Lewis tried to do the work that Marsha wanted him to do, but he was distracted with worry for his brother. Fearing she may have to discipline him, Marsha took him to the side and asked him what was wrong.
Lewis sniffed. "I can't stop thinking about my brother," he said, barely louder than a whisper.
Marsha did have sympathy for the poor boy, but it was law that you had to make a slave your work, or you have to throw them out in the street. She sighed. "Don't worry," she said. "I'm sure whoever bought your brother is taking good care of him."
"Really?" Lewis asked with a sniff.
Marsha's smile almost faltered. She'd seen who had bought his brother. She didn't want Lewis running off and getting in trouble for running away, so she decided not to tell him that his brother would probably be dead in a week or so. She simply nodded and ruffled the boy's hair. "Do you have anything else for me to do?" He asked her.
"The laundry could use washing."
Lewis nodded and ran off to find the clothes.
Marsha sighed. "God have mercy on that poor boy."
~
Harvat hadn't gotten out the whip, yet.
The blond boy wiped the sweat from his brow as he pulled the plow. Harvat used to have an ox to pull it, but it died almost six years ago and he didn't have enough money to buy a new one. So, instead he used it to break in new slaves. It seemed to work, to him at least.
Bill gritted his teeth and pulled on for about three more feet, looking up at the sky, which was turning dark with rain clouds. Bill swallowed and pulled on. The sweat stung his eyes, but he ignored it, knowing that Harvat could punish him however he wanted to.
About five minutes later, a downpour started. Bill dropped the plow and started to walk to the barn, where in was dry. Something came out and smacked him across the face. His tired legs couldn't hold him up and he fell into the muddy ground. He rubbed his face numbly, looking up at an angry Harvat. "What do ye think yer doin' boy?" He yelled in Bill's face. "Get back up there!"
"But-" Bill started, being cut off when the hand came again and smacking him the rest of the way in the mud.
"Finish the job!" Harvat yelled. He grabbed Bill by the back of the shirt and yanked him to his feet. Aching and numb, Bill grabbed the plow again and pulled it through the mud. The slick ground made moving it easier, but it also made Bill's feet sink into the ground and almost lose his shoes a couple times.
Eventually, Bill slipped and feel hard in the mud. He couldn't find the strength to get back up again. Harvat hit him again and again, but Bill hardly felt it. He hardly winced when Harvat brought out the whip and hit him until he was only semi-conscious. Then, he faintly felt Harvat dragging him through the mud and throw him in the barn, which doubled as his new home. He gave into the darkness and passed out.
The reason Harvat was so hard on his slaves, was because he'd fought in the last war, but he'd never really left it behind. He still had his sword, which was forget somewhere in his house, and the chainmail he was given along with a helmet that was lost in the battle. People say that he'd lost his mind out there. Most believed it, but were too scared of him to admit it. He'd started drinking and was seldom sober. Now, Bill had fallen into the hands of a post-war,crazy, drunk lunatic.
As for Marsha, she'd grown up dirt poor. Her father had gone off to the same war to fight and never came back. He husband had followed in his footsteps, but also met the same fate whilst protecting his men. They'd had a daughter who had caught some strange illness when she was two, which was common at that time, and also died. In her grief, her mother had decided to buy a slave to do the cooking and the cleaning around the house. It turned out to be an eight year old girl, who had suffered loss to. Marsha came extremely close with the girl and unofficially adopted her as her daugher.
After about a year, the girl had told Marsha about her older sister, who had been sold without her. Marsha was shocked that the slave traders wouldn't sell family together. It was inhuman! That's when she started to "adopt" slave children whenever they were sold and made them her own, to bury her grief.
When Marsha had learned of Lewis's brother, she was deeply troubled and decided that she had to do anything she could to help him.
