The Secret Life of Lula Darling

by Alex Dean

  Agent Haupht stared from the end of the table. He appeared to be in disbelief as he perused his dossier, and then shot a gaze at me and Mama, going back and forth. Then he flashed a forced smile as he gathered himself.

  “Foreign intelligence, threats to US interests around the world, counterterrorism. We can now add tangible evidence of the otherworldly to the President’s Daily Brief,” he said.

  Pastor Tompkins shook his head. “This is truly God’s work at hand. Only He could have reunited this mother and daughter in this fashion. He brought them through this to show His power being manifested through their pain and suffering and then, ultimate redemption.”

  I shot a glance at Marcus and then at Mama D. She hadn’t said much, only listening, perplexed, I thought. Surveying the conference room, she finally looked like she had something to say, or perhaps a question to ask.

  Mama D. leaned over Marcus, slowly raising her hand, trying to get Agent Haupht’s attention.

  “Sir, are there any others that may come forth, like Lula and her mama? And what in God’s name happened to that time machine?” she asked.

  Everyone in the room quieted down and focused on Haupht for a response. There seemed to be just as many questions as there were answers.

  Agent Haupht continued. “Unfortunately, Hartley Mansfield’s Transporter was eventually destroyed in a fire. See, right at the start of the Civil War, slaves on the Mansfield Plantation conspired in a revolt after one of their own had been brutally killed by a cruel and violent overseer.

  “The Mansfields’ mansion was completely burned to the ground, leaving nothing except for a photograph, which was provided to us courtesy of the state’s Department of Archives and History. Found beneath the rubble and ash, it’s believed to be the only remnant left of the Mansfields’ property.”

  Agent Haupht slid one of the sheets of paper toward Mama D. and at everyone seated on our side of the table.

  Curious, I leaned over to take a look.

  It was a partially damaged black-and-white photograph of me holding Mrs. Martha’s hand as we stood on the porch. My best guess was that it was taken shortly after Clarence had died.

  Mama looked at the picture as it made its way around, eventually landing into her hand.

  She stared at the image with fixed and solemn eyes, rubbing a hand over its scratched surface. “Go, Ella Mae. Go and find ya daughter,” she mumbled as she pointed at the photograph and then began to smile.

  I looked at Mama and had to smile too. Call it what you will. A miracle. A marvel. Or a manifestation of the supernatural. But whatever way you chose to describe it, God had given us our heart’s content.

  Allowed us to be whole again—Mama and me.

  I glanced at Agent Haupht, then at the rest of the men seated.

  Because Mama and I had already found ourselves in uncharted territory, I was not sure what would happen from this moment forward.

  Agent Haupht smiled, and then he jerked his chin. "Are you ready, Lula?"

  I exhaled deeply. My face flooded with heat. I imagined that I would not be able to sleep, that I would wonder what would become of us in this broken world. But I had to be strong for Mama and me in the face of uncertainty. I looked him squarely in the eye. "Yes, sir. I'm ready.”

  From The Author

  I hope you’ve enjoyed The Secret Life of Lula Darling: Part One of the Lula Darling Series. You can get Book Two here: A Life’s Purpose

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  If you’ve enjoyed this book I would be very grateful if you could spend just a moment to leave a review. Not only does it help others who might also enjoy the book, but reviews are critical to helping self published authors succeed. To make things quick and easy: Here is the Link directly to the review page on Amazon.

  Thank you very much, Alex Dean

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  Sneak Peek: A Life’s Purpose

  I lay restless in my bed, thinking about the past that Mama and I had left behind. The untimely deaths of my brother, Clarence, and my father, Luke. I still envisioned the terrors we’d endured and those who might have died in the now-infamous Mansfield Plantation fire.

  There was so much I still had to learn about life in this century. There was also a great deal I wanted to forget about the past. A life at once filled with terror and tragedy in the deep antebellum South, and yet, through God’s ultimate grace and mercy, we’d been delivered. Not only freed, but we were time travelers to a distant future.

  For several minutes I stirred, before hearing what sounded like a series of groans emerging from the next room. I threw back the covers, then rose and rushed into the other bedroom to see about Mama.

  Somehow she’d managed to end up on the floor beside her bed. I knelt beside her as she shivered, mumbling in fear, words that for the life of me I could not understand.

  “Mama, please wake up!” I said as I gently shook her. With her head in a constant motion, stirring from side to side, suddenly, she opened her eyes.

  “Mama, it’s me, your baby girl, Lula,” I said, putting a hand behind her back to lift her toward the bed. Mama took a deep breath as she sat up, grasping my arm for support. I noticed beads of sweat glistening around her forehead and wondered if she was in a panic.

  “Better yet, let’s go into the kitchen. I’ll make you some tea. There we can talk, stay up and watch the sunrise. It’s Saturday morning, and I don’t have to work.”

  Mama nodded. She managed to get her feet beneath her and then trudged into the kitchen on weary legs. I poured some water in a kettle to boil and then we both sat at the kitchen table.

  I believed that we were still haunted by the nightmares of slavery. I honestly suspected the appropriate condition today would be called post-traumatic stress disorder. And although most of the investigation by the CIA, NSA, and Department of Homeland Security was over, we still received an occasional phone call from an agent of some sort, asking us to recall something from the past.

  The teakettle on the stove whistled. I reached into the cabinet for two mugs and then poured Mama and myself a cup of piping-hot organic green tea.

  “I wish Daddy and Clarence could have seen what we got to see. The future. I wish they could have traveled through time with us,” I said with heartfelt sadness.

  Mama nodded as she lifted her cup. “Me too, baby girl.”

  I grabbed a glass jar of Manuka honey off the counter and sweetened my tea.

  Mama took a sip of the hot beverage. “Can’t do nothing but make the most of this blessing. I’m sure that’s what your daddy would have wanted,” she said.

  I nodded slowly in agreement. Because on this first official day of summer, while the outside world was still asleep, Mama and I were thinking about the life we wished we’d never known. But as I had been gloriously taught as a young girl whenever Mama quoted from the Bible, to everything there is a season and a time for every purpose.

  As was to be expected, things were much better now. Mama was here, healthy and happier. I was now in college, with a new job and friends. And I still had my boyfriend, Marcus. We’d been dating since high school, and now, to absolutely no one’s surprise, he’d become somewhat of a local celebrity.

  I leaned back in my chair and smiled at the happy thoughts.

  Suddenly, there was some discordant yelling outside, followed by the sound of fleeing footsteps. Mama and I exchanged a concerned look. I set my cup down on the table and hurried to the living room window.

  Peeking out the curtains, I saw nothing but a typical gray Saturday morning in a neighborhood that had been slowly undergoing gentrification. A vacant lot lit
tered with empty bottles, several broken-down cars, a stray homeless animal or two.

  “It’s not even well into the morning, and somebody’s already acting up,” I said, looking outside. “I can’t wait to make enough money to move.” I went back into the kitchen, cinched my bathrobe and sat down again.

  Moments later the sound of gunfire echoed in the new silence.

  Click Here To Keep Reading

  Also by Alex Dean

  Lula Darling Series

  The Secret Life of Lula Darling

  A Life’s Purpose

  The Rise of Lula Darling

  Lula Darling Series Boxset

  * * *

  Alexis Fields Thrill Series

  Restraining Order

  The Bogeyman Next Door (Full length)

  Stalked (Full length)

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  Alexis Fields - Complete Thrill Series Box Set

  Standalone Books

  The Client

  A High-Stakes Crime Thriller

  A READERS GUIDE TO

  * * *

  The

  Secret Life

  of

  Lula Darling

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  by

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  Alex Dean

  Introduction to The Secret Life of Lula Darling

  Set in Natchez, MS during colonial period slavery, The Secret Life of Lula Darling tells the story of a fourteen-year-old girl’s life with her mother on the plantation in which they live. Lula and her mother, Ella Mae, are field hands for Harland and Martha Mansfield. Their life is not much different from any other slave until a series of unforeseen and unfortunate events occur.

  First, Lula’s father and Ella Mae’s husband, Luke, is killed when they arrive at the plantation during a confrontation with the slaveowner.

  During their time working for the Mansfields, Martha takes a liking to Lula and promises to teach her how to read. Life carries on for Lula and her mother until Lula’s younger brother, Clarence, dies of a serious illness. Lula and her mother struggle to make sense of Clarence’s death, but persevere through their faith and strong will, until one day, Lula makes a magical discovery.

  While told to hide in the attic of the big house, Lula observes the invention of Hartley Mansfield (Harland’s father), a Transporter, more commonly known as a time machine. Curious, she enters the device, presses a button, and unknowingly transports herself to present day Chicago.

  A short time later, she is befriended by a white girl, Ariel, who ends up taking Lula home to meet her parents, Randy and Patricia Evans. The Evanses end up accepting Lula as part of their family, and she adjusts to modern day life, while mostly keeping her secret from others.

  Overcoming the challenge of being transported to another time and place, Lula becomes a valedictorian of her school and is chosen to make an all-important speech to much of the youth in Chicago and around the world via social media.

  All is well in Lula’s world until the government (CIA, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security), learn of her arrival and make it their goal to interview and examine her. Lula initially runs from such an idea, however, later agrees to the request while accompanied by her newfound “family” and friends, including her boyfriend, Marcus.

  But the biggest surprise of all occurs when Lula is reunited with her mother, Ella Mae, who had been given permission by Martha Mansfield to follow in Lula’s footsteps by transporting herself in the hope that wherever Lula had found herself, Ella Mae would be there also.

  The Secret Life of Lula Darling is a heart-warming story about the triumph of the human spirit, faith in God, and an unlikely friendship. This is the story of two young girls, one black, the other white, who become like sisters through the enviable bond they share.

  A Conversation with Alex Dean

  Some would say that slavery and time travel is a unique combination. How did you come up with the concept for the book?

  I like thinking outside of the box. I knew that I didn’t want to write about slavery without adding some other dimension to the subject. There are already some excellent books on the subject of slavery (fiction and non-fiction), so I wanted to come from a completely different angle. This is fiction, of course, so one has a broader palette or canvas from which to create.

  The remarkable thing is, so much of this story, including the characters, had become so vivid to me during the writing. I could see the scenes in my mind unfold. I could see the characters in my head so clearly. Additionally, during my research for the book, there were quite a few things I had learned from a historical standpoint.

  This is a departure from the genre you normally write in. Why the change?

  My writing journey up until this point has consisted of writing crime thrillers, which I want to continue. However, every so often, I would like to branch out as an author and write in another genre. My hope is that readers who liked my work in the past would be open to it and just enjoy the stories as they would any other good reads.

  You mostly write in series, such as the Alexis Fields Thrill Series. Will you write more standalone books in the future?

  I know that series books are very popular among readers, and I plan to continue writing them. However, there are many standalone books that have done well also. So, I see the marketplace as open to either one. My first goal is to always write a good story. I also like the idea of merging two genres into one and then see what happens.

  I think it is safe to say that some readers may find a message in your book. Do you agree?

  This story, I believe, has some very underlying positive messages and a variety of scenes that could tug at one’s emotions, including humor, suspense, action, sadness, and tragedy, but above all, and what I was most passionate about, was the resiliency of Lula’s spirit.

  Questions for Discussion

  1. Do you think the challenges and adversity that Lula faced in Natchez prepared her for what was going to happen? Have you ever faced a challenge that made you a stronger person?

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  2. Did Martha losing her son (only child), make her any more likely to be sympathetic toward the children on the plantation, particularly Lula? Do you think she struggled with an inner conflict regarding being a slave owner and how the slaves were treated?

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  3. Were you surprised that Martha told Ella Mae what really happened to Lula? And did you expect Martha to encourage Ella Mae to seek her freedom and search for Lula?

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  4. After becoming best friends, did both Ariel and Lula learn any valuable lessons from each other? Do you imagine that they remained friends as they got older and continued on with life?

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  5. Were you surprised at Lula’s remarkable achievements? What did you think of Lula’s and Marcus’s relationship? What did you think of Mama D.? What about Marlene Baker?

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  6. What did you think of Patricia and Randy Evans and their generosity and support of Lula? Could you have done the same?

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  7. Were there any life lessons or teachable moments in the story that you could apply in your own life?

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  8. Did you notice the image of the Willis Tower (most commonly known as the Sears Tower), on the cover of the book?

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  9. If you had the chance to travel through time, would you travel back to the past or into the future? Where would you go if given a choice?

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  10. If you had the chance to meet Lula or someone like her who had traveled from the past, what questions would you ask them?

  About the Author

  ALEX DEAN is the author of Restraining Order, The Bogeyman Next Door, Stalked, and The Client. He is an entrepreneur, former musician, and somewhat of a health enthusiast who enjoys being creative. He writes thrillers as well as other sub-genres of fiction and lives in Illinois with his family. For previews of his upcoming books and more information about Alex Dean, please visit alexdeanauthor.com
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  Word-of-mouth is crucial for any author to succeed. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review, even if it’s only a line or two; it would make all the difference and would be greatly appreciated.

  Acknowledgments

  I would like to thank God for His many blessings, a heartfelt thanks to my wife and my parents for their valuable feedback, my children and family for their love and support. A big thanks to my in-laws for supporting my endeavors, and a tremendous thanks to my readers for your continued support.