Chapter 9
The Slave Song
As we walked towards the slave cabins, we passed numerous lush gardens and hedges on the property. However, the guests weren’t interested in analyzing plants, they wanted to see ghosts. The sun mercilessly beat down on us, and the water bottles that I had distributed were emptying at a rapid pace. Up ahead I could see the Dumptys sweating profusely as they tried to keep up with the other guests. Lucus led the way while Sabrina, despite wearing six inch heels, was determined to walk beside him.
“Are we there yet?” Ben asked half-heartedly for the fourth time within a ten-minute timespan.
“Just a few more minutes,” Lucus assured him.
“What kind of crops did the plantation produce?” asked Mr. Gopal as he eagerly flipped through the plantation brochure.
“It produced mainly cotton, at times sugar cane as well,” informed Lucus.
“So, who are you exactly?” Mr. Dumpty rudely interrupted. “Are you the owner’s kid or something? If we’re paying you, our hard earned money to show us around this place, you better know what you’re talking about.”
“I assure you, Mr. Dumpty, I am very familiar with the property and will make the tour worth your time. My parents currently own the plantation,” he replied with ease, not at all offended by Mr. Dumpty’s boorishness.
“Where are they dear?” asked Mrs. Scott. “I would love to meet them.”
“Unfortunately, they’re living in Europe at the moment and won’t be able to make it for the summer.”
“Mine too!” Sabrina enthusiastically squealed. “Well they’re spending the summer in Morocco, then heading to Europe for a few weeks in the fall. I could call them; maybe they can meet up with your parents.” She sounded so thrilled by that possibility.
“They are rather booked for the summer,” Lucus replied. “I don’t think it will be possible for them to change their schedule.”
“Oh.” Sabrina sounded crushed. Her dreams of having her parents meet her future in-laws were dashed.
“Look!” Ben pointed ahead. “It’s a river, can we go swimming?”
“That’s Darkwood River, I’m sure swimming would be a great idea after the cabin tour,” Lucus agreed.
“Cool!” The burning sun had robbed Ben of his desire to see any ghosts.
“Swimming would be awesome. Luckily, I brought my swimsuit.” Of course she had. Sabrina carried her entire universe in her oversized Chanel handbag.
“Are those the cabins up there?” asked Mr. Scott.
“Yes, those would be them.” Lucus pointed to rows of log shacks that were lined up neatly a short distance from the river bank.
“Creepy. Do the ghosts live there?” Ben’s desire to see the ghosts were back.
“I believe they do.” Lucus answered rather cryptically as we approached a cabin.
As the group entered the cabin, I was horrified by its dirt floor and makeshift chimney consisting of mud and sticks.
“These are typical slave quarters as they were exactly in 1830 when the plantation was built,” Lucus informed the group. “At that time, slaves were thought to be second-class citizens, so many plantation owners refused to provide them with proper accommodations. A part of my family’s unsavory history that I am not proud of. Although my great-great great-great grandfather, the founder of Darkwood, did his best to make sure that the slaves were treated as humanely as possible, many of the workers he hired to watch over the slaves often made their own rules.”
“Tell us about the ghosts,” demanded Ben.
“Yes, please do,” Mr. Gopal urged Lucus.
“I read about the curse of Mad Marie,” Mrs. Scott piped in.
“I could use a good ghost story to go with this caramel popcorn,” said Mr. Dumpty as he proceeded to munch on popcorn that Mrs. Dumpty had pulled out of her handbag.
Lucus looked hesitant to tell the group the supposed curse of Mad Marie, but caved in under the pressure. “Marie Beau was a slave here at Darkwood. She was also a powerful voodoo queen. Whenever one of the other slaves got sick or anyone in the LaPlante family needed help, she was the first one they called upon,” he paused. “Although many other plantation owners immensely feared slaves who practiced voodoo, at Darkwood the philosophy was that you never messed with a powerful queen. You see, at that time many other plantation owners had lost numerous fortunes and came across vast amounts of bad luck if they crossed a powerful witch or queen.” Lucus glanced around the cabin to monitor the reaction of the guests.
“Go on, why’d you stop?” Mr. Dumpty shouted as he continued to indulge in caramel corn.
“Marie’s life hadn’t been easy. She had lost her husband and two of her children before she was bought to work at Darkwood. Her other masters had been exceedingly cruel, and her family was forced to survive under unbearable circumstances- hence the death of her husband and two little girls.” He ran his fingers through his hair. I noticed that he was prone to doing that when he was nervous or caught in an awkward situation.
“How did her husband and girls die?” asked Mrs. Gopal.
“They died due to the same reasons most slaves died, starvation and disease.” Lucus paused for dramatic effect.
“If she was such a powerful voodoo queen, then why didn’t she save them?” Mrs. Dumpty gruffly inquired between mouthfuls of caramel corn.
“The stories I’ve heard say that they died while they weren’t at her side. By the time she got to them, there was nothing that she could have done. Despite her struggle and hardship she never once gave up hope that one day she would be a free woman of color. When she got to Darkwood, she managed to get pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy. Her life was hard, but she was optimistic that one day her son would be free and acquire a better life for himself. At Darkwood, she was treated humanely, and there was a time when she was reasonably happy. However, everything changed the day her son died right here in this cabin.” With those words, the room went dead silent, and the Dumptys managed to stop munching on their popcorn.
“Right here? Cool!” Ben’s voice broke the eerie silence.
“How did he die?” asked Mrs. Scott, her voice barely above a whisper.
“The stories say that he was beaten to death by one of the LaPlante’s workers responsible for supervising the slaves. They apparently had an argument and Louis Beau tried to stand up for himself which didn’t go over well.”
“Why didn’t she save him?” Mr. Dumpty questioned.
“She wasn’t here. She was called into the main house upon the request of my great-great great-great grandmother Eleanor LaPlante. Her son, my great great-great grandfather, had the yellow fever and was on the verge of death. Marie, she saved him.”
“So, she didn’t save her own son but saved her boss’s son?” Mrs. Gopal was confused.
Lucus hesitated for a moment before continuing. “It drove her mad. I suppose it was the final straw.”
“What happened next?” probed Mr. Dumpty. “Go on, tell us.”
“She tried to bring her son back to life.” Lucus furiously cracked his knuckles, as he dug his shoe into the dirt floor.
“Cool, like a zombie?” Ben was excited at the prospect that there might be a zombie running around.
“Not exactly like a zombie. Queens like Marie, who are powerful enough, are able to bring back the dead if they have the blessing of the spirits. However, within the voodoo tradition all types of magic including bringing back the dead requires some sort of sacrifice.”
“Like killing babies?” Mrs. Gopal was horrified.
“I’m not quite sure what was used in this case,” Lucus admitted. “The legend says that although she tried to bring back her son from the dead, the spirits wouldn’t permit him to pass from the land of the dead and back into the land of living. Mad Marie was able to contact her son’s soul which was still bound to Darkwood. Horrified by the fact that he would be trapped at Darkwood forever, she made a pact with one of the spirits.”
“You mean the Devil?” whispered Ben.
“Not the Devil, but Papa Legba, the spirit who stands at the crossroads between the living and the dead.”
“What was the pact?” I curiously asked.
“A soul for a soul. Papa Legba would only allow Louis Beau’s soul to leave Darkwood if another soul would stay trapped here forever. However, the trade had to be equal and the chosen soul had to be the same age as Louis Beau at the time of his death. The only person the same age as him was my great great-great grandfather, so Mad Marie offered his soul to Papa Legba.”
“So your great great-great grandfather is going to haunt us? That’s awesome!” Ben jumped up and down when he should have been horrified.
“Have you seen him around? Have you seen the ghost?” Mr. Dumpty was every bit as fascinated as his son in seeing a ghost or two.
“I have,” admitted Lucus. “You can see him all around Darkwood if you’re lucky enough to notice.”
“That is like so creepy.” Sabrina was probably worried that a ghost would see her naked.
“What happened to Mad Marie?” I questioned, eager to know if she had escaped, if somehow she had freed herself from her horrendous existence.
“No one knows. Everyone believes that she managed to escape safely and made it to the center of New Orleans, where she established herself as a free woman.”
As Lucus continued to answer questions about Mad Marie, I heard what sounded like voices singing in the distance. I left the cabin to see where they was coming from, but could see nothing. The singing was getting louder as I approached Darkwood River, and I was able to make out the words which mesmerized me even if I had no idea what they signified.
Wade in the water
Wade in the water
Wade in the water
God's gonna trouble the water
If you don't believe I've been redeemed
God's gonna trouble the water
I want you to follow him on down to Jordan stream
(I said) My God's gonna trouble the water
You know chilly water is dark and cold
(I know my) God's gonna trouble the water
You know it chills my body but not my soul
(I said my) God's gonna trouble the water
(Come on let's) wade in the water
Wade in the water
Wade in the water
God's gonna trouble the water
Now if you should get there before I do
(I know) God's gonna trouble the water
Tell all my friends that I'm comin' too
(I know) God's gonna trouble the water
Sometimes I'm up lord and sometimes I'm down
(You know my) God's gonna trouble the water
Sometimes I'm level to the ground
God's gonna trouble the water
(I Know) God's gonna trouble the water
Wade in the water
Wade out in the water
God's gonna trouble the water
The voices haunted me as they sung their tale. Soon, I found myself soulfully singing along with them. “Wade in the water. Wade out in the water.”
“Arelia!” Sabrina shrieked. “What are you doing in the water with your shoes on? You’re lucky they’re cheap.”
I hadn’t realized that I had followed the voices into the water. I could hear them and feel them all around me. I knew they were the ghosts of all the slaves that had died at Darkwood. The song was mournful and full of despair. They didn’t speak to me directly, though. I didn’t know how to make them nor did I want to, but the song was beautiful.
“Arelia, are you alright?” Lucus came up from behind me. Little beads of sweat were dripping from his forehead, tempting me to wipe them away. I immediately felt embarrassed and regretted touching him at all. I looked behind me and could see Sabrina scowling at us in the distance. I knew she wouldn’t come into the water for fear of ruining her booties, and there was no way that she would walk on grass in her bare feet.
“Wade in the water, wade out. Do you hear them?” I asked eagerly. I figured since he had seen me heal Ben, there wasn’t any reason why he shouldn’t know that I could hear a bunch of ghosts singing. As well, for some reason, I wanted him to hear the slave song as clearly as I could.
“You can, can’t you?” he asked, not at all surprised.
“Can you?” I asked again.
“No. Your Aunt Mae can. She’s told me about the songs.”
“What do they mean?” I was dying to figure it out.
He gave me a devious grin. “You’re just dying to figure it out, aren’t you?” He took the thoughts right out of my head.
“No.” I lied. “Come on. Tell me.” I gave him a small nudge.
“I’ll tell you, if you agree to share a glass of sweet tea with me during the picnic.” He looked at me with his eyes full of hope.
“That’s blackmail.” I acted like I was tremendously offended when in reality I was secretly flattered.
“Well, if you’re not interested in decoding the song, I understand.” He smiled, and I felt my stomach fill with the strangest sensation. It was both exciting and inexplicably disturbing.
“Guys, come on!” shouted Sabrina.
I turned around again and saw the entire group staring at us from the edge of the river.
“I guess we better get going.” I alerted him to the mob that was watching us.
“I’m perfectly fine standing here until you give me an answer,” Lucus was dead serious. The man must really love sweet tea.
“Why are you so interested in spending time with me, anyways?” I questioned.
Lucus lowered his head a bit. “I find you fascinating,” he admitted biting his lower lip. “You’re quite the character, Arelia LaRue.”
“Okay. Whatever, let’s go.” I just wanted to get out of the water and away from the questioning eyes of the group. Although, I have to admit that no one had ever called me fascinating before. It felt rather good