The Collar and the Cavvarach

by Annie Douglass Lima

  Back at the Coastal Coconut Corporation, the foreman usually left the slaves alone as long as they followed orders and fulfilled their work quotas for the day. But Bensin had seen slaves who shirked their duties — men and women both, and even kids — lashed until they screamed for mercy and then left lying there in so much pain they couldn’t even get up. And he had heard stories about even worse things.

  Promise me you’ll look after Ellie.

  He would never forget Mom’s last request, or his own promise. “I will, Mom. Someday she’ll be free.”

  And he would keep his promise. Whatever it took. Whatever it took.

  He jogged down the street from the bus stop, afraid of what he would find at the Creghorns’ house. But to his relief, the first thing he saw was Ellie, playing with Baby Willem in the front yard.

  “Bensin!” She jumped up and ran into his arms. “I missed you. They’re gonna sell me!”

  “I know. I’m glad you’re still here now.” He hugged her back and glanced through the windows to make sure the Creghorns hadn’t seen him. Not that he was doing anything wrong. Yet. “Has anyone come to look at you?”

  “Yeah. A man and woman came yesterday, but they said I was littler than they wanted.”

  The baby grabbed her leg and fussed for attention, so Ellie picked up the red rubber ball lying nearby and rolled it across the lawn. “Go get it!” Chortling, Willem scurried after it on all fours like a dog learning to fetch.

  “Then another woman came today,” Ellie continued, “and I think she really wanted to buy me, but she said I was too expensive. She said she was gonna think about it and maybe come back later. But she looked mean. She never smiled. I hope she doesn’t buy me.”

  Bensin knelt in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. “Listen, Ellie, you don’t have to worry about that woman.” He glanced around to make sure no one was passing by on the sidewalk and lowered his voice just in case. “I promised Mom I would make sure you were free, and I will. And that time is coming very soon.”

  “But you tried before, two times, and it didn’t work. And now I have a collar.”

  Abruptly, he remembered what he was supposed to look for. “Let me see your collar for a second.” He turned it around in his hands, checking for the words Wenn had said would be etched into the steel. Nothing.

  “This is the good kind of collar, Ellie. It doesn’t have GPS. That means that when we leave, they can’t track you.” She was looking at him blankly. “I found out about a guy who knows how to get people’s collars off. I’m going to take you there really soon, just as soon as I can get enough money to pay him. After we get your collar removed, you’ll go to that City Watch station that I showed you, where no one knows who you are. Then it will be just like I told you before, where you tell them you don’t have any parents and they’ll find a new family for you to live with.”

  The baby was trying to chew on the ball, so Ellie went over and pulled it away, rolling it across the lawn for him to chase again. “But I’m scared,” she confided. “Last time they said they would lash me if I tried to escape again.” Her eyes filled with tears. “But I’m scared of that woman, too. I don’t want to live with her.”

  Bensin put his hands on her shoulders again. “You have to be brave, Ellie. Life is dangerous for slaves no matter what, but it’s easier to deal with the scary parts if you’re brave. And this time my plan is going to work. I know it is. The City Watch won’t catch us sneaking around the streets because we’re going to take the bus.”

  “But what if the bus driver —”

  “The bus driver won’t know you’re escaping, because we’ll have passes. I told you, I’ve got it all worked out.” Sort of.

  The baby made a choking sound, and they turned in time to see him cramming a handful of grass into his mouth. Ellie darted over and pulled it away. “No! No, Baby Willem! I told you, no eating grass or rocks or dirt or snails.” She reached into his mouth with both hands, pulling slimy green globs off his tongue. “Yuck. No!” she added for good measure. His chubby face puckered and he let out a wail.

  “I think I better take him inside and find him something else to play with,” she said, wiping her hands clean on her shirt. “If Mrs. Creghorn hears him crying out here, she’ll be mad.”

  “Okay, but let’s go in through the back. Then maybe I can sit in the kitchen with you for a while and they won’t see me.”

  They brought the baby in through the kitchen door, and Ellie handed him a teething ring from the counter. He grinned and stuck it into his mouth as far as it would go, drooling happily, tears forgotten.

  Bensin could hear the drone of the TV from the next room. He peeked through the doorway and saw Mr. Creghorn lounging on the couch with an open bag of pretzels beside him and a beer in hand. Mrs. Creghorn was probably in her study, working on her computer as usual. He eased the kitchen door most of the way shut so they would be less likely to notice him and assign him some chore.

  “Is Becka here today?” he asked Ellie, who had sat down on the floor and was tickling the baby’s toes.

  “No, she doesn’t come on Saturdays. She’s nice, though. Sometimes she helps me with the baby when I can’t get him to stop crying. I’m gonna miss her when I get sold.”

  The doorbell rang, and Mr. Creghorn turned off the TV. “Hilda?” they heard him call. “I think it’s another buyer.”

  Ellie turned to look at Bensin with wide eyes. He took her hand and squeezed it. “Shh. Don’t worry. Let’s listen to what they say.” Just in case, he opened the cupboard next to the fridge. Pulling a cracker out of the box he had known would be in there, he handed it to the baby to keep him quiet.

  They heard the study door open and Mrs. Creghorn’s footsteps crossing the living room. Then the front door opened and a man’s voice said, “Hi, are you the Creghorns? I saw your ad in the paper about selling a little girl.”

  “Yes, come on in,” Mr. Creghorn’s voice exclaimed.

  “Have a seat,” added Mrs. Creghorn. “Can we get you anything?”

  “No, not at the moment. Tell me about this little girl of yours,” the man replied. “You said she’s five?”

  “Five and a half, yes.”

  “Good. I like them young enough to train. Is she strong for her age? Good stamina?”

  Ellie shivered, and Bensin didn’t blame her. Though the questions could be taken innocently enough, the coldly intent way the man was asking them gave him the creeps.

  “She takes care of a baby all day,” Mrs. Creghorn replied. “She knows how to stick with it and not complain.”

  “Glad to hear that. So she doesn’t whine or argue? I want someone submissive and obedient, no matter what.” Something about the way he emphasized the last three words made Bensin feel cold all over.

  “She knows better than to argue when we tell her what to do,” Mr. Creghorn assured the visitor. “A little discipline goes a long way at that age. I’m sure you won’t have any problems with her.”

  “Excellent. And you mentioned she’s pretty. Blonde hair, it said?”

  “Blonde hair and big blue eyes,” Mr. Creghorn told him.

  “Green eyes,” his wife corrected.

  “Green. That’s what I meant to say. Would you like to see her? She’s out in the yard somewhere; we can call her in.”

  “Definitely.”

  Ellie shrank against Bensin. “I don’t want that man to buy me. I don’t want to go home with him.”

  Bensin’s heart was pounding and his stomach felt tight. “Don’t worry. He isn’t going to buy you. I’ll make sure of it.” I will die before I let him touch you. He’s not getting his hands on my little sister.

  They heard the front door open. “Ellie?” called Mrs. Creghorn into the front yard. “Where are you?”

  He could feel her trembling against him, and he put his arm around her. “Listen to me, Ellie. That man is not going to buy you, I promise. Now go out there and meet him and answer whatever he asks, and when he stops ta
lking to you and starts talking about the price, I want you to quietly turn and walk back into the kitchen. Understand?”

  She nodded as he gave her one more squeeze and a gentle push toward the door.

  “Oh, here she is,” they heard Mr. Creghorn exclaim. “Come over here, Ellie, and let this nice man take a look at you.”

  “So you’re Ellie,” the man said.

  “Y-yes, sir,” she whispered back.

  “You’re a pretty little thing, aren’t you?”

  “Um — I guess so, sir.” The adults chuckled.

  “Come here.”

  There was silence for a moment. Bensin didn’t dare peek through the half-open door for fear they would see him. What was the man doing? Was he touching her? Hurting her? No, she would cry out if he hurt her. Bensin did hear her give a scared little whimper, and he almost jumped up to see if she was all right, but managed to stop himself in time. It would ruin everything if they realized he was here.

  “Cley, maybe we ought to talk about this some more,” Mrs. Creghorn put in. She didn’t sound as though she liked this man either. She had always been nicer to Ellie than her husband was.

  “We’ve been over this before,” Mr. Creghorn snapped. His voice turned polite again as he addressed their visitor. “So, what do you think?”

  “I like it,” the man said finally. “Very nice. In the ad you said eight thousand or best offer. Will you take six?”

  “Somebody already came by this morning and offered seven. We told her if I didn’t get any better offers by Tuesday, we’d give her a call.”

  “Fine. I’ll pay seventy-two hundred.”

  Ellie reappeared in the kitchen doorway, blinking back frightened tears. “He licked his lips when he looked at me,” she whispered to Bensin. “Why did he lick his lips? Do you think he wants to eat me? I’m scared.”

  With a glance at the baby to make sure he was still occupied with his cracker, Bensin seized her hand. “Come with me. Quick.” He eased the back door open and pulled her out with him, shutting it quietly after them.

  “Where are we going?” Ellie squeaked.

  “Hush.” He ran with her to the back fence, seized her under the armpits to hoist her over, and vaulted over after her.

  “What are we doing in the neighbor’s yard?”

  “We’re getting you out of there the fastest way we can. If we go round to the front, they might see us through the windows.” He grabbed her hand again, and bending low, led her across the yard to the next fence. Lifting her over once more, he pulled himself up and dropped onto the grass beside her. His heart was pounding harder. Any second now they would realize she was gone. He had to get her as far away as possible as quickly as possible. That was the only thing that mattered.

  There was one more yard to cross, and then only a final fence stood between them and the next street. Bensin peeked over it to make sure the coast was clear. Cars were coming and going, but there were no pedestrians close by at the moment. He picked Ellie up one more time and heaved her over before hopping over himself.

  “Now where are we going?”

  “To the bus stop, and let’s hope the bus comes quickly.”

  “Will the man come out here looking for me?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. Come on!” Taking her hand again, he hurried her down the street as fast as her short legs could carry her.

  “Is that the bus? I think I see the bus!” panted his sister, pointing. Sure enough, the distant form of the city bus was rounding a corner far down the road ahead of them. The bus stop was still two blocks away.

  “Get on my back!” Bensin ordered, crouching down to let her climb on. “And hang on tight!” He broke into a run, hoping no one would stop him and ask where two slaves were going in such a hurry or demand to see their passes.

  Sprinting down the sidewalk, he overtook a boy on a bike and dodged a woman pushing a stroller. The bus was still approaching. Who would make it to the stop first?

  He was at the curb now. The light was red, but he couldn’t afford to pause. Bensin leaped into the street, his heart lurching as a car he hadn’t seen swerved around him, its driver blasting the horn.

  One more block to go. The stop was on the next corner, but the bus was nearly there. If we miss it, it’ll probably be twenty minutes before the next one comes by. That would be plenty of time for the Creghorns to come looking for Ellie or to call the City Watch. And there was nowhere to hide along the street here. Bensin picked up his pace, narrowly avoiding a man stepping out of a parked car.

  Ahead of them, the bus pulled over to the curb. Two people got out, and the door closed behind them. Bensin let go of Ellie’s leg with one hand and waved frantically as he ran, hoping he wouldn’t drop her and that the driver would notice and take pity on them and wait just a few more seconds.

  Bensin didn’t, and the driver did. The bus stood still, and the door opened once more as Bensin dashed up to it, panting.

  “Get off,” he ordered Ellie, and she dropped to the ground and scrambled up the steps after him.

  “Thank you, ma’am,” he exclaimed, breathless, as the driver pulled the lever to shut the door behind them. “Our owner sent us on an errand, and he would have been so mad if we missed the bus and got back late. I have a bus card, and here’s the money for my sister, and here’s our pass.” He stuck his hand into his pocket and pulled out the pass Coach Steene had given him, still folded, along with his card and a fistful of coins. Counting out three fifty-sliver coins, he leaned over and inserted them into the slot. Climbing the final step, he purposely stumbled and dropped the rest of his handful. Coins, card, and pass scattered all across the front of the bus.

  “Just pick them up and have a seat,” the woman ordered impatiently, releasing the brake and angling the bus out into traffic again.

  Bensin, breathing a sigh of relief that she hadn’t asked to examine their pass, crawled around with Ellie gathering up the coins. A kind passenger handed him the last two, and Bensin thanked the man and pulled Ellie into an empty seat.

  “Where are we —” she began, but he shushed her hastily.

  “Don’t talk,” he whispered in her ear. “Just sit. Trust me.” She nodded and curled her little fingers around his. Her hand was cold in spite of the warmth of the day.

  Actually, Bensin wasn’t quite sure where they were going. Wenn’s End was in the opposite direction, not that he could take Ellie there with so little money anyway. This was the bus that he normally rode to the CSF or home to Coach Steene’s apartment, but that was only coincidence. He would have boarded any bus, going any direction, just to get Ellie away from that man.

  But now he had time to think, and he needed to make a plan. He only had a few imps in his pocket, and no pass for Ellie. They couldn’t get far like this. Craning his neck to look at the clock at the front, he was glad to see that it was only 5:12. Coach wouldn’t be home for another hour and a half at least.

  They got off down the street from the apartment. “You want to see where I live?” he asked his sister.

  “Okay. Your owner won’t be mad if I come in?”

  “No, my owner’s really nice. Anyway, he’s not home right now.” Bensin hurried her up to the front door, hoping none of the neighbors would notice them. As quickly as he could, he pulled out his key and let them in, shutting the door behind them. Just in case, he went around and closed the blinds on every window. “We’re safe here. The Creghorns don’t know where you are, and that man can’t find you. You can relax.”

  Ellie did look a lot more relaxed now that they were far away from the source of her fear. “It’s a lot smaller than the Creghorns’ house,” she observed, glancing around the living room. “How come there’s so many boxes in here? And where’s the couch?”

  “We don’t have much furniture because my owner doesn’t have much money. I showed him how to use boxes for shelves and cupboards like how me and you did in our room.”

  “Can I look around?”

  “Sure.”
Bensin led her on a quick tour. “See, that’s the kitchen right there. Here’s my room, and here’s my owner’s room.”

  “He’s messy, isn’t he?” she giggled, peeking into Coach Steene’s bedroom. “Look at all the stuff he left on the floor.”

  “Yeah, he is pretty messy,” Bensin agreed. “I pick up after him a lot, but I don’t think he really notices. On my days off, there’s always dirty dishes all over the kitchen until I wash them the next day. But that’s okay. Like I said, he’s nice; he never hits me or anything; and he’s the best coach I ever had. So I don’t care if he doesn’t keep the place neat.” He led Ellie to the one armchair in the living room. “Now I need you to sit here for a minute while I decide what to do next.”

  “Okay, but I’m hungry. Is there anything I can eat?”

  It was getting close to her usual dinnertime, Bensin realized. There were leftovers in the fridge, but Coach was probably planning on having those for his own dinner later. He took a couple of energy bars from the cupboard. “You can have these. This one’s mixed berry and this one’s caramel pecan.”

  Her eyes widened in delight. “Candy bars?”

  “Not quite. They aren’t as sweet as candy bars, but they still taste pretty good, and they’re a lot healthier. They’re what me and my owner have for snacks between meals. Just sit down and try not to drop any crumbs.” Obediently, she climbed into the chair as he tore open the wrappers for her.

  Bensin went to his room and dug out the four passes he had hidden at the bottom of one of his boxes: Ellie’s old one that he had saved and three spare blank ones. He had stashed them there in case he ever needed one, and just in time, too. The next day Coach had taken away the stack he used to keep in the desk drawer and hidden them somewhere else.

  Bensin brought Ellie’s old pass and one of the blank ones over to the desk in the dining room. He fished through a stack of utility bills, grocery receipts, Coach’s paycheck stubs from work, and other random papers, until finally he found a pen at the back of the top drawer. It didn’t take long to fill in the new pass with Ellie’s name, today’s date, and the rest of the information, but the signature could be a problem. Most people didn’t take the time to look carefully, but someone might conceivably compare it with the one on her collar tag to see if they matched. Officer Shigo still did that with his every time.