Diary of Cooter

Untitled part

Elijah came running back from the meeting they held for the preacher telling ma that he was gonna go home for the night. When he went to grab his things from my room he took a while and I soon found out why, as soon as he left he passed me a note. Elijah was in trouble and I couldn't tell anyone. That night as I was laying in bed I knew what I had to do only by myself. The house was still it was time to go.

I packed my bag and I set off to go help Elijah. I stopped at the stable and got old flap-jack. There wasn't anyone there so I jumped on the old mule and started off to Delaware in America. It was very lonely and quiet to quiet it seemed creepy but kept going for the sake of my best friend. He needed my help.

The sun was starting to rise as I made it to the fairy I asked the closest black man around so I wouldn't risk getting caught when the next fairy would take off he said "it was bout an hour wait" I replied "good day and thank you, sir ". So I took old flap-jack down to the river so he could get a drink and sat there sunbathing for bout 30 ish minutes since we got there. I felt something come up behind me and grabbed me fought with everything I had I felt something press against me it was a pistol right to the side of my head I was so terrified I froze, as soon as I did they put a rag over my mouth and nose before I could even think everything was black.

As I woke it was night, and I felt chains on my hands and feet. I was changed to a wall next to what looked like slaves. What I could make there was at least ten in this room. At that moment I was so scared I started crying like a fragile baby. I started losing all hope of helping my friend and now coming home until I heard something barely but it was there if there were men above me gambling.

I tried to get the men above my attention by screaming and rattling the chains just making enough noise so someone could hear me. Until the woman next to me whisperer hush loud enough for me to hear it and proceeded to say " you better hush boy your gonna get beat no one can even hear you, stupid boy, even if they did they wouldn't help. Now tell me boy was they call you." As I began to answer my voice cracked and I soon felt tears roll down my face once again but I answered with my name is cooter ma'am, of Buxton. The woman started with "mines erica and how you end up in a place like this " she brought her hands up so I saw her chains she looked like she was terrified as she looked at them.

I told her my story about how I was trying to help my best friend Elijah for a crazy man who took him to talk perfect English, and how someone grabbed me by the river. "You were free boy why would you act so foolish your only a child now you may never get home you in slavery now you best do was the tell you and make sure you do it right too or else you'll get the worst beating in your life boy," said Erica. After she finally shut up I heard the most familiar voice I thought I was never gonna hear again. It was Elijah, I was so relieved to know he was alive and not captured. I told erica about what I heard, but she was back to being as silent as a mouse hiding from a hungry stray cat. There I knew there wasn't any use to get him dragged into all this mess. So I sat there as quiet as the others trying to accept I may never see my home again.

Ten years later 

That night ten years ago has stayed with me every day since. That morning after we walked and camped and sometimes stayed in sheds, stables, or anywhere they thought we couldn't run, all the way to Kentucky. There I was sold to a young lady named Elizabeth. She was kind, I soon found out some things about her like she just lost her husband and that's the only reason she ever bought slaves. Also, her parents were looking for her a good suitor; however, she had to do everything on her own.

Elizabeth never hit us and she always fed us a good amount. None of us went to bed hungry. The kids stayed in the house while anyone 14 and older slept in the shed. She soon remarried to a man who seemed more of a crook. This man's name is George Thompson. He soon started whipping up to work faster and kicked all the kids out of the house, they barely fed us enough to stop the hunger.