Gatherer Badge

Downtown Savannah, how I use to walk this place all the time without the worry of being followed. The Squares, like mini parks, added beauty to every other street. Now they are just open areas that are much to easy to be seen in. Walking briskly in and out of every shadow I can find, hoping that turning a corner want lead me into a group of the gatherers. I thought the back alleys would but the unsafest places because of how easy they are to cover, but they seem to not bother going through….”shit”.

The sound of a stun gun a few yards away is not something you want to hear when you are sneaking around the city from someone who uses them. It usually means that one of us has been caught. It’s usually the ones trying to sneak through the back lanes that get caught first. The best place to hide is in plain site without looking like you are trying to. After all, these are still just regular people, they can only see as good as the rest of us at night. Trying to look like you aren’t hiding isn’t really that hard, unless you’re the nervous type. I take the normal route that I always took, hoping they weren’t scouting me long before. Down Bull street, past the birth place of their founder. Missing the puddle and stepping to the high curb, I stop at the ATM for a little cash. Just another little thing to look like a regular person. Seeing the Starbucks crowded, I stop in for a cup so that I have a chance to see how many of the girls are searching Broughton Street. The main streets are always the most dangerous. Well lit, and the traffic on the street slows you down. As I get my coffee, I turn towards the door and curse hindsight for being 20/20. Sure, they are older, but every single person in the Starbucks tonight just happened to be female. A girl with with a gold torched pin on her collar steps between me and the door. All I can do is thank the gods that the girl behind the counter must have been the screw up of the group. I toss the hot coffee at the leader and knock her aside, and bolt for the door. Thankfully I remembered to bring the glass punch, because I just knew the door was locked. Hoping this little plan worked, I jumped at the door with the punch leading the way and tilted my head down, and didn’t stop once I was outside.

The good news, I was only a few blocks away from where I needed to be. Unfortunately, I knew I’d get caught even if I did get there. Always thankful that the traffic lights always seemed to time perfectly for me, I cross Broughten Street just as the traffic starts to go. I run straight for Johnson Square, jumping through the bushes and make a diagnol line towards the monument so that it’s directly at my back. With the dome of City Hall looming straight ahead, I can only hope they don’t have a trap waiting at the corners of Bay Street. Hearing the sounds of bikes in the distance, I try running faster.

Broughten has no traps waiting. Are they trying to find out where I’m going? I make it to the other side just as a ton of traffic races past behind me. I turn to get a look at the Troupe of fifteen girls that had been at Starbucks leering at me from the other side. Turning, I quickly run down the steps beside city hall and make a sharp U-turn at the bottom into one of the barracoons. Taking the three letters I was carrying, I shoved them in a small crack and ran back out. Making a right again, I run through the back alleyway of River Street. I figured if I had any chance, it was a place with tons of stairs to choose from. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t count on being herded. Each stairway I passed had a different girl looking down at me. As I got into the darkest park, covered by Factor’s Walk above, I came to an immediate stop. There were atleast fifteen young girls. Not the ones that chased me down here. The leader of the group, wearing pigtails stepped forward. “Will you Boy Scouts ever learn, you can’t run for long.” She handed the stun gun to the girl next to her. I figured this would give me some chance, but even as I tried to dodge her shaky little hands were quick. Atleast I delivered the letters….

Two young boys walk to the hidden door with a candle and pick up the letters. As the turn to walk away they hear a loud snapping noise and hurry away from the door. They run along the dark damp hallway that had secretly been carved out long ago. Across the large room that was converted into a living room like area, they handed the letters to their Troop leader and sit down on the couch to listen. The tall thin man looked as those he had been hiding in this hole for way too long. A bit hunched over from the low ceiling, he sorted through the letters until he found the one he wanted to read first.

Dear Mom,

There a so many girls here visiting from all over the United States. You should have seen the badge ceremony tonight! Every girl had her own candle and the camp was lit up really pretty. There were so many badges to give out that groups of us had to say the meaning of each letter. I got to be in the first group

B stands for the BADGES to be given today. They are outward signs of an

inner accomplishment. They are not as important as the work needed to earn

them.

One of the girls in my group, Sarah, is the youngest girl to get her Leadership pin. Her pigtails are so cute! And I was told I’d get to go on a tour of the city with her tomorrow night too. I get to try for my Gatherer Badge! I can’t wait!

Love,

Casey