But where would she go? Where could she go? She didn't have any money, any milk. What if she took him back, maybe her mother would change her mind? She thought of the wheelie bin. What would she do? She couldn't go to school and leave them together.



She thought wildly of her father. Perhaps she could take the baby to him. He might look after him. She could visit the baby there. Was the baby her father’s son, as well as her brother? Keira hadn't seen her father since the day he left. He had never called or written. He lived in the same town but she had never bumped into him in the street. Had her mother seen him? Was he the baby’s father? Keira remembered the endless questions from Maisie and Sam in the days after he left. He left them and he had never come back.



Keira walked on. The bundle in her arms sighed and rolled his head. She held him close. She crossed the park and kept walking. No one was around. Keira suddenly hoped it was a dream. She would wake up. He opened his eyes. He was real.

On the other side of the park there was a public toilet. It was unlocked. She put him on the lid of a toilet in one of the cubicles. Down against the cold plastic he started to cry loudly. Hurriedly, she ripped off her coat and made a double layer over the top of the blanket. He continued to cry. She was scared someone else would come in. “Don’t cry. Don’t cry” she sobbed. She touched his forehead and ran outside.



From a phone box she called 999. She asked for the police. “Someone’s left a baby in the ladies toilets by Bradley Park. He needs milk.” Her anonymity broke down as she cried. “Please tell him. Tell him I’m sorry”.



She waited in the cold park, hidden in the dark until they came. She watched while the police car pulled up, a constable got out and went into the ladies. She left him.



Prompt Nine

Consider the limitations of your character’s loyalty to those close to them. Under what circumstances would they be swayed to betray them?



Questions to Consider:

  How does the other character feel about the betrayal?

  Does your character have any remorse or guilt?

  Is this something they will ever be able to be forgiven for?



Day nine - 1037 words





If anyone had been watching Keira Mabey that morning, they would have seen her ritual transformation. She at first appeared to be an average teenage girl, perhaps going through a bit of a punk phase, walking with her brothers and sisters to school.  As soon as they were safely through the school gate, the alteration began. She quickly turned back in the direction she had come from. Her shoulders dropped and her face became hard and unreadable. Although her pace was hurried, her steps were heavier. She looked bigger, meaner.



It was then that he appeared. He must have been waiting for her because his face showed none of the shock that Keira’s did. He looked relaxed, even pleased with himself “Alright Keira?”



Keira had imagined this moment many times. In the imaginings she always had something to say. She couldn’t get any words out.



“Don’t you have a hug for your old dad then?”



The dam of words broke. “No. Why are you here?”



“Thought I’d see how you are. You alright? The little ones alright?”



“Just like that? After all this time?”



“Give me a break Keira, I know I’ve not been around. I thought it was for the best.”



“For the best of who?”



“Well..”



But Keira had not finished. “The best for me? The best for Maisie or Sam?”



“I just thought it would be better if I waited until things had died down”



“Well they haven’t. So fuck off.” She tried to push past him but he put his arm out. She stepped onto the road to dodge round

him.



“Look Keira. I’m sorry, okay”



She turned back to face him. “OKAY? NO! IT IS NOT FUCKING OKAY. Why the hell are you here anyway?”



“Well...” He sounded flustered “I didn’t want to ask you straight out like this.. but I wondered if you want to move in with me and

Sally”



“The little ones too” he added hurriedly.



“They have names”



“I know. Maisie and Sammy too. What do you think?”



“I think.. No. That’s what I think”



“I heard your mum was struggling at work”



Internally Keira cursed. She thought it was under control but if he knew, then lots of people must. “She’s fine”



“I heard she was losing it”



“Well, if she is, it’s your fault”



“Look Keira. I don’t appreciate you blaming me. She was a nightmare to live with.”



“HER MOTHER WAS DYING!”



“But.. Even before that. She never gave me any attention. I worked every day to pay the rent and put food down but all she cared

about was you children and her stupid mother”



“You’re.. so.. selfish” Keira spat the word at him.



“And then her mother was ill and she didn’t do anything but go visit her. She stopped cleaning the house. Stopped cooking

dinner. I was married to a bloody cleaner and my house was a tip”



“You could have cleaned it!”



“I work hard Keira, I deserve someone who notices me”



Keira shook her head. “You really think we’ll move in with you?”



“Think of the little ones. If she’s crazy, she’s not a fit mother to them. If you move in with us we could be a family again. Sally

loves kids. She’s a great cook too – you’d like her.”



“We’re a family without you”. As she said the words, she felt sudden clarity. After all the worry, all the uncertainty of the past year and a half, she was unexpectedly certain of something. Nothing he said, nothing anyone said or did would break her bond with them. The burden of questioning the right thing to do was gone. He could never change her mind.



“I can do it without your help” he said threateningly.  His face had turned hard and Keira’s expression mirrored his.



“What?”



“I could call social services and report her. They’d see she was a mess and award custody to me”



“If you do that, I’ll tell them about the day you left”



Suddenly he looked uncomfortable. Keira stepped forwards and spoke quietly.  “I could tell them how you left us. I would tell them how Sammy was three years old and Maisie was five and I was just twelve. About how mum was away with Nan in the hospital and you were supposed to be looking after us. About how I came back from school and you weren’t there. About how Maisie and Sammy were screaming and you had left them all alone. About how I tried to call you on your mobile and you never answered. How I left loads of answer phone messages and you never called back. About how I had to call Mum and she came back and Nan died all on her own, without anyone she knew. About how you never once called or came to see us. How Maisie cried when you didn’t come on her birthday. About how I had to cope, all on my own, without any help, any money or anything at all from you.”



She paused for breath and would have continued but he interrupted. “If you do that, they’ll put you all in a children’s home.” His face was a strange mottled colour.



“I don’t care.” She realised it was true. “I don’t care. I’d always choose her over you. Always.”



“You’re a stupid girl Keira. Fine. Have it your way. But don’t expect any help from me.” He started to walk away.



“What else is new?” she shouted after him. She laughed at how stupid the words sounded and when he got back in his van and

drove off she began to cry.



Keira walked straight home. She didn’t look to see if anyone from the school was watching her. She went straight into the house. Her mother was sat on the sofa. Keira said immediately “I’m not going to school today. If I write down what you have to say and dial the number will you phone the school and tell them I’m sick? It’s just an answer phone; you don’t have to talk to a real person.” 



Her mother nodded. Then she added “Will you do the same for me?”



Keira nodded. “Put the TV on. I’ll boil the kettle.”







Prompt Ten

The time has come for your character to exit stage right. The end of the story or the end of their life, either way tell us, what are your character’s final words or thoughts? Have they grown over this short, tumultuous journey? What does the future hold for them?



Day 10 – Word Count – 871



February 2017



Keira sat in the foyer. She was 15 minutes early. She got up nervously and went to the ladies. She looked in the mirror, breathed deeply and smiled at her reflection. Her hair was still short, but dyed dark brown instead of black. She ran her fingers through the hair. It felt soft and the straight lines fell around her face. She looked herself in the eye and whispered “You can do this Keira. I know you can”. She was about to go back into reception when she suddenly remembered her nose stud. Probably not what you ought to wear to an interview. She hurriedly took it out and put it carefully in her purse, ready to put back in later. Back in the foyer, she sat waiting. She hoped her outfit looked ok. She was wearing black trousers and a white shirt with a cardigan. It felt uncomfortably like school uniform.



In the interview room the two-person panel discussed her application. “Her essay isn’t amazing” said tweed jacket. “It is factual but it has no flair.”



“I hate to repeat myself, but nurses don’t write essays for a living. That’s not what we should judge her on”. This came from Dress with Blazer.



“Well, let’s bring her in and see what she’s made of.”



The Tweed Jacket and Dress with Blazer introduced themselves to Keira but she immediately forgot their names.



All the standard questions were soon out of the way. Keira couldn’t tell if they liked her or not. They couldn’t decide if they liked her or not.



“Why do you want to study nursing at the City University London?” Tweed Jacket asked



“I heard it was the best” Keira answered.



“You’ve chosen adult nursing. Do you have any thoughts on what you would like to specialise in?” Dress with Blazer asked.



“Palliative care.” She said it without pause or doubt.



Tweed Jacket had not been expecting this. He looked closer at the keen sharp face and tried to puzzle it out.



“Could I ask why?”



Keira paused and took a deep breath. Not because she wanted to conceal the truth but so she could word it properly.



“Six years ago, my grandmother died. My father.. wasn’t around, and my mother was extremely vulnerable. Death is a weird thing. It happens to everyone but it can rip a family apart. It’s the little things that help. I can do those things. I know it won’t be easy, but I know that I can do it”.



After the interview had ended Tweed Jacket and Dress with Blazer looked at one another. “Well, I want her” Dress with Blazer said. Tweed Jacket slapped the papers down on the desk. “Best candidate we’ve had all day. Girl was born a nurse.”





Eight months later Keira stood over a suitcase in her bedroom. She looked in her wardrobe anxiously. Should she take all her clothes? Or just the winter things? London was bound to be different in what you wore. She was just deciding that she definitely wouldn’t need shorts when Maisie came in.



“You haven’t even started packing!”



“I’m getting there. You have to think about these things.”



“You mean, you have to think about these things. I’d just pack everything.”



“Shall I do that then?”



“Yes!” With that, Maisie began grabbing things out of the wardrobe and stuffing them into the suitcase.



“Woah! Not the hangers!”



“You don’t know if they have hangers at University. You might need them.” Maisie continued to stuff.



Keira gave in and lay on the bed laughing. When Maisie had finished packing Keira’s suitcase she lay on the bed too. They both stared at the ceiling.



“I kinda wish you weren’t going, but I know that’s selfish.”



“I’m gonna miss you too. I can’t imagine not living with you guys.”



Sam interrupted. He raced into the room and jumped on the bed. “Keira, when you go to University, will you have to cut up heads?”



Keira’s looked mystified. “I don’t know. Probably not? I think it’s just doctors that do that”



Sam made a face. “Would you do it if they asked you to?”



“I think so, yes.”



Sam jumped from the bed “You are weird, Keira.” He hugged her impulsively.



“Can I stay up tonight and watch that film?”



Keira rolled her eyes. “Go and ask mum. I don’t know”



After having a conversation with Sam about how he could most definitely not stay up and watch the said film, her mother came into the room.



“How are you getting on love?”



“Okay I think. I feel a bit weird but I think it’s excitement as well as nerves”



“You’ll do great. I’m so proud of you Keira.”



Keira didn’t know what to say. She emptied a drawer of socks into the suitcase.



“I bought you a door wedge.” She handed it to Keira.



Keira looked at it questioningly.



“Someone told me that the best thing a student can do in their first week at uni is to wedge their door open so people can come and talk to them without having to knock.”



Keira laughed. “Sounds like a plan”



Her mother hugged her.  “Don’t work too hard Keira, it’s your time now”.