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LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Time now for StoryCorps. Next week marks one year since a former student opened fire on school children at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis. Third grader Fletcher Merkel and fifth grader Harper Moyski were killed. Twenty-eight people were wounded. Today, we hear from Harper's mother, Jackie Flavin. She chose Harper's best friend, 11-year-old Orla McGarvey, for her interview partner.
JACKIE FLAVIN: Did everything that happened at Annunciation give you a lot of questions?
ORLA MCGARVEY: Yeah.
FLAVIN: Yeah. I bet.
ORLA: Like, the person that shot our church, what made him do that? I just don't get it.
FLAVIN: A lot of adults should have protected you guys from this, and they didn't. And I'm really sorry for that.
ORLA: Yeah. I know.
FLAVIN: What's your first memory of Harper? Like when do you remember becoming friends with her?
ORLA: I think I was in second grade. I was never in the same class as her ever, but we just became best friends. And you guys would always be so nice to me when I was over.
FLAVIN: You know, people mention that she comes to them in their dreams. And so I wonder if you had any dreams about Harper?
ORLA: I do. Yeah. Sometimes I dream that we're having, like, a sleepover, and I can talk to her, be like, so, what are you doing up there?
FLAVIN: Yeah.
ORLA: Like, are you having fun? Are you talking to Fletcher or something? Are you talking to God? I just want to know.
FLAVIN: You know, I have been thinking about my friend Beth (ph). We were friends all through school, and she died when we were 17 from cancer. And the way I would laugh with her was how you and Harper laugh. But when I'm really lonely, I can feel her with me. And in the first few days after Harper died, I remember feeling so certainly that they were together.
ORLA: Yeah.
FLAVIN: And I thought that was really beautiful that Harper's on the other side with Beth, and I'm here with you.
ORLA: Yeah. Your best friend died, and my best friend died. So we can talk to each other whenever we're sad and stuff.
FLAVIN: Of course. Yeah. I'm here for however you want to keep Harper alive.
ORLA: Thank you. When I see your curly hair, it reminds me of Harper. And I also have little things like - Harper loved turtles, just loved them. So I'm wearing a necklace of a turtle.
FLAVIN: It has a little bit of Harper's ashes...
ORLA: Yeah.
FLAVIN: ...Inside of it. It felt so important to give you a little piece of Harper's ashes.
ORLA: I love it so much.
FLAVIN: Thank you for being Harper's friend. She was her most best self with you, and thank you for that.
ORLA: Yeah. I know she's up there looking down at me and you.
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FADEL: That was 11-year-old Orla McGarvey, speaking with Jackie Flavin, the mother of Orla's best friend, Harper Moyski. Their interview is archived in the Library of Congress.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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