The Shield-Maiden Effect.🛡

This photo was taken in St. Michaels, MD. Two 11-year-old girls entered the store.

The sales associates treated them like any other customer but they were honest and confessed that they were poor.🪙

They could not afford a single item, as one gal revealed seven cents in her small hand.

So one associate was determined to make their experience rich and let their minds expand.🧠

Not because she lacked proper acuity,

she too was once eleven, she knows what makes them tick…opportunity!💡

She allowed them to be expressive, exclusive and exceedingly rare.

The freedom to play dress-up and style themselves with flair.💃

She was tense, she had to admit, nervous of her boss passing judgment.

The girls were fearful of their parents detecting that they were being doltish. They were afraid of the repercussions and punishment.🙇‍♀️

To the associate’s delight, they were giggly and girly.

They masqueraded for an hour and conveyed how much fun they were having, but their enjoyment had to expire early.🕰

They had to be somewhere soon.

They thanked the associate, they said goodbye…with a watchful eye the associate observed them leave and use the crosswalk by the saloon.🍻

In the following days the girls did return.

They searched panicky, swiveling their heads until they found the associate to ask if they could hide inside from the bullies…she gave them a glance once-over, thankfully they were undisturbed.🧿

Two associates stood on the defensive as the girls were told to sit on the sofa along with their friend.

Now 3 eleven-year-olds hunched down to hide from a gang of rowdy intimidators. The associates were prepared to turn the hoodlums away, to protect and defend.⚔️

The hostile clique soon did pass.
The unyielding tension eased at last.😅

It was touching that the girls sought refuge in the store, even though they were raddled and shaken.

It was humbling for the crew of the establishment, they had created a kindly-trust in this beautiful safe haven.🏰