by D L Jones
On the other side of the building you see Roger and a few other slaves playing Smut. Smut is a game similar to your typical card game where there are suits and hands. They use other items in the place of cards. They were using ears of corn, pecans, rice and beans. Robert would let the slaves have wine and other spirits as rewards and they usually save those items for times when they are relaxing playing Smut or Marbles. BJ would always overdo it with the wine and end the night passed out in the middle of the floor. Everyone wonders how he has the energy to work all day but every morning, like clockwork, he’s always the first one out of bed and in the field. Now Shelly has finished her bath and lay in bed with Milk talking about the day’s events. Feet is now dancing around one of the other girls as he does every night. Feet is really fond of Nadine, but Nadine thinks of Feet as a brother and never entertained the idea of ever being with him. Feet still tries every evening to win her over.
There are no children at Mason Creek plantation as the last child, Jack, is not a child anymore. Milk and Shelly hopes to one day have a child but hadn’t started trying as of yet.
Robert stood outside of the slave quarters knowing he has to go in and break the news. Harbor fest is soon and his father is planning to sell off all the slaves. There’s already a buyer for the plantation but that buyer is bringing his own slaves and have no need for Robert’s slaves. Robert listened for a while as he heard everyone inside laughing and enjoying the evening but noticed that the noise has softened some. He thinks now is probably a good time, and he takes a deep breath.
Robert opens the barn door and walks in. Everyone inside stops what they are doing and look towards Robert. Robert usually let them have the evening to themselves so a visit this late in the evening is surprising. He asked everyone to circle around, that he has some news that they aren’t going to like.
Robert explains that the plantation will be sold and that all the slaves will also be sold in the upcoming Harbor Fest. The slaves all look concerned, some start crying, questioned looks everywhere.
“Are you saying that we will be split up? Me and my Wife? Bj and his Brother Feet?” Milk says.
Robert actually cared about his slaves and this hurts him more than they would ever know. Robert did a little research and found out about a plantation house near West Virginia that he felt had the same ideals as he. Billette Hall plantation was that house. They were one of the top profiting plantations in several states and they claim it’s because their slaves are happy and are treated like people. They specialize in fabrics and Clothing and have a reputation of having the finest clothes and garments around. Robert contacted them once he knew he couldn’t talk his father out of shutting down Mason Creek. He worked out a deal to have all his slaves sold to them. It was really important to Robert to keep his slaves together and have them sold to a plantation that will not mistreat them.
The representative at Billette Hall agreed but due to the rules of that area, they would still have to go to Harbor Fest and bid on the slaves, like every other plantation house. The good thing about Billette Hall is that they are a very wealthy house and can afford to outbid most other plantations. Robert even asked if he could work at Billette Hall to help get the slaves acclimated to the new environment, but they told him that they would have to respectfully deny his request. They assured him that if they are able to get his slaves, they will be very well taken care of. Robert felt comfortable with Billette Hall from the meetings he’s had. He explained this to all the slaves, and they felt a little less worried about what’s coming. Some of them have heard about Billette Hall and heard that was the plantation house to be if you had the choice. For some slaves, they were looking forward to the change, now that they know the change was potentially not going to be a change for the worse.
Robert still tried to instill in everyone the fact that Billette still has to win the auction for every single one of them to keep them together and that he has no control over that. He felt confident that Billette hall could afford to win each auction but Harbor Fest sometimes end up with weird outcomes.
After all the games and drinking, then the long talk with Robert, the slaves were all tired and went fast to sleep. The next morning was going to different for everyone with the news just learned. Slowly candles were blown out, and the room filled with the sounds of snores and heavy breathing as everyone dropped off to sleep one by one.
Chapter 28
SAMPLE CHAPTER 4
BJ got up and walked across the quarters to check on the other slaves. He was restless and couldn’t sleep. Milk motioned for BJ to lay down. Bj paced for a few seconds more then headed to his cot. He stopped and looked at Milk.
tap tap tap tap
Bj heard a light tap. He looked in the direction of the taping and listened some more. Milk heard the taping as well. He got up and walked over to the shutter near the back of the slave quarter.
tap tap tap tap
Milk looked at BJ, the rest of the slaves heard the tapping and were also looking in the same direction. Milk motioned for everyone to stay quiet. Mona looked on silently. It was completely quiet. No one made a sound. The only thing heard was the buzz of the forest insects outside. After a few seconds, even the insects silenced. Milk squatted down by the shutter which he noticed was not latched. He thought about opening the shutters but then thought maybe Master Vargas sent the bounty hunters to kill them. He quickly got that thought out of his mind as no slave owner would outright kill newly purchased slaves. Milk and the others stood still for some seconds more.
BLAM!!!
The shutter door flew open banging the wall inside. Nadine screamed. The slaves that were laying in their cots rolled over and scooted away from the shutter trying to get away. Milk saw someone climbing in through the opening and he quickly grabbed and threw the person to the ground. Milk raised his fist to throw a punch and heard a click. That clicking sound stopped him in his tracks. He looked to see who he grabbed and was faced with the barrel of the biggest revolver pistol he had ever seen. The slaves at Mason Creek seen pistols and rifles but they were all of the flint lock variety. They had only heard stories of Revolvers. Milk’s heart filled with fear, His legs locked up and he couldn’t move. He looks past the barrel of the gun to see the person holding it was none other than Marion. The 15-year-old slave girl he saw at Harbor Fest.
“Marion? You here to kill us?” Milk said
“I’m here to help you escape” replied Marion.
“Escape?”
Milk calmed down and let Marion up. Marion lowered the pistol and then put it in the bag she had around her shoulder and neck. She stood up and started counting everyone.
“How did you get here?” Asked Milk
Marion explained how she knew once the change was made in the order of the sale that the group of 10 slaves wouldn’t be sold to Master Jesse, She also explained the Billette Hall is a different kind of House, how the slave there aren’t really slaves and the people there are happy.
“Billette Hall aim to buy and free slaves, Give them a choice, not enslave them” She said.
They made a deal with Robert to get 25 slaves from him and they intend on doing so one way or another. Milk and the others listened on, skeptical. After Marion finished talking they all sat and thought about it for a few seconds.
“Why are you here? You’re just a young girl? What can you do?” Bj asked
“I’m just a little girl, but I know how to get you to Billette Hall” She replied
She reached in her bag and pulled out a map and laid it on the ground. All the slaves gathered around and watch as she explained how they need to make it through a path laid out on the map. The trip would take 4 days, but it would only bring them to a boat that is waiting for them in a river she pointed out. Once on that boat, they just follow the river for a few days right to Billette Hall.
“Once on this boat, we are safe” She added
The river the boat will travel is one that is not used by anyone so they shouldn’t have any
problem. Getting to the boat is the biggest danger. It’s rough terrain and there will be no way to get food. The only place they can safely rest is a small boarded-up house hidden half way through the trek that has food and water. They can rest and eat there, but that is still 2 days away.
“I’ve led several slaves through this same path so I have very good experience doing this. Master Jesse had to send me, I’m just a young girl, and I’m able to get in the right places without being questioned… I needed to get back here with you guys”
“So, Master Jesse planned this?” Mona asked.
“Yes”
“Does Master Robert know?”
“We didn’t tell him, but I think he suspects. He’s a good man, he wants what’s good for you. Still, we need to leave now, and do so without him knowing” Marion said.
The slaves started nervously pacing around the room, Bj quickly grabbed an apple near his cot and took a bite, he then grabbed some wine he had stashed and took a drink, Mona took it out of his hand and took a drink herself. She then went to the table where she peels potatoes and grabbed the potato peeler. Nadine walks over to her cot and put on her day clothes, she had on her night clothes as she was ready for bed. Milk went to the shutter and looked outside at the moon. He thought about Shelly and fantasized about seeing her again.
“Shelly is going to be surprised when we show up” Bj Said
“I’ll never push Feet away again” Nadine added.
“Ok get ready, we need to leave now. All the candles are out at the master’s house, they are probably asleep. I already know the best path to get out of here” Marion added
The slaves quickly gather things and they slipped out the back opening, the shutter that Marion entered. They disappear into the tree line at the outer most edge of the field behind the slave quarters.
Robert sit in total darkness in the kitchen. He has a bottle of wine and plan to drink himself to sleep. He heard stories of how Billette Hall smuggled slaves away after auctions but there was never any proof. Still, he kept looking out towards the slave quarters hoping to see his slaves sneaking away. Outside of the window, just out of his view, someone was crouched over slowly walking. Robert thought he heard something and walked over to the window. He looks out. He noticed the silence in the area, not even the crickets were making noise. He was already feeling a little light headed from the wine so he brushed it off and went back to the table to drink some more.
Upstairs, Brian Washington gets out of bed and hobbles to the staircase, he slowly makes his way down. It’s completely dark in the house now as all the candles are out so it’s hard for him to see. He makes his way to the kitchen where he sees Robert.
“Have to use shitter” Brian said as he continued out the kitchen to the back door.
Robert nods and takes another swig, he sits in the chair with heavy eyes trying to focus on the slave quarters. Eventually his head lowers, and he drops off to sleep.
Brian shuffles outside and across the yard to the outhouse. He stops in front of the outhouse and looks around. He thought he heard a noise.
“Is that one of you niggers in my shitter?” Brian yells
He hears no response and mumbles to himself as he opens the door. Brian goes into the outhouse, drops his trousers to his ankles and sits down on the toilet. He reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out a small bottle of liquor and starts to drink. Things get quiet again.
“Robert?!”
Brian waits for an answer and after there isn’t one, he takes another sip. After he finishes, he stands and pulls his pants up, he starts to fasten his belt
THUMP!!!
A loud noise startles Brian causing him to fall back on the toilet. The filthy water from the toilet splashed up onto the back of Brian’s pants and he falls back, legs in the air in front of him. Brian is waving his arms out to the side of him, grasping for the outhouse inner walls, trying to gain his balance. The outhouse door slings open. Brian looks up to see a pair of very bright white eyes in the darkness. An axe wielding arm swings an axe blade into Brian’s forehead. Blood splatter inside the outhouse mixed with the feces and mud. This mixture splashed on the inside of the outhouse walls. A hand reaches in and grab the axe handle. Brian is gurgling blood out of his mouth and nose, his face is completely covered with a feces, mud and blood mixture. The axe is deeply planted in his forehead. The arm pulls the handle trying to retrieve the axe only to pull Brian forward off the Stool and onto his stomach and face. Brian is dragged a few feet outside of the outhouse by the axe being pulled. The arm snatched the axe handle one good time, and the axe comes free. Everything is silent again.
Robert wakes up from his sleep after about 10 minutes and gets up to go to bed. As he walks towards the stairs, he realized Brian hadn’t come back from the outhouse.
“I better go check on the ole man” Robert mumbled to himself.
He makes his way to the back door and look across the field towards the outhouse. He noticed the door open and someone lying down in front of it.
“DAD!”
Robert jumps up and runs across the field. Half way there he thought he heard something behind him and he looks over his shoulder. He sees someone chasing him. A man whose whole body is covered in mud, caked on like he is wearing it. From head to toe. There was so much mud caked on that he couldn’t tell who the man was. Couldn’t tell if it was a slave, a rival slave master, friend, enemy. The only part of his body showing is his very bright white eyes. The top of his head is covered in grass, the grass is fanned across his head like a wig. The man is running faster than Robert can run and he is holding a small ax in each hand. The handle of the ax is about 2 feet. It’s smaller than an ax you would use to chop firewood but larger than a cleaver you would use to butcher meat. The mud-covered creature is slowly gaining on Robert, running silently. Roberts’s heart is pounding harder and harder. He is now running aimlessly, with no destination. The Mud-covered man gets a little closer, gaining with every step. Robert turns forward and tries to runs faster, not looking back. The Mud-covered man slings the axe, and it flies through the air towards Robert.
THUMP!
The blade of the axe lodged itself in the base of Roberts’s neck, causing him to fall. No sooner as Robert hit the ground the mud man was viciously chopping him with the other axe. Chopping his back.
Chopping his leg.
Chopping his shoulder.
Robert reaches out and the mud man chops his arm right below the elbow and sever it. Robert lifts his arm, now disconnected from his hand, to try to protect himself. The axe comes down on the stub the long way. Robert’s stub of an arm is split like firewood with the axe still lodged. The Mud man then pulls the other axe out of Roberts’s neck and comes down one last time on the back of his head. Robert stops moving.
