Beyond the Cotton Fields

Chapter 23

Lucy scraped the scraps from the morning's breakfast into Blue's bowl and whistled for the aging hound to come eat. The hound made his way over to his food dish as Lucy went back to washing dishes.

The icicles hanging from the roof of the cabin dripped water droplets due to the slowing rising temperature. The snow on the ground began to melt, revealing small patches of the ground underneath. The constant layer of clouds that covered the sky was breaking, allowing sunlight and blue sky to be seen. Winter was finally in its final stretch and spring was approaching.

As spring approached, so did the birth of Lucy and Koi's baby. Her stomach grew with each passing day, making it harder to hide it beneath her clothes. While her stomach wasn't protruding a large amount, her clothes were fitting snugger. Boone never made any comments about it, but she was sure he had noticed. Along with the approaching spring came slave hunters. The night one of them came knocking at the door two weeks ago reaffirmed that fact. Barking dogs could be heard every few nights, along with a scream or two. Since then, Lucy was confined to the house and only the house. The only way she got any fresh air was through an open window and she wasn't allowed to stand in front of the window when it was open. Boone stayed out more often, hunting, fishing, and collecting firewood, Cora skinned the animals in the shed, leaving Lucy in the house with Blue to clean up, mend clothes and blankets, and keep the fire going. Being alone in the cabin for hours on end would cause her to think back to her years on the Aberling plantation; how she would sit in her shack alone, cook and eat her meals alone, and read and practice her writing alone.

Thinking about how much time she spent alone would lead to thoughts about her family resurfacing without warning. Her father was an older man of about 50 who was whipped one too many times and died bleeding under his master's whip while her mother was pregnant with her. Her mother, a sweet middle-aged woman, did her best to keep her family together once her husband passed. Raising a baby girl, a 5 year old boy, and a 7 year old boy was never the easiest thing to do, but with God on her side, she was able to raise 3 beautiful and smart children. When she fell ill and passed, her two sons were in charge of taking care of their baby sister. Eldest brother and elder brother, Caesar and Cato, did all that two teenage boys could do to take care of their sister. From keeping her out of harm's way and away from the maturing slave boys and master's family to feeding her and making sure she stayed healthy. 

After she was sold to the Aberlings, Lucy was lost. She always had someone taking care of her and watching over her. She adapted to her solitaire lifestyle within a month, and very well, at that. The master's children snuck away to play with her, seeing as how she had no family. Once a week, they would bring books and lesson sheets to teach her to read and write. This stopped once the Mrs. Aberling found out and had Lucy whipped rather than hanged, because she felt that a hanging was too brutal for a young nigger girl. That's when Lucy continued to teach herself to read and write.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered her family. She would've loved to met her papa, or at least seen him just once. She wished to hug her mama just one more time. She wondered how her older brothers were doing, hoping they were alive and healthy. As much as she missed her family, she smiled at the thought of her own family starting. Although the baby wasn't born yet and her and Koi weren't together at the moment, she knew God would allow everything to work out. 

She was knocked out of her reminiscing when she heard a female scream force its way through the wooden cabin walls. Remembering that Cora was in the shed, she dropped the plate she was washing, grabbed her coat and snow boots, and put them on as she raced outside towards the shed. She pushed the doors open and ran inside, seeing Cora standing in the corner and holding the bloody skinning knife up towards something. Lucy turned her head behind her and saw Koi standing there, looking confused.

"I did not mean to cause this woman distress, Lucy. I thought it was you in here." Koi explained, looking at Lucy.

"L-Lucy? You know thi-" Cora looked between the tall indian man and the small panting black girl with her hands over her stomach and remembered the talk her and Lucy had about the indian peering into the cabin the night she returned from her mother's home. A look of realization and a smile of relief came over her as she lowered her knife.

"This is him, Lucy?" Cora smiled, walking over to the young couple.

"Yes, Ms. Cora." Lucy nodded, rubbing her stomach as she caught her breath.

Before Cora could get another word out, Boone busted into the shed with his rifle pointed up at Koi.

"Mr. Boone, no! He-" Lucy didn't get a chance to finish her sentence before Boone grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him with so much force that he, instead, threw her into the snow. Seeing his lover and unborn child flung into the snow turned Koi's vision red. He lunged at Boone with an angry growl, ignoring the firearm in Boone's arm. Before Koi could get his hands around his neck, Boone pulled the trigger and the sound waves from the bang vibrated through the shed as smoke and the odor of gun powder escaped the fired rifle. Koi fell to ground with a loud growl of pain as he clutched his arm. Warn blood dripped through his hand and into the snow, turning it red.

"Koi!" Lucy rushed over to her wounded lover with tears building up in her eyes.

He had the rifle aimed right at the indian's heart, but something pushed his arm. That something happened to be his wife. "Coralee! What in hell do you think you're doin'?! Lucy, get away from that injun!" Boone yelled. 

"No!" Lucy yelled back, cradling a grimacing Koi.

"You can't kill him, Boone!" Cora hollered back.

"Why not?! I'm out huntin' and I hear you scream! I come in here and see some injun! What am I 'sposed to do?! Let him hurt you and Lucy?! Do you know how dange- It's not even important! Both of y'all get inside now!" Boone walked over to Lucy and tried to pull her away, only for her to scream and jerk away from him.

"I ain't leavin' 'im!" She screamed, ripping her dress and pressing the ripped cloth against Koi's bleeding wound.

"Lucy, get your tail in-"

"No! I love 'im! We's expectin'! I ain't leavin' 'im!" She cried, looking down into her lover's face. His face was contorted in pain and he continued to growl and hiss.

Boone stood there, baffled.

"Lucy, help him up and into the cabin so we can clean him up. C'mon, Boone. We'll explain everything to you." Cora directed, pushing Boone out of the shed and towards the cabin.