Abigail Matthews – a Victorian orphan by Shannon Hylton

Dear diary,

Today was my first day at the orphanage.

It wasn’t what I imagined it to be like.  I thought it would be a small grey building with three or four rooms and had a handful of girls inside. But I found myself looking at a row of houses, with masses of children lined up outside them. Every single child wearing the same navy blue colour, not one person stood out of place. They were all neatly organized into groups. Boys separated from girls, youngest at the top of the street, oldest at the bottom.

“You must be Abigail Matthews,” said a voice from behind me. I later learned that the  voice belonged to Matron Limely. She sternly ordered me to go straight to my new dormitory and change into my plain uniform. No exploring the orphanage, straight to the dormitory.

I wondered through the house, and finally found the large room that I would now be sleeping in. The walls were grey and there were just three windows in the whole room. The duvet covers were grey. Each bed on every side of the room was identical. Nobody had any personal items to tell one bed from another.

On a bed that I assumed belonged to me, lay three dresses in the exact same blue shade. Next to them was a bonnet and a straw hat, followed by a pair of black shoes. I dressed into my new uniform and sat on my bed.

About ten minutes later, an older girl named Eliza came to collect me for the evening church service. In the grand hall, where everyone prayed, sat hundreds of children still wearing the same blue clothing. Boys on the left side of the room, girls on the right.

We sang hymns and prayed, then were dismissed for a dinner consisting of: mutton stew and water. I looked around. The other girls were stuffing their faces with this meal with great pleasure and enjoyment, like they had been served a great delicacy.

How could they eat such disgusting food?

I took a small bite of the brown muck and instantly started gagging and retching. I spat it back onto my plate and Matron Limely gave m a deathening glance. I knew some girls would kill to get second helpings.

 

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