A rough draft to what I have been working on. So mind the incorrect vocabulary, historical inconsistencies, and grammatical errors please.
Introduction
I ran through the woods in the night. My feet hitting and crushing the laves with every step. I wasn't being careful. I wasn't being quiet. I had no fear of master or any other white person finding me and hanging me. I had no fear of death. I couldn't feel the tears on my face but I knew I was crying. I couldn't here the sound of my breath but I knew I was panting. I also knew an inaudible sound was escaping my mouth. I didn't care though. There was no escaping the pain I was experiencing. There was no escaping the dark cloud that attached itself to me after the series of events that just unfolded, permanently making me cringe. There was no escaping what I knew.
Chapter 1
I remember the first time I was brought to master's. I was just a young-in, couldn't have been older than ten but I remember riding up to the pearly white house sitting in the trunk of master's wagon. By some odd fate my momma and I had been allowed to stay together. As a child I used to think it was because master was a good man and couldn't bear to separate a mother and her offspring, but as I grew older I came to understand that the only thing my master couldn't bear that day was the sound of my mother's crying; screeching really. She screamed and yelled and begged to not be separated and she caught the usually firm man on a weak day.
Arriving at the house mama was sent to help in the kitchen out back, and though young, master had chosen me to grow in the house and train to be a house slave. Early on in my life I wasn't given many responsibilities I followed Aunt Ruth around during lunch and breakfast but I was free to play most of the day.
Master has a son about my age. A thin active boy with hair the color of dirt and eyes that resembled the creek master owned; ranging from green to yellow depending on the day. When we were little I had a theory that his eyes changed color when his mood changed. He told me was I was stupid and because I was black his eyes changed color depending which side of him I was standing by.
I met Alex three days after I was first bought. I was playing with a stick alone by a tree stump a little far off from the house. That day Aunt Ruth has taught me how to set the table and properly address anyone who lived and came into master's home. After teaching me all this she sent me off to "get out of the way" while she prepared lunch. Aunt Ruth, like mama,hadn't been born a slave. She was taken from a world mam described as flowing with crystal rivers with a beaming sun that never stopped shining. I used to imagine myself living in this world. I would imagine myself climbing trees and eating from it's fruits. I would have the prettiest grey dog with sky blue eyes and together we would explored the jungle and wrestle animals.
My mind was probably in this place the day I met Alex. I don't know how long he stood there watching me before he spoke. "What are you doing?" I snapped out of my world and stood up as fast as I could. "Good afternoon, sir. I was only playing with dirt."
"How old are you?"
"I'm not sure, sir."
"Well I'm nine and you look like you're my age so I'd say you're nine too."
"Yes sir."
He began to walk towards the woods and I followed.
"Why do you keep calling me that? Can you stop?"
"Okay, sir."
"Hey!"
I giggled. "Oh yeah, sorry."
"What's your name?"
"Rebecca"
"I'm Alex. Do you want to ride my wraft with me in the creek?"
"Okay."
We spent the entire evening riding aimlessly down the creek and then rowing back p. It was far into the night when we arrived back at the house. Master's wife, Lady Elizabeth Grant was sitting in the parlor room fanning herself.
"Boy, where have you been?"
" I as at the creek with Rebecca."
"You shouldn't be fooling with no slave!" She said as she looked at me with disgust,
"Mama, she's the only kid on this entire plantation whose my age. The closest kid to us is 16 and the other is 6 months!"
"What about Lil Billy. He don't live too far off."
"That boy stupid!" Alex said as he started up the stairs. I stayed in my place in front of the lady. She looked at me questionably. "Well... I guess it's alright!" She yelled so that he could hear. "But don't you go getting in the way of her work!" Then she looked at me "And don't you go thinking you any special because you get to play with the master's son". Alex appeared again at the top of the stairs. "You coming?" He screamed to me.
"Go on then" she said to me dismissively.
I ran up the stairs, I had not seen the upstairs rooms yet. Most slaves hadn't. "And walk!"
Lady Elizabeth screamed. "Don't ya'll be coming home so late either!"
Once in Alex's room I marveled at all the interesting things he had. I started playing with a wooden toy animal on the ground. "Will you leave that elephant alone and get up on this bed!" I put the toy down and climbed the tall soft bed. It had a sort of thick cloth ceiling connected to it, that was being held up by wooden pillars. The bed all together was deep blue and gold. "Am I allowed to be up here?" I asked Alex. "What does it matter? Mama can't do anything and Daddy's always away so he can make money. Plus, anytime he's here he just slaps Ma around." I kept quiet and watched Alex fiddle with a string. "Don't make no sense. I wouldn't slap anyone. I would just tell them what to do and they would obey."
"Yeah, you are pretty bossy."
"Hey!" He pushed me playfully.
"You'd better watch your manners. I'll be your master one day."
"How does your daddy make money by leaving the house?"
"He buys and sells slaves."
"Do you think he'd sell me?"
"No. I wouldn't let him." Alex said without looking up from his string game.
That night I dreamt I was dancing in a field in my mother's world with white elephants.
Chapter 2
Most days I would work with Aunt Ruth until supper then spend the evenings wit Alex floating in the creek. A few days before Alex's 10th birthday Alex showed up in the kitchen with a piece of paper in his hand. "Young sir, what are you doing here?" scolded Aunt Ruth. "Leave me alone!" remarked Alex,approaching me. "Mama needs someone to get some things in town. Wanna come?"
"Why didn't she just send a slave?"
"Ya'll can't read!"
"Well, I'm working."
Alex sighed and walked up to Aunt Ruth. "Excuse me, Ms. Ruth. I need Rebecca's assistance to get some errands done for mama." Aunt Ruth looked from Alex to me and back. "Oh Alright! I quickly let go of the bread dough I was kneading and rinsed my hands in the bucket of water by the kitchen door. "Let's run before mama sees us". Alex and I ran through the path in the woods instead of taking the main entrance path in front of the house. Once we arrived to the dirt road that led to town we slowed our pace. Alex looked at the paper. "We have three places we need to go to."
We started off at Alex's aunt's home. Ms.Celia Walker had the closest house to town. She was a plump women, older than Alex's mom but you would never know because she was always dressed in festive pink. It made her look young. Like he clothes, Ms. Celia was a loud women. You could always find her sitting on her front porch gossiping and laughing with another lady friend or flirting with a bachelor. She wasn't particularity mean but I don't think she cared much for slaves. I'd imagine if I were born white her and I would get along very well.
We walked up to the porch and as expected Ms. Walker was sitting at her table chatting away with another lady friend about a new man visiting town. When she noticed Alex she sent for her slave to get a package, insulted Alex's "filthy" appearance, and delivered the shocking news about the mysterious visitor's past as an adulterer, without so much taking a breath. Alex was given a bag of wax candles by a slave and as we began our walk down the stairs and off the porch Ms. Walker told Alex to let his mom know she needed to pay her a visit.
After there we headed to Williams Travis's, the town baker, to pick up a special sort of lour that was supposed to have come from a country that William said would take years to get to on feet.
Finally we ended at a small shop filled with random things. Alex said we needed to pick up some thread. When we walked in we saw a women standing by the cashier , conversing with the teller. "That's Billy's mom" Alex said. "Billy is the stupidest boy to have ever lived on earth." Alex walked up to the register. "Hello, Mrs. White."
"Oh hello, Alexander, and how are you on this fine day?"
"Doing great mam! And you look beautiful as ever."
"Awhhh" she said to the clerk. "Such a fine and well mannered young man!"
"May I help you?" The teller asked us.
"Yes." Alex said. "I'm looking for blue thread."
"All the thread is right in that back corner." The man said pointing to the far right.
We walked down the isle and Alex picked out a light blue thread. When we turned around to go pay Billy White was standing right in out way, hands on his hips, and starring at Alex with narrow eyes. Billy was a fat boy with dark brown eyes and red freckles that matched his hair.
"You've got to be the ugliest cow I've ever seen." he said to Alex. Alex brushed into him moving down the isle towards the register. Billy followed. Alex put the cash and thread on the counter with Billy still behind us. The adults were in deep conversation, but the old man began to count the cash.
"I bet you never wash your hair." Billy continued. "I bet you sleep with ant bugs on your body." Alex ignored billy and patiently waited for the teller to finish with the money.
"You ugly boy." Continued Billy. "You and your ugly nigger."
A th Alex turned around and whispered in a firm voice, firm but quiet enough for only Billy and I to hear.
"How about you shut your ass."
I firmly repeated after Alex.
"Yeah Billy shut your ass. "
Billy's mouth widened with shock at what I had just said.
"Mom!She just told me-"
"Billy!" Mrs. White interrupted "You rude little boy, don't you see I'm talking.Leave Alex and his slave alone." Billy's mouth widened further. The teller handed Alex the cash and Alex and I ran out the store and laughed the whole way home. We laughed at the fact that Billy Gray White had just been told to shut his ass by a slave.
Introduction
I ran through the woods in the night. My feet hitting and crushing the laves with every step. I wasn't being careful. I wasn't being quiet. I had no fear of master or any other white person finding me and hanging me. I had no fear of death. I couldn't feel the tears on my face but I knew I was crying. I couldn't here the sound of my breath but I knew I was panting. I also knew an inaudible sound was escaping my mouth. I didn't care though. There was no escaping the pain I was experiencing. There was no escaping the dark cloud that attached itself to me after the series of events that just unfolded, permanently making me cringe. There was no escaping what I knew.
Chapter 1
I remember the first time I was brought to master's. I was just a young-in, couldn't have been older than ten but I remember riding up to the pearly white house sitting in the trunk of master's wagon. By some odd fate my momma and I had been allowed to stay together. As a child I used to think it was because master was a good man and couldn't bear to separate a mother and her offspring, but as I grew older I came to understand that the only thing my master couldn't bear that day was the sound of my mother's crying; screeching really. She screamed and yelled and begged to not be separated and she caught the usually firm man on a weak day.
Arriving at the house mama was sent to help in the kitchen out back, and though young, master had chosen me to grow in the house and train to be a house slave. Early on in my life I wasn't given many responsibilities I followed Aunt Ruth around during lunch and breakfast but I was free to play most of the day.
Master has a son about my age. A thin active boy with hair the color of dirt and eyes that resembled the creek master owned; ranging from green to yellow depending on the day. When we were little I had a theory that his eyes changed color when his mood changed. He told me was I was stupid and because I was black his eyes changed color depending which side of him I was standing by.
I met Alex three days after I was first bought. I was playing with a stick alone by a tree stump a little far off from the house. That day Aunt Ruth has taught me how to set the table and properly address anyone who lived and came into master's home. After teaching me all this she sent me off to "get out of the way" while she prepared lunch. Aunt Ruth, like mama,hadn't been born a slave. She was taken from a world mam described as flowing with crystal rivers with a beaming sun that never stopped shining. I used to imagine myself living in this world. I would imagine myself climbing trees and eating from it's fruits. I would have the prettiest grey dog with sky blue eyes and together we would explored the jungle and wrestle animals.
My mind was probably in this place the day I met Alex. I don't know how long he stood there watching me before he spoke. "What are you doing?" I snapped out of my world and stood up as fast as I could. "Good afternoon, sir. I was only playing with dirt."
"How old are you?"
"I'm not sure, sir."
"Well I'm nine and you look like you're my age so I'd say you're nine too."
"Yes sir."
He began to walk towards the woods and I followed.
"Why do you keep calling me that? Can you stop?"
"Okay, sir."
"Hey!"
I giggled. "Oh yeah, sorry."
"What's your name?"
"Rebecca"
"I'm Alex. Do you want to ride my wraft with me in the creek?"
"Okay."
We spent the entire evening riding aimlessly down the creek and then rowing back p. It was far into the night when we arrived back at the house. Master's wife, Lady Elizabeth Grant was sitting in the parlor room fanning herself.
"Boy, where have you been?"
" I as at the creek with Rebecca."
"You shouldn't be fooling with no slave!" She said as she looked at me with disgust,
"Mama, she's the only kid on this entire plantation whose my age. The closest kid to us is 16 and the other is 6 months!"
"What about Lil Billy. He don't live too far off."
"That boy stupid!" Alex said as he started up the stairs. I stayed in my place in front of the lady. She looked at me questionably. "Well... I guess it's alright!" She yelled so that he could hear. "But don't you go getting in the way of her work!" Then she looked at me "And don't you go thinking you any special because you get to play with the master's son". Alex appeared again at the top of the stairs. "You coming?" He screamed to me.
"Go on then" she said to me dismissively.
I ran up the stairs, I had not seen the upstairs rooms yet. Most slaves hadn't. "And walk!"
Lady Elizabeth screamed. "Don't ya'll be coming home so late either!"
Once in Alex's room I marveled at all the interesting things he had. I started playing with a wooden toy animal on the ground. "Will you leave that elephant alone and get up on this bed!" I put the toy down and climbed the tall soft bed. It had a sort of thick cloth ceiling connected to it, that was being held up by wooden pillars. The bed all together was deep blue and gold. "Am I allowed to be up here?" I asked Alex. "What does it matter? Mama can't do anything and Daddy's always away so he can make money. Plus, anytime he's here he just slaps Ma around." I kept quiet and watched Alex fiddle with a string. "Don't make no sense. I wouldn't slap anyone. I would just tell them what to do and they would obey."
"Yeah, you are pretty bossy."
"Hey!" He pushed me playfully.
"You'd better watch your manners. I'll be your master one day."
"How does your daddy make money by leaving the house?"
"He buys and sells slaves."
"Do you think he'd sell me?"
"No. I wouldn't let him." Alex said without looking up from his string game.
That night I dreamt I was dancing in a field in my mother's world with white elephants.
Chapter 2
Most days I would work with Aunt Ruth until supper then spend the evenings wit Alex floating in the creek. A few days before Alex's 10th birthday Alex showed up in the kitchen with a piece of paper in his hand. "Young sir, what are you doing here?" scolded Aunt Ruth. "Leave me alone!" remarked Alex,approaching me. "Mama needs someone to get some things in town. Wanna come?"
"Why didn't she just send a slave?"
"Ya'll can't read!"
"Well, I'm working."
Alex sighed and walked up to Aunt Ruth. "Excuse me, Ms. Ruth. I need Rebecca's assistance to get some errands done for mama." Aunt Ruth looked from Alex to me and back. "Oh Alright! I quickly let go of the bread dough I was kneading and rinsed my hands in the bucket of water by the kitchen door. "Let's run before mama sees us". Alex and I ran through the path in the woods instead of taking the main entrance path in front of the house. Once we arrived to the dirt road that led to town we slowed our pace. Alex looked at the paper. "We have three places we need to go to."
We started off at Alex's aunt's home. Ms.Celia Walker had the closest house to town. She was a plump women, older than Alex's mom but you would never know because she was always dressed in festive pink. It made her look young. Like he clothes, Ms. Celia was a loud women. You could always find her sitting on her front porch gossiping and laughing with another lady friend or flirting with a bachelor. She wasn't particularity mean but I don't think she cared much for slaves. I'd imagine if I were born white her and I would get along very well.
We walked up to the porch and as expected Ms. Walker was sitting at her table chatting away with another lady friend about a new man visiting town. When she noticed Alex she sent for her slave to get a package, insulted Alex's "filthy" appearance, and delivered the shocking news about the mysterious visitor's past as an adulterer, without so much taking a breath. Alex was given a bag of wax candles by a slave and as we began our walk down the stairs and off the porch Ms. Walker told Alex to let his mom know she needed to pay her a visit.
After there we headed to Williams Travis's, the town baker, to pick up a special sort of lour that was supposed to have come from a country that William said would take years to get to on feet.
Finally we ended at a small shop filled with random things. Alex said we needed to pick up some thread. When we walked in we saw a women standing by the cashier , conversing with the teller. "That's Billy's mom" Alex said. "Billy is the stupidest boy to have ever lived on earth." Alex walked up to the register. "Hello, Mrs. White."
"Oh hello, Alexander, and how are you on this fine day?"
"Doing great mam! And you look beautiful as ever."
"Awhhh" she said to the clerk. "Such a fine and well mannered young man!"
"May I help you?" The teller asked us.
"Yes." Alex said. "I'm looking for blue thread."
"All the thread is right in that back corner." The man said pointing to the far right.
We walked down the isle and Alex picked out a light blue thread. When we turned around to go pay Billy White was standing right in out way, hands on his hips, and starring at Alex with narrow eyes. Billy was a fat boy with dark brown eyes and red freckles that matched his hair.
"You've got to be the ugliest cow I've ever seen." he said to Alex. Alex brushed into him moving down the isle towards the register. Billy followed. Alex put the cash and thread on the counter with Billy still behind us. The adults were in deep conversation, but the old man began to count the cash.
"I bet you never wash your hair." Billy continued. "I bet you sleep with ant bugs on your body." Alex ignored billy and patiently waited for the teller to finish with the money.
"You ugly boy." Continued Billy. "You and your ugly nigger."
A th Alex turned around and whispered in a firm voice, firm but quiet enough for only Billy and I to hear.
"How about you shut your ass."
I firmly repeated after Alex.
"Yeah Billy shut your ass. "
Billy's mouth widened with shock at what I had just said.
"Mom!She just told me-"
"Billy!" Mrs. White interrupted "You rude little boy, don't you see I'm talking.Leave Alex and his slave alone." Billy's mouth widened further. The teller handed Alex the cash and Alex and I ran out the store and laughed the whole way home. We laughed at the fact that Billy Gray White had just been told to shut his ass by a slave.
Hey Aleichia! Your story is very good so far! I really like it and i can't wait to read what happens next!
ReplyDelete-Alicia De Luna