Caged Bird Screaming

Isolation

Henry stifled a scream as the wet cloth came in contact with his back. “Hush Henry the pain will soon be gone.” His mother whispered. He turned his head a little to get a small view of her. Her eyes were bloodshot red. She had been crying.

“I’m sorry mother.” Henry felt shame slice through his heart like a dagger. It was his fault. If he hadn’t called Laura a murderer...if he hadn’t spoken back to his father none of this would have happened.

“It’s not your fault.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and went back to what she was doing. She stroked his blonde hair gently and Henry sighed. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you Henry.” She removed her hand from his hair and left the room.

Henry fell asleep. The pain washed away as his dreams soared to the sky. In his world, there was no pain. No one got whipped. No one was slapped. No one was yelled at. Slavery was nonexistent. Everyone was equal.

........

Axe entered the small room with a basin of water and some bandages to wrap the boy’s wounds. He halted, frozen in his tracks when he saw the child’s tiny frame on the bed with blood trickling from the lashes on his back. Anger filled Axe’s heart. How could a father whip his own son ‘til he was half dead? How could a father beat his child so mercilessly? He moved closer towards Henry. Tears threatened to fall when he remembered the fear he had seen earlier in the morning when he had brought him his food. The child had known what would happen to him.  It took him a lot of self will to stop himself from doing something he’d later regret.

He bent down and cleaned some of Henry’s wounds. He’d check the boy’s face regularly to see if he flinched or showed any signs of discomfort. The child didn’t move at all. Axe sighed and began bandaging the wounds. He did the job with care, making sure everything was perfect else the wounds would get infected and eventually the boy would die a slow cruel death.

Axe touched Henry’s cheek “Get well soon Henry.” He whispered. He took the basin from the floor and left the room. The pain he felt shattered his heart into a million pieces. The boy was innocent. The Negro had told him about what had happened. He told him about how the child stood up to his father and called his cousin a murderer for hanging her slave. Henry would turn out to be a great man one day. Axe knew it.

He threw the bloody water away onto the grass, cleaned the basin and then went to the garden to pick some vegetables for the cook. Since the old cook had died, she was replaced by a new one. A middle aged Negro with a bald head and a thick southern accent. He used to be one of the field hands but was moved to be the cook after impressing the master with his skills.

Axe picked some tomatoes from the vegetable garden, herbs and spices and placed them in a basket. He was about entering the house when he was grabbed from behind and his thrust onto the brick wall. Three young men with red eyes sneered at him.

“Look here master’s pet. Just because you’re now in the master’s house, doesn’t mean you’re better than us.” One of them said. He laughed, grabbed the basket from Axe and threw the contents onto the floor. Another young man squashed the tomatoes under foot.