Mosana - Part XXVIII
EPISODE 28
‘Stop!’
The train of carts halted abruptly. The last cart was just turning away from the gates when we heard her shout. We all turned to see Amy, with a tear-stained face, shakily pointing a gun at us.
The same gun that had killed Judy.
Jerome cocked his gun and started to get down from his horse. I put up a hand to stop him and shook my head. He looked at me quizzically, but put away his gun. I knew Amy wasn’t going to shoot us.
‘It’s over, Amy.’ Nobody moved as I spoke. I got down from my cart and stepped aside into the road, but I didn’t move towards her. I could hear Amy’s sobs as she kept the gun pointed in our direction. If she wanted to shoot me, she wasn’t pointing it in my direction. I spoke slowly and calmly.
‘Let us go, Amy. It’s over.’
‘My mother’s bleeding!’
‘Then I suggest you ride fast for the doctor’s. No use standing here, wasting time stopping us.’
She looked like she was considering my words, so I added, ‘Your mother needs you. There are still horses in the stables. Take one, and go get your mother help.’
I thought I was finally getting to her, but she suddenly raised the gun again, this time taking aim at Gertrude in the last cart. ‘No! You all must pay for this!’
I spoke quickly, but firmly. ‘Amy, don’t be stupid. Drop your gun. How many of us do you think you can stop? Your mother would bleed to death before you can have your revenge!’
I heard Gertrude start to whimper at the gun trained in her face, so I kept talking. ‘You took something from me too! From all of us! Judy is dead, while your mother still has a chance!’
Finally, common sense won over and she dashed back inside, presumably to get a horse to save her mother.
I jumped back inside my cart, and without waiting for my signal, Jerome gave his horse a command and we began to ride fast. The other horses and carts followed suit and we started to leave the Manor far behind us.
We rode through the man-made forest paths behind the Manor for a while before coming out into the plains, with nothing but brown grass for miles. We rode in silence for a while, but soon everyone relaxed and began to chat. We had encountered no opposition and it seemed like everything was going to be alright after all. Although when we passed people, we instantly shut up so as not to attract attention. It would be a strange thing indeed to see a batch of slaves going to be sold happily chatting.
‘So…’ I began, looking directly at Tricia who sat across from me, as we bumped along the forest road.
‘You and Jerome, huh?’ Tricia pretended not to hear me as she concentrated her gaze at the trees as if she had found something incredibly interesting there. Well, I wasn’t going to be ignored.
‘You might as well tell me 'cause I ain’t backing down.’
She finally faced me and I saw her trying her best to hold back a smile. ‘The Lord works in mysterious ways.’
You gotta be kidding me.
‘You’re bringing the Lord into this? Really?’
‘Well, He does work in mysterious ways,’ was Tricia’s reply.
‘And what does the Lord think about you frolicking about with a white man?’ I shot back.
‘Now, now, don’t be like that. Jerome is a good man.’ She hesitated. ‘And we love each other.’
‘Oooooh.’ I cooed. ‘Well it works for me if this is the Lord's doing. It's mysterious, alright. I never would have guessed.’
Our first stop was an old parish on the outskirts of town. It was the cemetery near it that attracted us. Soon, we saw the small building situated near it, along with a small farm and smaller barn. Jerome, Tricia and I went in to meet with the reverend. He came out to see Judy’s body and everyone else. If he suspected anything, he didn’t show it on his face.
The reverend, James Kelby, was a tall, lanky and slightly bent free man, with a lot of wrinkles on his face. He accepted us without any questions, and didn’t even give Jerome, the only white man amongst us, a strange eye. He received us for the night, and early the next morning, we buried Judy.
There was little ceremony. The guys helped dig the grave, and the reverend provided new linen to wrap Judy’s body in. We didn’t use a coffin; there was no time to make one. We just wrapped her body and laid it in the dirt. Tricia cried again. I steeled myself against the tears as I heard the reverend read out the obsequies.
I still felt like it was all my fault. This should have been my funeral. But there was nothing I could do. I loved Judy, and I wished she was alive, but there was nothing I could do. I had to move on. We had to move on. I had to make good on my promise to help everyone escape to Pennsylvania. We were out, but we weren’t safe yet.
This was only the beginning.
‘Stop!’
The train of carts halted abruptly. The last cart was just turning away from the gates when we heard her shout. We all turned to see Amy, with a tear-stained face, shakily pointing a gun at us.
The same gun that had killed Judy.
Jerome cocked his gun and started to get down from his horse. I put up a hand to stop him and shook my head. He looked at me quizzically, but put away his gun. I knew Amy wasn’t going to shoot us.
‘It’s over, Amy.’ Nobody moved as I spoke. I got down from my cart and stepped aside into the road, but I didn’t move towards her. I could hear Amy’s sobs as she kept the gun pointed in our direction. If she wanted to shoot me, she wasn’t pointing it in my direction. I spoke slowly and calmly.
‘Let us go, Amy. It’s over.’
‘My mother’s bleeding!’
‘Then I suggest you ride fast for the doctor’s. No use standing here, wasting time stopping us.’
She looked like she was considering my words, so I added, ‘Your mother needs you. There are still horses in the stables. Take one, and go get your mother help.’
I thought I was finally getting to her, but she suddenly raised the gun again, this time taking aim at Gertrude in the last cart. ‘No! You all must pay for this!’
I spoke quickly, but firmly. ‘Amy, don’t be stupid. Drop your gun. How many of us do you think you can stop? Your mother would bleed to death before you can have your revenge!’
I heard Gertrude start to whimper at the gun trained in her face, so I kept talking. ‘You took something from me too! From all of us! Judy is dead, while your mother still has a chance!’
Finally, common sense won over and she dashed back inside, presumably to get a horse to save her mother.
I jumped back inside my cart, and without waiting for my signal, Jerome gave his horse a command and we began to ride fast. The other horses and carts followed suit and we started to leave the Manor far behind us.
We rode through the man-made forest paths behind the Manor for a while before coming out into the plains, with nothing but brown grass for miles. We rode in silence for a while, but soon everyone relaxed and began to chat. We had encountered no opposition and it seemed like everything was going to be alright after all. Although when we passed people, we instantly shut up so as not to attract attention. It would be a strange thing indeed to see a batch of slaves going to be sold happily chatting.
‘So…’ I began, looking directly at Tricia who sat across from me, as we bumped along the forest road.
‘You and Jerome, huh?’ Tricia pretended not to hear me as she concentrated her gaze at the trees as if she had found something incredibly interesting there. Well, I wasn’t going to be ignored.
‘You might as well tell me 'cause I ain’t backing down.’
She finally faced me and I saw her trying her best to hold back a smile. ‘The Lord works in mysterious ways.’
You gotta be kidding me.
‘You’re bringing the Lord into this? Really?’
‘Well, He does work in mysterious ways,’ was Tricia’s reply.
‘And what does the Lord think about you frolicking about with a white man?’ I shot back.
‘Now, now, don’t be like that. Jerome is a good man.’ She hesitated. ‘And we love each other.’
‘Oooooh.’ I cooed. ‘Well it works for me if this is the Lord's doing. It's mysterious, alright. I never would have guessed.’
Our first stop was an old parish on the outskirts of town. It was the cemetery near it that attracted us. Soon, we saw the small building situated near it, along with a small farm and smaller barn. Jerome, Tricia and I went in to meet with the reverend. He came out to see Judy’s body and everyone else. If he suspected anything, he didn’t show it on his face.
The reverend, James Kelby, was a tall, lanky and slightly bent free man, with a lot of wrinkles on his face. He accepted us without any questions, and didn’t even give Jerome, the only white man amongst us, a strange eye. He received us for the night, and early the next morning, we buried Judy.
There was little ceremony. The guys helped dig the grave, and the reverend provided new linen to wrap Judy’s body in. We didn’t use a coffin; there was no time to make one. We just wrapped her body and laid it in the dirt. Tricia cried again. I steeled myself against the tears as I heard the reverend read out the obsequies.
I still felt like it was all my fault. This should have been my funeral. But there was nothing I could do. I loved Judy, and I wished she was alive, but there was nothing I could do. I had to move on. We had to move on. I had to make good on my promise to help everyone escape to Pennsylvania. We were out, but we weren’t safe yet.
This was only the beginning.
__________________________________________
Hey you!
Yes, yes, I know... This chapter is short. Very short. Sorry na, stop shouting. I can hear you complaining loudly enough. Maybe I'll post another episode within the week.
MAYBE.
xoxo,
Ava.
Another episode within the week will surely do for me
ReplyDelete