Caged Bird Screaming

Sunday morning

“We meet again.” Axe rolled over and opened his eyes worried about who had found him. He stiffened when he saw Hawk woman looking at him with a glitter in her eye. “Good morning little boy, did you find your sister?”

Axe shook his head and tried sitting up but couldn’t. He fell back down again. “Do you have any water?” He asked. Hawk woman grinned showing a row of yellow teeth and nodded. She passed Axe the wineskin swung around her back. Axe gave his thanks and drank the water. He moaned in pleasure as the cold liquid cooled the walls of his throat. Water had never tasted so good.

“Thank you.” He said breathlessly. Hawk woman smiled and retrieved the wineskin from Axe. “What are you doing here?” Axe asked wondering if she too was running away.

“I’ve come here to collect herbs my boy.” Hawk woman replied, her eyes scanning her surroundings.

“Herbs?”

“Yes, herbs to heal wounds and cure sicknesses.” She explained.

“Oh.” Axe said with realisation. “So far from the plantation?”

“No. We’re not that far from town. Only a mile or two.” Axe suddenly felt tense. He hadn’t walked as far as he thought he had.

“What are you doing here anyway?” Hawk woman raised her eyebrow in suspicion. Axe couldn’t think of anything to say. Any excuses he had, suddenly vanished when he needed it the most. “You’re running away aren’t you?” He stared at her dumbfounded. She had said she was smarter than most people thought she was and knew everything that went on around her. Anyway it must have not been hard to guess because he stiffened so quickly when he talked about plantations. Hawk woman giggled. “Well my boy,” Axe scowled. He didn’t like being called ‘my boy’ it was a name for children. “You’re not going to get very far without food and water.”

“Yes I will. I can find my own food and water.”

 Hawk woman pointed to him to show he didn’t have anything on him. “So what town are you going to up north?” Axe hadn’t thought about that. “Do you even know how to get north?”

“Yes. All I need to do is to follow the North Star?”

Hawk woman laughed hysterically. “Really? You need to rely on something more than the North Star.”

Axe huffed and folded his arms. “Other slaves have made their way north by using the North Star.”

Hawk woman sat next to him and touched his shoulder. “Look boy. I know it must be hard being a slave especially if you’ve had horrible masters.” She trembled but soon regained her composure. “But I’ve got a kind master who pays us every week or so if we work well.” Axe was instantly sceptical. There was nothing known as a kind master. The ones he had whipped their slaves till they bled. “Look my master’s old and kind. He doesn’t whip us and he takes good care of us.”

“I don’t know. I just want to be free. I’m sick and tired of being a slave. I don’t like waking up early in the morning to plant and harvest cotton.”

“You have my word boy. No one will hurt you. Come with me. At least you’ll be safe and you’ll have a bed to sleep in.”

Axe looked at Hawk woman for a long time. He had planned on going north to earn his freedom. What if what she said was true? What if her master was kind? Although Axe was unconvinced, he knew he could still make his way north. He could return with Hawk woman to her master’s plantation and stay there for a while. If he didn’t like it there, all he had to do was steal some food and wineskins from the kitchen and leave.

Axe sighed. “I’ll go with you.”

Hawk woman nodded. “You’ve made a wise choice my boy. You will not regret it.”

She helped him onto his feet and they both began walking back to the plantation. Axe stole a quick glimpse at Hawk woman. Did she know he had killed a man? If she didn’t and became caught up in his mess, Axe wasn’t sure if he’d be able to forgive himself. The last thing he wanted to do was to get her into trouble. But she knew he was a runaway slave, so she must have known what she was getting herself into.

“Anything you want to get off your chest my boy?” Hawk woman said taking a quick glimpse at him.

Axe shook his head. “No I’m fine.” Hawk woman nodded and they kept walking.

Both Axe and Hawk woman arrived at the plantation a while later. The slaves remained oblivious to the new slave in the plantation and went about their business. Axe liked it that way. He hated drawing attention to himself. It only created trouble. Hawk woman showed him the way to the hut he’d share with her and left him by himself while she went to get him some new clothes.

The hut was small and had a tiny window where he could see the cotton farm. Axe moved closer to the window and took a closer peak out of it. His eyes widened when he saw Three standing outside a small hut.

“Three?” Axe touched the window. At that moment, Three’s eyes met his. She smiled and disappeared. Axe’s heart sank. It wasn’t really Three he saw. His mind was playing tricks on him again. The other half of his brain told him that if his mind was playing tricks on him, the encounter with Maze too must have been an illusion. Axe shook his head. His encounter with Maze was in fact real. Her touch was real. He felt the warmth of her skin. He saw her smile. He heard her voice.

“I’m back.” Axe turned around and saw Hawk woman standing by the door way with some clothes in her hand.  “I’ll be outside while you change. Just tell me when you’re ready so I can come back inside.” She handed him the clothes and left the hut.

Axe removed his clothes and put on the new ones. They were nice and refreshing. It felt good to have the blood stained clothes removed from his body. Axe opened the door. Hawk woman was sitting on the front porch watching the other slaves. Axe tilted his head and wondered if she had anyone else to talk to. It seemed she spent her day sitting on the porch. “I’ve finished.” Axe called out. Hawk woman turned around and nodded. “Where do I put these?” He asked.

“Leave them inside. I’ll take care of it later.” He nodded and placed his old clothes by the side of the door. He then went out and sat next to Hawk woman.

“Is this what you do every day?” He asked. Hawk woman turned to him with a puzzled expression on her face. “When you finish what you do? Do you sit here and watch people?” Hawk woman nodded. “Why don’t you go and talk to some people?” He asked.

“Because they don’t want to talk to me.” The words came out harsher than intended and she looked away guiltily. It was as if an icy cold wall was placed around her blocking people away. Axe decided to drop the subject. He wasn’t ready to start an argument with Hawk woman.

“Why aren’t people in the fields?” Axe asked. It was almost midday but normally the slaves would be working until a bell rang signalling it was time for their midday meal.

“It’s Sunday.” Hawk woman replied. Axe had lost track of time.

“Sunday?” He didn’t understand what she meant. All his former master’s made their slaves work every day from sunrise to sunset. They never had a day off.

“It’s the Sabbath day.” Axe felt even more confused. “Sabbath day...” Hawk woman sounded like she was trying to help him remember something but Axe couldn’t think of what she meant.

“What is a Sabbath day?” Axe asked.

Hawk woman gasped. “Don’t you know what the Sabbath day is?” Axe shook his head. “The Sabbath day is Sunday and it’s the day when you don’t work. It’s a day of rest. We don’t work on Sundays.” Hawk woman explained. Axe listened to her fascinated by what she had to say. She told him about the Ten Commandments the Lord had given to Moses and explained the Sabbath in detail to him. Axe didn’t understand everything Hawk woman blabbered about but the one thing he remembered was that Sunday, otherwise known as the Sabbath was the day of rest.