Sold on a Monday

by Kristina McMorris

There was such logic in her tone, and she was right to challenge my assumptions. I was judging the family through the lens of modern times, as well as by my own set of standards. My mind spun with scenarios with which I could fully empathize. Unfortunately, in the end, the purported truth behind the photograph matched none of those. While delving into research, I discovered an article by Vanessa Renderman published in the Times of Northwest Indiana in 2013. It was a follow-up on the siblings who had once been the children in that haunting picture. Among the most stunning elements of their tale was this: an accusation by some family members who say the mother actually received money to stage the photograph. Looking at the sign again, I noticed how perfectly the letters were painted. They even appeared to have been embellished with reflective marks. And that was when the premise of Sold on a Monday emerged, rooted in an unexpected what-if: Specifically, what if a reporter’s seemingly harmless choice to stage a photo led to unintended consequences for everyone involved? Whether or not there was any deception involved in the real picture I couldn’t tell you, but it did wind up going viral (to use a contemporary term). The captioned photo, much like in my story, was soon published in other newspapers throughout the country and prompted a wave of donations and offers of everything from money and jobs to homes for the kids. Nonetheless, within two years, all the children, includi...