Story teller

"Mistuh Wilbur."

"Ah, yes Martha, set that tray right here" James Wilbur cleared a place on the coffee table beside him. James and his family lived in a grand house on a plantation that was full of slaves, for they were very rich. After Martha set down the tray, she hurried out of James' lounge, to go make breakfast for the rest of the household and slaves.

"Rosa!"

"Yah ma?" answered a fourteen year old girl whose face showed lines of wiriness and fear that no girl so young should have.

"We mus finish breakfast, den start washin’ de clothes so dat we cans get em ironed all today and gets da meals prepared too!" Martha stated as she bustled around the room finding the corn powder and water for the regular meal of corn mush. A bit later Martha realized how slow and droopy her daughter walked, "Oh Rosa" Martha said as she pulled Rosa into a bear hug.

"What are you doing you lazy pigs? You are supposed to be making breakfast, but when I come into the room you are hugging with wet eyes. I will tell on you, and be there to watch the whip land and leave a bloody red mark on you sows backs!" and Nelly the spoiled rotten daughter of the Mr. and Mrs. stalked off with an air of pride that matched the wicked cackle that came forth from her mouth.

“Don’t you ever speak to these women like that again!” came a voice Rosa knew, Jesse was striding down the path,

“Thank you Jesse!” Martha said,

“No problem Missus Roger” Jesse replied and he tipped his hat. Rosa stared after him a while, Jesse was a kind boy, and she had been grateful that he was on this plantation many times, and then she went to work seeing as the day was never long enough. Around three in the afternoon Rosa noticed that her mother had slowed, and began to drag her feet in a shuffle; this bothered her because her mother almost always had a light jump to her step.

"Ma?"

"Rosa, did you say something?"

"Yes ma, I noticed a slow in yas walk."

"Nothin, I-just-am more tired than usual" Martha half mumbled, which again was not like her at all, this frightened Rosa more.

"Ma, yo go set down ova dere."

"Rosa,"

"Oh, now you are talking swine's? You little brats!" Nelly then spat in their direction, and her friends began to snicker and whisper among themselves. This was when Rosa wished that Jesse could be here, and give the girl a talking to. At the end of the day, Martha admitted to Rosa that, yes, she was not feeling quite right. Rosa then told her ma to go to bed, and get some sleep,

"But Rosa, you could never finish da chores by yore self"

"Ma, GO TO BED!" Rosa almost yelled impatiently. Her mother could be quite stubborn sometimes.

"Alright, alright, I will go to our cabin, and tidy it up."

"No, Ma, GO TO BED! You need de sleep more dan you are lettin on, I am old enough to tell that you need sleep, off you go!" Rosa demanded her ma. That night, Martha called Rosa to her bed side.

"Rosa, yo ma ain't ganna live much longer-"

"NO, ma no!" Rosa cried, her mother had been her only real friend, well, except for Jesse, and she could not imagine life without her.

"Listen dear" Martha chided "You don't needs ta cry, cause when this body dies, I will be with da Good Lord!" Martha said with a twinge of joy in her voice.

"What about me? What will I do? Without you I will surely die!" Rosa was silently crying now, and her tears fell on her ma's lovely thick black hair.

"You are still my selfish little Rosa!" Martha teased with a smile forcing its way through her dry and cracked lips "Thinking about yourself, when I'm headed to see da Good Lord. Rosa, as soon as possible, you need escape! You are one who needs to be free! So leave, tonight if possible. Free, just think of it, FREE." Rosa could not think of the word free, she had heard it a million times, and it had never meant anything to her, because every time someone tried to escape, or even just talked about freedom, they were caught, whipped and beaten, so severely most died if not injured for life. This Rosa did not want to happen to her. Martha saw the doubt in her daughter’s eyes, and comforted her with her last words. "Rosa, I know you don' wanna go wit' out me, but you must, go or die, yore pa is at the Henderson plantation." At that Rosa lost her emotions, and anger started to creep in because her ma had never let her ask questions, or even know that she had a pa. "Ma! You nevah told me 'bout Pa. Why, why did you nevah tell me?" "'Cause, I just found out he was alive, and at da Henderson plantation." Martha said stumbling for she was out of breath, and her end near. Martha died that night, and Rosa was at a loss as to what to do. She couldn't escape tonight, the day was too close and even one day, doing the work her mother had done, and her own would leave Rosa too exhausted to flee. After a while of thinking she thought of her one other friend, Jesse. Jesse had to work in the fields, so Rosa didn't get to see him very often, but he was one of tender spirit. He had helped Rosa carry heavy buckets of water from the well before she was strong enough to carry them by herself, but Jesse was not only kind, he was handsome as well, he had short black hair, was tall and very muscular. Rosa thought of how nice it would be to have him along during the journey, and maybe to one day be his wife. But she quickly pushed that thought out of her mind; there were more important things to think about now.

Rosa ran out through the night to Jesse's cabin, and asked if he could help her. "Jesse, please help me, my ma d-died a couple hours ago" Rosa could hardly get herself to say those words, before her eyes started to well up with tears.

Jesse wrapped her in a quick hug not knowing what else to do, and said “Oh Rosa, I am so sorry”, and then released her to set to work coming up with a plan. "Rosa, da only option is to leave tomorrow night, you would nevah make it if you left now"

“But Jesse," Rosa protested, "You know I could nevah make a day wit’out Ma helpin’ me".

Jesse thought, and then snapped his fingers, "I know, pretend to have da small pocks today, I will tell ‘em, and day should leave you be for a couple days, then you can be rested to leave tomorrow night." At that Rosa straightened out, and dried her tears,

"You're a genius Jesse! You can come too right?"

"Well," came the masculine voice of Jesse, "I have to stay and work; harvest is in a week."

"Please, please, please," Rosa begged, "come with me. I don't even know where I'm going!"

"I will think about it, and tell you in the morning, in the meanwhile you need some rest!" Rosa left Jesse's cabin, and headed to her own cabin, her mind whirling with thoughts. The next morning Jesse went to the house and told James Wilbur that Rosa was sick with the small pocks and could not work that day. He then went to work with Rosa and their escape in his mind. Rosa tidied the cabin and packed her meager belongings in a satchel. She waited for evening to come and the trip to begin. When Rosa heard a knock on the door, she flew to the door and opened it to see Jesse standing there, his hair reflecting the moon, and his piercing brown eyes looking at her with the loving protection of a father. In that moment Rosa’s heart skipped a beat, but she quickly recovered.

“Hurry, we don’t want to be caught!” Jesse said in a whisper. Rosa hurried inside, grabbed her bags, and glanced at her mother’s body, she almost lost her emotions to start crying, but quickly straitened up, she could not let Jesse see her weakness. And so, they started their journey into the forest pushing as hard as possible to get away, and going through every stream, and river to throw off their scent.

They had traveled three days, when they reached the Henderson plantation, and there found Rosa’s pa, he eventually worked for his freedom, and then they all got certificates stating that they were free!

When they were of age, Rosa and Jesse had a simple wedding, they lived their lives with purpose, and strove to end slavery.