I stared into the fireplace across from my hospital bed lost in my favorite memories, meeting my husband, having my daughter Stephanie, and gaining my freedom from my masters and mistresses. There came a knock on my door. I looked to the door frame and there stood my daughter Stephanie and her son Christopher.
“Hi mom, how are you feeling?” Stephanie asked taking a seat next to me. I rolled my eyes and responded, “I’m old, my joints hurt, I’ve been laying here for 3 days, how do you think I feel?” Christopher stared at me solemnly as he approached my bedside.
“Nana, will you tell me a story? Stories make ME feel better!” I nodded at the exuberant toddler he climbed into the bed with me. I couldn’t help but to ruffle his red-brown hair.
“I will tell you the tale of a slave named Luna (AKA Ténèbres le Terrible). Every plantation she was sold to, the owning family would die of mysterious causes. Her first family was drowned, the second’s entire plantation was set ablaze, the next family’s kids killed their parents and then themselves, the second to last drank water tainted with arsenic. Never once was she caught “working her magic” or “cleaning up”, she was as clean cut and sly as a Raevis assassin.” Both Stephanie and Christopher looked at me quizzically.
“You won’t find anything on Raevis, they’re a secret society.” Stephanie scoffed. Christopher glared at his mom, effectively silencing her. I continued
“This is the story of her “capture”.” Stephanie blinked “That’s a contradictory—“ “Shhh, nana is talking.”
“Luna walked bound at the wrists next to her new master on his chestnut horse. She had white hair that fell over her shoulders in a matted and tangled mess at only age 15. Her hazel eyes scanned her surroundings, memorizing an escape route. She began humming a song (now known as Black Water by the Doobie Brothers) non-chalantly, a bit too nonchalantly. He master glared down at her, he knew she was a key variable in those family’s deaths, and he was determined to find out HOW she went about it. ‘Listen up girl, yer goin to MY house and yer workin in MY kitchen, if anyone in mah family gets sick it’s going to be YOUR head. Ya got that?’ He yelled at her. Luna nodded curtly and gave a simple ‘Yessir.’ His horse began trotting causing her to stumble and sprint to avoid being dragged along the ground. He grabbed her by the front of her dress and tossed her across the back of the horse. With each step the horse took, its rump would pound into Luna’s stomach. At that moment, she knew what she was going to do.” Christopher looked up at me with his dark brown eyes and asked, “What was she going to do?” I smiled in reply. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
“She arrived at the plantation and was openly welcomed by all of the other kitchen workers. ‘Well, my name is Luna. She said meekly. ‘Well lil Luna, I’m Prissy, short fo Pricilla, I’m head of da kitchen, and in my kitchen, there will be no mistakes, got it?’ Pricilla asked poking Luna in the chest for emphasis. ‘Yeah, yeah! I gots it.’ Luna shouted in defense. Luna was always a terrible liar, except when it came down to her ‘profession’. ‘Chill baby girl, I was just makin sure!’ Prissy responded. ‘Now let’s get dinner started.’ Luna said excitedly.
Luna was given a big task for a new house worker, the dessert. She decided to make a simple pecan pie, but as she started Priscilla interrupted. ‘Now looky here Loony. The kids eat two pieces of pie and there are guests from the Beaumont plantation who are rumored to eat nothin’ but sweet potato pie, so, ya needs 4 pecan and about 3 sweet potatoes.’ Luna nodded happily. This was all too perfect; she finished making the pecan pie filling and reached into her shoe producing a small bottle of an amber liquid. She began pouring it into her new families pies, as she reached the 3rd pie, her master grabbed her by the wrist and threw her on the floor. ‘Just what in the hell do you think you’re doing?’ he yelled. ‘Adding the secret ingredient sir.’ He looked at her skeptically. ‘DRINK IT!’ he ordered. She willingly placed the bottle to her lips and drank it all, nothing happened. ‘Good.’ He took the pies out to his family and they greedily ate them all as she expected.
The family went to the living room for their routine after dinner discussion. The mother fell unconscious and began convulsing on the floor as did everyone else excluding the daughter, she didn’t eat any of the pie. Luna just stood in the doorway watching the girl panic and the rest of the family flopping like fish out of water with a smirk plastered on her face.
"The next morning the daughter turned Luna into the authorities, she was set to be hanged on October 23rd, but she escaped to Canada. You may be wondering ‘How did Luna survive the poison?’" Christopher nodded swiftly. I whispered into his ear, “Any good murderer builds an immunity to their poisons—”
“MOM!” Stephanie interjected. I turned to her, really? 30 years with me and she hasn’t learned?
“Steph, I don’t filter what I say.” She growled in response.
“Oi, I may be in a nursing home with limited mobility, but I can still bend you over my knee!” I snapped at her. Christopher laughed gaily and was met with a playful thump on his ears by both his mother and I.
“But if she escaped to Canada, how was she captured?” Of course she wouldn’t remember this story.
“Well, she was captured by the loving arms of a man named Jacque, but that’s a story best saved for later.” I said.
There came a soft rapping from the door frame.
“Miss Luna?” Annalisa, my nurse, called. “
Yes Anna...banana?” She giggled softly and sighed.
“Visiting hours are over.” Christopher pouted. “I wanna stay with nana!” Stephanie hoisted him over her shoulder.
"Nah kiddy, we need to go.”
As they left I couldn’t help but to think how blessed I was to be fortunate enough to escape slavery at a young age. I would have waited fifty years if I didn’t take some form of action.
On January 17, 1872, Luna died peacefully in her sleep.
