Chapter 7
Th-thumph! I landed on the earth again, but this touchdown was much gentler than the previous ones. This time there was no rolling or bumping and I realized I was sitting upright with my legs stretched out in front of me. I looked around me and saw fabric everywhere. It took me a minute to figure out what I was looking at. I was wearing a deep magenta colored dress covering a bulging hoop skirt. My feet were sticking out from the edge of the skirt, enclosed in dark brown leather shoes that laced up over the ankle, and I could see tufts of lace just above the tops of the shoes that I assumed were the ends of white pantaloons. Just then I realized that I couldn’t take a deep breath. I reached up to feel my chest and felt the boning of a tight corset. No wonder I couldn’t breathe.
I slowly twisted around as best I could and somehow got my hands beneath me so I could push myself up to my knees. I don’t think women got around very fast in this time period. I brushed myself off and scanned the scene again. I looked around me and saw women dressed like me with hoop skirts and petticoats. Some wore their hair in tight buns at the napes of their necks. Others wore bonnets to cover their locks. I saw young girls with long ringlets. The men wore long woolen coats that terminated in tails at the back. Their heads were adorned with derbies or short stove pipe hats. Most of the older men had long beards on their chins. I saw dirt roads and horse drawn carriages coming and going by the people.
I had seen Gone With the Wind enough times to know that I had probably landed in the South some time before the Civil War. I was still resting on my knees trying to figure out how to get up the rest of the way when two teenagers came up to me. They looked to be about my age.
“Can we help?” the boy asked. He was tall with straight blonde hair and green eyes. He smiled politely at me.
“Yes, please.” I smiled back. “I, um, stumbled on a few rocks and fell. I feel so silly. I’m a little embarrassed for being so clumsy.”
“Not to worry.” He reached down, grasped my hands and pulled me up to my feet. “I’m Josiah and this is my sister Mary.”
“Oh, hi. Thank you so much for your help. My name is Emma. Nice to meet you.”
Mary spoke up, “We haven’t seen you in these parts before. Are you new to the area?”
I had to think fast and make up a story quickly. “Yes, my family is new to the area. We recently moved from, um, Tennessee to Georgia. We live a few blocks over.” Ugh, I hope they didn’t see though my tale.
“Well welcome to the neighborhood,” responded Josiah with a southern drawl. “Ya’ll need to come visit us sometime and have a right reception. We live in that big white house over yonder. Our mother loves to have parties. We will have to invite your family over for a soiree.”
“Oh yes, Josiah we must. I’ll use any excuse for a party.” Mary interjected. She was small and fair and her dark brown hair was partially tied back from her face with a blue silk ribbon. The rest hung in ringlets to the small of her back. She paused a few seconds. “No brother, I have an even better idea. You must come to our ball tomorrow night. It is sure to be so much fun!”
Josiah added, “It is Mary’s coming out party. It will be a wonderful debutant ball. All the well to do young men and women will be there. Please do try to come.” He smiled at me again, then it seemed like he was flirting with me. “And I would love it if you saved a dance for me!”
I was embarrassed and I could feel my cheeks getting flushed. “Um… thank you so much for the invitation,” I had to think quickly. “But…the trunks with my party dresses have not arrived here yet. I will have nothing to wear.”
Mary responded, “I know what we can do. You can borrow one of mine! I have so many pretty party dresses you can choose from. You can come over about an hour before the ball and I will dress you! Oh please come! You can spend the night if you need to.”
What could I say? I’d never been to a fancy ball before and probably will never have the chance again. I was excited about the opportunity. “Ok. I will come!”
“Oh goody!” Mary laughed. “It will be so much fun. I will see you then.”
“Come Mary. We should be getting home. Mother will be waiting for us. It was nice to meet you miss. I will be looking forward to our dance.” Josiah winked then gently grabbed Mary’s arm and they were off.
I was left alone to gather my thoughts and find my friends. I scanned the street up and down looking for P and Zack. There was not a sign of them anywhere. We had never landed this far apart. I was glad that Zack was with P to look after him. I had to begin my search.
I decided to travel to the right first. This path took me toward the huge plantation where Mary and Josiah lived. I was walking down a narrow dusty dirt road in front of the house. A few mule drawn wagons passed by, and I heard their rickety wheels clacking in the ruts on the road. I continued walking and the road lead me to an expansive field where I saw many men picking cotton. They were sweating in the hot midday sun but never even paused in their work.
Something in my mind drew me closer to the white balls of fluff that swayed in the breeze. I focused more closely on the men working in the fields. My eyes landed on a pair reaching down to pick off the cotton balls and stuff them into bags they wore over their shoulders. One was thin and tall and the other was the size of a child. The taller man seemed to be helping the small man with his job. From my vantage point, I saw another man on a horse ride up next to them and he seemed to be reprimanding them. Suddenly, he pulled a whip out of his jacket and slapped the taller man on the arm with the snake-like end of the leather weapon. Then he simply rode off.
I felt compelled to walk closer to these people. I struggled with my hoop skirt to pass through the rows of plants. As I neared, I could see that they were very dark skinned with dark curly hair. Their clothes were tattered and torn. Their shirts hung from their shoulders as if they were three sizes too big. Their pants were tightened around their waists with rope belts and their bare feet stuck out below covered with mud.
As I approached, the taller man turned his head toward me and I could see his shining blue eyes. I caught my breath. It was Zack! I turned my eyes toward the smaller man. It was P! The travel through the mist must have transformed their skin and hair, and now they were slaves. I came out looking like a wealthy land owner’s daughter and my best friends were slaves. I felt so bad. Not only for them but for all the people in the field forced to work alongside them. I looked around and saw men, women and children all laboring under the hot sun.
I came up to my friend and my brother. “Are you guys all right? I’m sorry we were separated. Is your arm okay?”
Zack replied, “We’re fine. My arm hurts, but he really didn’t hit it that hard. We landed here in the cotton field. In fact I rolled straight into Mr. Hall, that lovely man that hit me with his whip!” Zack’s statement oozed with sarcasm and cynicism. “He is in charge of the slaves on this plantation and keeps them in line. As soon as he saw us lying on the ground he assumed we were loafers and pushed us back into work. While we were working, we met Sam and John over there.” He nodded in the direction of two other men picking cotton. “They showed us the proper way to pick the cotton balls and gave us each an extra bag that they had. Sam’s wife and son are on the other side of the field. Mr. Hall thinks that the slaves work faster when the families are separated.”
I looked to see to two dark skinned men in their thirties dressed in ragged threadbare clothes. Both were pretty thin but had prominent muscles in their arms, likely from their hard work. They continued to stuff their bags full of cotton as Mr. Hall road his horse up and down between the rows of cotton plants. He watched everyone like a hawk so I stayed in the shadows as best I could. Finally he ended his rounds on this side of the field and began to trek across to the other side where Sam’s wife labored.
The thinner of the two men watched Mr. Hall leave then walked over to Zack, P and me. “Hi, I’m Sam. Your friends have told me about you. It’s nice to meet you.” He bowed and offered me his hand.
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bsp; I shook it and replied, “It’s nice to meet you, too. I wish it was under better circumstances.”
Sam nodded in agreement, “We get by. I don’t think we could make it through without faith though. We pray that God will get us out if here. I’ve heard that up North black men can be free and don’t have to be slaves. Zack here tells us that he and P were free up in Ohio and actually got paid for the work he did for your family.”
I had to think carefully about what I said next. I couldn’t give any information on the Civil War. It hadn’t happened yet. I shook my head yes and replied, “There are many people up North that don’t believe in treating human beings like animals. I have heard that President Lincoln is trying to end slavery in the United States. My family stands behind him.”
John had approached us and joined in on the conversation. “That would be wonderful if the President could save us, but these wealthy landowners are very powerful down here. They give up humanity for money. They’ll never settle for the rules from up North. I’ve heard that trouble will be brewing once Mr. Lincoln passes his new laws.”
Zack, P and I remained quiet but nodded our heads. We knew trouble was just around the corner in the form of a war that would end many American’s lives. We also knew that is would be many, many years after the Civil War before people would be accepted despite the color of their skin.
Sam interjected, “The talk around the slaves’ quarters is that some Northerners are here doing work for the Underground Railroad.”
What’s the underground railroad?” asked P. “Is it a train that goes underground?”
“No, son,” continued Sam, “It is a group of people that secretly work together to help slaves escape and bring them to the North. They help get them from station to station until they make it to freedom. We’ve heard that there is a meeting point at the end of town. Behind the blacksmith’s shop, I think. I would love to be able to save my whole family and get them to freedom.” He chewed at the inside of his cheek as he stared down at the ground sad and disappointed.
John interjected into the silence, “Mr. Hall and his underlings watch us too closely to ever think of escaping. A few weeks ago Isaiah snuck out of his cabin to secretly meet with Annie at the camp down yonder. Typical teenage boy thinks he’s falling in love. See where it got him. Mr. Halls lackey, Charles, caught him halfway there and whipped him severely. I can’t imagine what would happen if he tried to escape.” He shook his head back and forth.
Zack spoke up, “There has to be a way to get you guys out of here to meet the operatives of the Underground Railroad. You can’t miss this opportunity!” As he was thinking, he looked up just in time to see Mr. Hall’s horse emerging through the cotton plants on the far side of the field. “Emma, you have to get out of here! He can’t see us talking to you. We will all be in danger then. But where will you go?”
“It’s okay Zack. I’ve been invited to the party at the plantation. The teenage girl that lives there is letting me borrow a dress and gave me an invitation to stay the night. Will you guys be all right?”
“Yes, P and I can sleep in the cabin with Sam’s family tonight.” Then Zack pulled me aside so the others could not hear. “I don’t know how long we will be in this time but we need to stay safe while we’re here. Try to meet us here in the morning. We will start working in the field at dawn. Please be careful!”
“Yeah Emma,” chimed in P. “Be careful. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.” Then he smiled.
“Okay guys, I will. You two please stay out of trouble too!” and I turned to wade through the field toward the plantation house just as Mr. Hall came near enough to see us. The boys went back to their picking.
It was nearing five o’clock as I started the climb up the hill in front of the grand plantation house. From where I stood I could see the expanse of the house. I think there were about 25 windows on the white façade. Huge Corinthian columns lined the front porch that extended all the way to each side of the house. The columns’ leaf-like carvings at the top seemed to creep towards the eaves of the porch roof. Bright white wooden rocking chairs sat empty and motionless behind them. I imagined that they would be filled with wealthy Southern women clothed in beautiful silk gowns, fanning themselves in the heat, once the party started. Then I realized how hot it really was, especially with the multiple layers of clothing I had on. Little beads of sweat were running down my face and neck and staining the top of my dress. It was a good thing that Mary had a dress I could borrow.
I approached the house and ascended the brick stairs that lead to the front porch and I began to get nervous. What was I doing? I’m terribly shy at parties in my own time. How would I fit in here? What if someone asked me to dance? What would I talk about?
I came up to the great wooden doors and reached up to grab the ornate metal knocker on the right door. The metal was twisted into a spiral and bent into a circle that would hit a metal plate to make a noise. The circle ended at the top and morphed into a metal buck’s head, complete with spiky metal antlers. I knocked the metal circle on the door. Bang! The noise was louder than I expected and I jumped. Just then, the door was opened by an older African American man dressed in a simple black suit. He was clean shaven and had graying hair at his temples. His face was worn and seemed to show years of a stressful life, yet he had a soft kind countenance and smiled as he let me in.
“You must be Miss Mary’s new friend. I will let her know you are here. Please miss, come in and sit down.” He nodded gently and waved his arm toward a mauve velvet settee in the hallway.
As I was bending my legs to sit on the sofa Mary came bounding down one side of the ornate wooden staircase at the center of the foyer. The stairs split in the middle and descended along both walls of the entranceway. They were made of beautiful hardwood, stained dark brown and carpeted at the center with a purple tapestry rug.
“Oh Emma, you came. I’m so excited. Let’s get you upstairs and pick out a party dress.”
Mary grabbed my hand then dragged me up the stairs behind her to her room. It was exquisitely decorated and an ornately carved four poster bed sat at the center, under a window. She pulled me into an adjoining room that I soon realized was a closet. It was huge and stuffed full of lovely silk dresses in a rainbow of colors. She began to rifle through the collection, yanking a part of each dress across my torso to see if it suited me. She finally narrowed the choices down to two and let me decide which one I would wear.
One dress was a deep golden silk with pale yellow flowers embroidered throughout the cloth. It had a sweet heart neckline that seemed to come down pretty far and puffy short sleeves that were adorned with lace at the edges. The bottom of the dress hit the floor and was embellished with more lace at the hem. The other dress was dark purple almost the color of eggplant. The neckline was square and did not come down as far as the other. Its capped sleeves were made of layers of silk cloth that gave each a subtle ruffle. The fabric was smooth and unadorned which made it appear richer in color. The dress tapered at the waist then cascaded to the floor where it was tied up in small bows to reveal a lighter purple underskirt. This dress was more “me”, simpler and less ornate.
“Oh, Mary, can I wear the purple one? I think it is gorgeous!”
“Of course.” she replied. “I will have Hattie help you put it on.” And she called for her maid.
Hattie was in her early twenties and very sweet. She had beautiful ebony skin and a crystal clear complexion. I think in our time she could have been a model.
“All right Miss Emma. Let me cinch you up so the dress fits best.”
She pulled my corset strings tight and I felt the air rush out of my chest. I had visions of Miss Scarlet being dressed by Mammie and briefly felt like a star. Then I realized how uncomfortable I was and the star quality vanished. Hattie draped the dress over my head and pulled it down into position. She shook out the bottom of the dress so it fell evenly onto the floor.
“Look at yourself in the mirror Emma!??
? Mary exclaimed. “What a pretty dress.”
I peered into the mirror. The dress actually looked good on me. It was stunning. “Thank you for your help Hattie, and thank you Mary for letting me borrow this dress. I feel like a princess.”
Mary was ecstatic and clapped her hands. Then she went to get herself ready in the golden gown, and she looked wonderful too. I was having so much fun, but then I remembered that the boys were not as lucky as I was in this time period and felt very guilty.
We finished getting ready as we heard guests arriving downstairs. Then Mary grabbed my hand again and pulled me along behind her to the top of the stairs. “Okay Emma, you have to go downstairs by yourself for a bit. I need to make my entrance because I am the debutant tonight!”
She sounded a little snooty when she said this but I brushed it off as just being a teenager. I knew that I liked good attention sometimes.
I carefully walked down the stairs and was happy to spot Josiah standing at the bottom.
“Hello Emma, you look beautiful!”
I could feel my cheeks getting hot and I knew they were also turning fiery red. I hoped Josiah did not notice. He smiled then took my hand to help me down the last step. Funny, I made it down the other fifteen on my own. Why did I need help on the last one? Josiah took me around to meet his parents as we waited for Mary’s entrance. They were both impeccably dressed. His father was attired in a tuxedo style suit with black tails that came to just behind his knees. His mother wore a red silk gown with a beaded bodice. I could see intricately embroidered leaves and vines cascading down the scarlet skirt of the dress. I could tell these wealthy plantation owners ran in the highest social circles.
Just as I was admiring Josiah’s parents’ style, the butler I had met at the door stood at the top of the stairs and spoke in a loud baritone voice. “May I have your attention please? I would like to introduce Miss Mary Turner on her sixteenth birthday.”
Mary emerged from the hidden part of the hallway and slowly walked toward the stairs. Her shoulders were pulled back perfectly and she held her chin at the exact angle that would accentuate the neckline of her gown. She carefully walked model-like down the stairs to her friends who were standing at the bottom. After she touched down the grown-up air quickly disappeared and she began to gab and giggle with her friends.
Then the music started and the party goers began to dance. The men and women partnered, grabbed hands and began to promenade in the center of a circle of the other dancers. The music was fast paced and lively. I saw Mary swept up to dance with a very nice-looking boy about our age. Her friends were all caught up in the energy of the dance, twirling around with the aid of their partners’ arms. Everyone’s faces beamed with smiles and Mary looked so happy. I enjoyed standing back and watching the scene.
Then the music changed to a slower beat and a three-quarter time rhythm. I heard one, two, three…one, two three. It was a waltz.
Just as I realized what the dance was, Josiah approached me. He held out his hand. “May I have this dance?”
“Oh dear,” I replied, “I did promise you a dance, but I am such a terrible dancer that I may step on your feet.”
He smiled softly. “Do not worry my dear, I will lead you.” And he grabbed my hand and led me to the dance floor. He reached around my waist with his right hand and pulled my opposite arm into the air with his left. A step out to the side and away we went.
I was having so much fun being spun and twirled around to the music. When the song was over, we laughed despite our exhaustion after the activity, Josiah still holding me around the waist. It felt so good to have attention from a charming boy. We walked to the back wall to sit the next dance out.
“I will get you some punch Emma, and there is a servant over there that has some appetizers on a plate.”
I watched my dance partner walk towards the refreshments and I turned to the servant with the food. My heart stopped for a second. It was Zack and he was looking at me with a scowl on his face.
“I’m glad you’re having fun Emma.” he said cynically. “P and I have worked in the field all day and they made me come to work at this party with all these pretentious rich people. How can you dance and laugh with these slave owners? Don’t you remember the families we met today?” He shook his head back and forth.
“Zack, I told you I was coming tonight. Mary is very nice and she has offered me a place to stay and let me borrow her clothes. I need to act grateful.”
“Oh, all right,” he conceded. “Go have fun, but please come and stay in the slaves’ cabin tonight. I don’t trust these people, especially that boy.” He nodded in the direction of the punch bowl.
I turned to see Josiah returning with my punch. I was confused, but then detected an air of jealousy in Zack’s words. We broke off the conversation as the boy advanced and I backed away.
“Here you go Emma.” Josiah handed me a glass. “What were you talking to that slave about? Do you know him? He is not supposed to talk to the guests.”
“Oh, no. I, um, do not know him. I had just asked him about the appetizers and he was telling me how delicious they were.”
I changed the subject and we conversed about the plantation and how the land had been in his family for years. We danced a few more dances as the night wore on. Soon the party was over and Mary came up to me. Not surprisingly, I did not see much of her that evening. She was usually being whisked around the dance floor by eligible young men.
“Oh, Emma, have you had fun? I saw you dancing with my brother out there. Do stay the night if you can. We would love to have you.”
I saw Josiah nod in agreement and I remembered Zack’s comments. I felt horribly guilty. Not only was I eating, drinking and having fun while people were being held as slaves at this house, but I hurt my friend’s feelings.
“No thank you. You have been very kind to me tonight, but I need to go home to my family. I had a wonderful time.” At that, I nodded to both of them with a polite smile and went upstairs to change back into my own frock before leaving the great house.
There were many people coming and going on the front lawn, and I blended in as best as I could. I snuck down to the edge and started toward the cotton field. Sam and John had warned us that Mr. Hall’s minions guarded the field and cabins at night, so no slaves could escape. As I neared the camp, I saw a young man on a horse patrolling the area. The horse trotted slowly back and forth in front of the cabins, seemed to complete its course, and continued on down the field to the other camps.
I ran to the first cabin on the right as I had been told, careful to avoid the watchful eye of the guard. My dress dragged through the mud and made my trek slower. Finally I came to the small house, without being seen, and rapped on the front door. Sam slowly opened it then relaxed when he saw me.
“Oh, Miss Emma, Zack told us you were coming. We are so happy to have you. You were careful going past the guard though?” warned Sam.
“Don’t worry, he didn’t see me.”
“Come sit down.” It was P. “This is Maggie, Sam’s wife, and this is Lucy their daughter. Maggie was tall and slender with a pretty face and complexion like Hattie at the plantation house. I wondered if they were sisters. Lucy was about P’s age and just slightly taller. She wore her hair in pigtails on either side of her head. She giggled when she talked to P and it looked like the two of them were fast friends.
Zack pulled me aside and tried to speak to me in private, while P and Lucy were entertaining the rest of the family. He spoke in a desperate low voice, “We need to save this family and take them to the Underground Railroad. I think it is why we are here. I think we can get them out of here and to the end of town.”
“Zack, how are we going to do that?”
“One of us needs to distract Charles while he is on patrol. The others can sneak out past him after that. P and I can cause a commotion while you get the family and John out to the road.”
I thought for a minute. “No, I have a better idea.”
I was feeling a new confidence in myself and my appearance after my dances with Josiah. “I can try to distract him. I can maybe try and flirt with him. He is just a young man.”
“No, Emma that would be too dangerous. You could get hurt.” said Zack worriedly.
“Zack, I think I would be in less danger of getting hurt than you and P. Two slaves getting into mischief would surely get whipped if they got caught.”
Zack thought a moment then agreed reluctantly. We would have to wait for another hour until the party guests cleared out. We didn’t want anyone to see us on the road.
We heard a rapping at the door and froze. Sam opened it slowly. It was just John coming over as he planned earlier, and we invited him in. Zack and I explained to our new friends that I would try to engage Charles in conversation, as P and Zack led them to the road. Then we sat in silence, waiting for the appropriate time to leave.
I cautiously looked out the front door to watch the big house. I saw a man and a woman leaving through the front door. The man tipped his hat and said goodnight. I saw the butler extinguish the candles in the lamps along both sides of the doorway, then close the door behind him as he walked inside. Moments later, lights went out behind the windows at the front of the house. Only servants in the kitchen at the back of the house would still be active. It looked like things were over for the night.
I nervously squeezed both P’s and Zack’s hands before I walked out into the humid night air, then I cautiously searched for Charles, Mr. Hall’s subordinate. His horse was at the far end of the field, so I quietly walked toward the house to make it look like I was coming from that direction when Charles returned. My heart beat fast and hard as I waited for him.
The horse hoof beats neared, and when the young man was about 25 yards away from me, I started to walk towards him. I made sure to make a lot of noise as I tramped through the muddy field.
“Who goes there?” Charles slowed his horse and raised his rifle.
I almost couldn’t talk when I saw the weapon, but I eventually got out the words. “Excuse me sir,” I said with the sweetest southern accent I could, “I am so sorry to bother you but I seem to have lost my way coming from the party. I am so distressed. I meant to find the road to town but I have ended up at this field of cotton. I am so lucky to find such a nice-looking man as you to help me find my way back.”
Charles smiled smugly. “Of course little miss. Things seem quiet here tonight. Why I won’t just tell you how to get back to the road, I’ll show you personally.” At that, he tipped his hat, jumped down from his horse and tied it to a nearby hitching post. “Follow me miss.” And he waved me on with his hand.
“So, were you at the big party tonight? I wasn’t able to go because I was working. Maybe I will see you at the next one?” He winked.
I continued the conversation as long as I could. As we were walking up a small hill almost at the road, I carefully looked back to see how my friends were doing. I saw the six of them crawling through the cotton. They were heading to a trail farther down than we were, so they wouldn’t be seen. That path led closer to town, and eventually ended behind some stores at the town’s edge. Once they emerged behind the shops, the plan was to continue out of site in the shadows until they reached the area at the back of the blacksmith’s shop. There were expecting helpers of the Underground Railroad to be there.
I kept talking until my friends were well out of view. I silently prayed that they made it safely. “Well, my stars, here is the road. I don’t know how I could have missed it before. Thank you, kind sir.”
He raised his left eyebrow. “Now little miss, you must save at least one dance for me at the Turners’ next ball. I’ll be looking for you.” And he winked.
“Sure will.” I replied, and I gave him the biggest, sweetest, fake smile I could muster.
There was no way I would ever dance with that horrible boy. I started to walk faster as soon as I was out of his sight. The plan was to meet Zack and the gang behind the general store then we would continue our way to the blacksmith’s shop.
The general store was positioned on the right side of the road. All the inside lights were out and not a sole was around. Good. I quietly walked to the corner of the wooden building and cautiously peaked around the side. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw the six of them crouched down, huddled in the shadows, under a few pine trees at the edge of the lot. No one made a sound.
Zack waved excitedly when he saw me, then put his fingers to his lips for me to be silent. I ran over to the group and hugged P and Zack tightly.
Zack brushed a strand of hair back from my forehead and whispered, “I’m glad you are all right.” Then he brusquely said, “Let’s go. We don’t have much time. The abolitionists will only be there for a short time. They will need to leave before dawn.”
We were like little mice scurrying from one shadow to the next. No one said a word, not even a squeak. At one point, John, who was leading the pack, held up his hand with his palm towards us, beckoning us to stop. He nodded his head toward the upper level of the building to our right. A light shone through one of the windows. We all stopped as if we had turned to stone and waited for a few minutes. The light went out and my muscles relaxed.
We approached our destination but everything seemed too quiet. No one was outside to meet us. I was worried that we had missed them.
Sam turned to John, “Are we in the right place?”
Just then, we heard a squeeeak from the rear door of the blacksmith’s shop. A mouse-like whisper emerged from behind the crack in the door. “This way.”
We followed the sound and crept toward the doorway. A skinny female hand reached out, grabbed John’s arm and pulled him through the doorway. He slipped behind the door and we all followed one by one.
We stood inside a back room at the shop. Facing us were a young man and woman that couldn’t be more than twenty years old. They reminded me of some of my neighbors back home that had just graduated from college and, dissatisfied with the state of the world, had joined the Peace Corp. These two shared that look of wide-eyed innocence that they had.
The thin fair-skinned girl reached out and embraced Sam’s wife Maggie. “I’m so glad you made it. We were worried that no one was coming. We do need to hurry and start the next part of our journey so we can get you all to safety.”
I introduced myself as a friend and the young woman thanked me for my help. She started gathering up John, Sam and Sam’s family and pushing them towards the open door. She started to pull Zack and P into the group.
“Oh, no!” I blurted, “They stay with me!”
“What? You don’t own them dear. Let them go where it is safer.”
“No, she’s right miss.” Zack interrupted. “P and I are staying with her. She um, well her family, um… they pay us well to work for them. They are going to take us back to Ohio when they go.”
“All right boys. Then we will be off,” she replied.
Each of us hugged Sam, Maggie, Lucy and John. “Good luck,” I sniffled through a few tears. “You will be in our prayers.”
They were gone, and it was just the three of us again. Zack and P were free from the plantation, but we were still stuck in this time period.
Zack looked at me. “Well, we’ve helped people and I guess we’ve learned something. Maybe the book will work now?”
“Yes,” P added. I’ve definitely learned that people shouldn’t have to be slaves, and I found a new friend.”
“Okay.” I drew out the book and placed it on the ground. We all stood back and watched. Nothing. “Ugh, how could NOW not be the right time? What is it waiting for?”
The air was still. No wind, not even a breeze. I reached down to grab the book when I heard, “Don’t move!” I looked up to see Charles and two other men with rifles pointed at us.
“So you’re a slave thief? Or are you one of them abolitionists that thinks all men should be free. Well they are our property. I can’t believe I fell for your sweet tal
k. After you left I went back to finish my rounds and I saw that one of the slave cabin’s doors was open just a crack. I looked inside and the place was empty, so I rounded up some men and followed your tracks.” He nodded to his partners, “Get them!”
They edged toward us and I felt the hard cover of the book in my hand. I threw it up into the air as a distraction. The three men looked up as it flew through the air. It seemed to hover for a few seconds, pages fluttering with a current of air, then, suddenly it closed and landed on the ground with a loud clap. The men were sidetracked and turned their attention briefly to the book.
We could see the face of the book transforming. A word began to form in thick inky black letters “FREEDOM”. Then it opened to a middle page more quickly than it had ever done before. The unusual letters began their mutation sequence, swirling and twisting at a rapid rate.
It seemed as if the book knew we were pressed for time. Letters fell into place. We read. “Never underestimate the value of your freedom. Fight for what is right and you will find yourself closer to home.”
A strong wind began to blow. Dust from the street swirled up into the air. Leaves danced on the ground then flew up into the air like birds. The powerful moving air blew the hats off Charles’ two partners. As the men struggled to keep their guns positioned at us, they were knocked off their feet and pushed to the ground.
A small circle of swirling mist appeared in front of us. An opening at the center began to form but it was too small for us to fit through. We stepped closer to the hole in preparation.
Zack turned to me. “Grab P’s hand!” he yelled over the increasing noise. “We are NOT getting separated this time!”
I grabbed P’s hand tightly as Zack grabbed mine. Just then Charles got control of his gun. He struggled to stand in the gale. He finally stood up and pointed the gun straight at us. The opening slowly enlarged as we waited anxiously.
Charles began walking toward us. “Stop! You know I’ll shoot!”
Just then Zack yelled, “Now!” and plunged through the opening dragging us behind him. Ahh… the silence engulfed us in safety as we floated. We made it out of another mess at the last minute. I hoped we would be on our way home now.