The Spectorium meandered through sprawling farm country that was scarred from the ravages of war. What effort was made toward its recovery did little to return it to its former glory. Those who once bragged about flourishing lands with sumptuous crops wandered around as if the soil beneath them had forgotten their footsteps. From one backwater town to the next, families with houses that had burned to the ground squatted wherever they could. Livestock wandered aimlessly while feeding off shrubs and grass that were trying to make a comeback. Rail thin dogs sniffed the rankest odors with the hope of finding food unless humans got there first. Children, bellies swollen with parasites, walked around listlessly; their once bright eyes now dim from hunger. But when the odd little wagon with the painted exotics on its side appeared, their blunted eyes seem to brighten at the thought of anticipating something that might take their mind off their misery.
Everybody, including those toiling in the fields, stared at the Hoodoo Lady’s likeness when the wagon passed by. Perhaps they found her shimmering ring fascinating or that she reminded them of someone they knew. Others shielded their eyes knowing that the woman was real and that her powers were potent. Either way they would have to let their imagination ride because there was no need for artifice in their dismal lives. Even if they were accustomed to extravagances at one time, now they were more appreciative of the simpler things in life like having the entire family together with enough food to feed them. Somehow Eubie felt like he was unwitting pawn to this wretchedness and wished that he had never left home.
Life on the Culpepper plantation was at times difficult, but no one ever went without food or clothing. There was always someone to lend a helping hand. When he thought about how his parents worked so hard so that he could stay out of the fields and go to school, he was ashamed for thinking that life could be better elsewhere. The idea of being paraded around like an animal was not only humiliating, but disrespectful to his family’s sacrifices. This was an education that couldn’t be taught in any classroom and he was thrust right in the middle whether he was ready for it or not. He now understood what Miss Porterhouse meant by waiting until he was grown.
Rumors of Speck’s fake attraction soon preceded him and it became increasingly difficult for him to pass Eubie off as an African oddity. Consequently, the Spectorium often had to hurriedly move on before law-abiding patrons discovered the deception. Once people figured out that they had contributed to their own stupidity, cheers turned to jeers and Speck was driven out of town with the threat of never to return upon penalty of death.
As the days wore on, Eubie’s disenchantment with the world at large and his captivity in particular had him pining away for his family and for days fraught with few surprises. The inconsistency of having to depend upon the desolation of others to feed him every few days, took its toll.
“Eat!” Speck barked. It was a command rather than a summons to dine. He had no clue of the boy’s ailment and gave no thought to melancholy. Ordinarily, Speck would not have hesitated to gobble up any food available; but Eubie was his only source of income, and his stamina had to be maintained. He slid the tin plate with the last morsel of bread and bit of molasses closer, but Eubie was too despondent to eat.
At the end of his wits, Speck attempted to force feed Eubie by pinching his nose so that his mouth would open. However, an ill-aimed crust of bread sent the plate flying to the floor. “Now look what you made me do,” he snarled. “Lick it up!” By now Eubie was awash with fatigue. He knew that if he became useless that Speck would not hesitate to turn him over to the Slavers for a tidy sum.
He dropped to his knees and began to slide his tongue gingerly over the slatted wagon floor so as not to splinter his tongue. While kneeling, he remembered that Preacher Hicks said calling out to your ancestors in time of need was just like calling on the Lord’s messengers. Eubie closed his eyes and began to pray silently. Whether it was affinity for a Mother Land connection, or the determination to be saved by outwitting the captor, Eubie’s Ancestral Guides heeded the call and he came up with a plan.
