The Color Scale

 Walking in, my eyes wondering, I don't know what is going on. I hear my mother screaming my name "JAMES!" I can't find her, my heart is pounding and tears began running down my cheeks, falling to the ground. She was being dragged by a white man. I tried running to her but one man grabbed me by my wrist and slammed me to the ground. My knees were scraped and I felt little pebbles pressed into my skin. I saw my father, they were describing him and that's when I found out this was a slave auction.

I saw a hand fly up, "five hundred over here," then I saw another, "six hundred fifty ova here," one more hand flew up, "eight hundred sixty right here." No more hands flew out, the spokesman yelled: "Sold to the gentleman with the long beard." This can't be happening, I was hitting myself on the head with my little fists hoping this was only a dream. I started to panic as I realized that this wasn't a dream, but I was being sold. My eyesight wasn't good, so I started squinting to see if I could find my mother and father, but they were out of sight. That whole moment was a blur, I couldn't hear anyone, I was dramatized. I shook my head back into reality, I was then sold to a man named William Montgomery.

The slaves that were sold, including me, were kept in this dark room that had the setting of a jail cell. The sunlight that had gotten inside from the gray, cold metal bars was the only source of light. I heard footsteps coming down the stairs, getting closer to the cell. It was the owner of the slave auction. "All you niggers get outta there." None of us could understand him since we didn't know how to read nor write. He took out a shotgun, pulled the trigger and aimed it at the ceiling. It was clearly understood he wanted us out. I heard sobbing all around, but if one thing I knew from my father was to never show fear. We were lead outside and I saw a big ship which had the label on the side promoted as "Brookes." One by one, they threw us on the bottom deck of the ship, we were piled up on top of previous slaves. I couldn't get a grasp of air, one man's shoulder blade was lodged into my stomach, in the area of my ribs. The spread of disease made me sick, and the smell of urine from the restrooms above made many of the slaves vomit. I was losing air and knocked out for several hours.

I woke up in Georgia, I was transported to the Montgomery household. William Montgomery was my master and if I were to betray him, consequences were likely that I would get beaten until I'd learn my lesson. The Montgomerys were related to royalty and they were very terrible people. I was sent to one of the plantations owned by my master. There were more slaves in that plantation besides me, and the way their appearance looked made me think of my parents. They were nearly all bones, their dry skin and disease didn't make it easy to work, and the scars that were once healing where deepened again by the anger of a white man. I tried not to show fear but my father wasn't here and all the sorrows inside of me just broke down. I was only eight years old and the hours I'd work made me feel like an old man. That is until one day, a girl the same age as me named Aria stepped into the plantation. She was running towards me, I was trembling with fear because I thought she was going to hurt me since she was white.

"Hi my name is Aria, what do they call you around here?"

My eyebrows got tense in confusion as I stuttered "I-I-I-I Donn'ttt understannd."

She got the message that I didn't know how to read or write. I turned my head and saw her drifting away. About ten minutes later, she came back with books and writing utensils. I grabbed her hand and we ran off hiding under a tree. She was different, she actually saw me as living, breathing human, she didn't judge me by the color of my skin. Ever since that day, she has been teaching me how to read and write.

Years have passed, now I am seventeen years old. Aria and I have grown up together and as the days have passed, we fell in love with one another. My master called me, so I got there as fast as I could walk.

"James I want you to make this house spotless by the time the guests come," said William.

" Yes, master." I said.

A young female walked into the room, it was Aria.

"James, this is my daughter Aria." said William.

That split second of a feeling where my heart sank down to my stomach. The feeling for her was also mutual. I was walking back to the Plantation in anger and frustration, I heard Aria running behind me.

Aria was losing her breath, "James please stop."

I lashed back and in an angry tone I yelled, "why didn't you tell me you were the daughter of my master, why!"

"I swear I didn't know James you have to understand." said Aria.

"How can I understand Aria, we are different and if your father so heavenly knows about this my life is over." said James still in disbelief.

Aria replied, "James, I swear to you my father will not know of this... I love you."

I looked up into her eyes, the color of the ocean, her smile picture perfect, and her hair, she was truly a wonderful sight. I grabbed her hand tightly like the day I did when I was eight years old and said: " I love you too." That night we made a plan to escape and find our way to the Underground Railroad. Aria packed her things and snuck a few rolls in her bag in case we got hungry, I didn't have much to pack because these were really the only clothes I have owned. Aria snuck out of the house party and I met her outside, she had brought a lantern since it was dark outside. We then took off into the dark, cold night.

We were walking in the grass filled had little pricks, which made my legs all scratched up, the pain didn't affect me because I have felt pain much worse. We have been following the north star for hours but we still hadn't reached our destination until we saw a family of slaves and we followed them into the Underground Railroad, we have made it safe but barely safe. On the way to the Underground Railroad, I seemed to have caught a bad cough so I decided maybe if I sleep it off the pain in my throat will go away.

I slept until the next morning and we almost arrived in Canada. I felt even worse than I did before, feeling even more nauseous and a pounding in my head that didn't seem to stop. I grabbed a roll from the bag, maybe I was just hungry. Finally, we are free in Canada but now it was our turn to find a way to survive. Just a few moments after I thought I was free, I collapsed on the floor, blood coming out of my mouth when I started coughing.

Aria screamed, "JAMES WHAT IS HAPPENING TO YOU!"

"This is the end for me Aria," James said in a weak tone, "always remember that I love you and I hope we can be together again in heaven."

Tears started coming down from Aria eyes as she took out a knife from her bag, "This is the only way I will be happy." said Aria.

Aria looked at the knife and said: "I love you, James, forever and always."

Aria deepened that knife in her heart, she died instantly next to her true love.