Caged Bird Screaming

She's the darkest horse

Goodbye Tom. Goodbye Alexander. See you later tonight.” Laurie said as she waved goodbye.

“Bye mama.” Alexander called out waving excitedly. It wasn’t long ago he was crying, begging to follow her to see Mrs Hardy. Luckily Tom promised him they’d go and get some wanted posters to add to his ever growing collection. Laurie smiled knowing they’d both spend the entire day in town picking posters. The shop would probably be closed as they went on their little adventures.

She dug her fingers in one of the pockets on her dress and picked the rumpled piece of paper. She read the words again and again, not believing her luck. If she was right, she’d have two hundred dollars by the end of the day. She kicked her horse and laughed as she sped across the dirt track.

She arrived in front of Mrs Hardy’s house two hours later, but she wasn’t there to see her. She had heard George Turner lived two streets away from her. People told her to search for a large plantation. They said if she found it, she’d find George Turner’s home.

It wasn’t long before she found George Turner’s home. It looked like a castle compared to the other houses. She jumped off her horse and patted its mane. “Good work girl.” She took the horse by the reins and opened the gate. There she was met by one of the men who by the way he dressed looked like he worked on the plantation. “Excuse me Madam would you like your horse to be put in the stable while you see the master or mistress?”

Laurie nodded. “Yes thank you.” She said as she handed the reins to the man. She watched him lead the horse away and sighed. She inspected herself one more time before knocking on the door. She made sure she placed the stubborn strands of hair behind her ear. The door opened and Laurie cringed when she saw the Negro. “I’m here to see the master regarding a runaway slave.” Laurie said, her voice shaking slightly. She immediately scolded herself. She wouldn’t be frightened by a Negro. It was his black eyes that scared her...

“Oh yes. Please come in.” The Negro said with a smile. Laurie entered the house and followed the Negro into a large hall. He showed her where to sit. Laurie slowly took a sit and waited until George called her into his office. She had been told by the Negro that “the master could take a long time” because he had other matters to attend to. Laurie didn’t mind waiting, as long as she didn’t have to wait for too long. She spent the time marvelling at the extravagant paintings that hung on the wall and the lavish furniture and objects that filled the hall. But soon, her wonder faded as the day went by. She had been sitting still for hours and George hadn’t come to see her.

She soon got fed up and was about leaving when the door opened. “Excuse me Madam.” Laurie turned around and smiled when she saw a man, whom by the looks of it looked like George Turner. “You can come in now.” Laurie nodded and entered the room. “Please take your sit.” He showed her where to sit and she sat on one of the cushioned chairs. “I hear you have some information on one of my runaway slaves.”

“Yes I do.” Laurie retrieved the piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to him. “His name is Axe isn’t it.” George raised his eyebrow in surprise. No one knew Axe’s name apart from him. “He’s residing at one of the plantations where I live. The owner’s name is Charles.”

“Doesn’t Charles know he has a fugitive working on his fields?” George asked suddenly angry.

Laurie shook her head. “No. He’s old and doesn’t have any wife or children so he doesn’t fully manage his plantation.” George looked away trying not to show his irritation.

“How do I know you’re telling me the truth?” He asked.

Laurie leaned closer to him. “Because he came to my shop some days ago and requested for help to get north. My husband refused to help him and he left.”

“Why isn’t your husband here?”

“He’s ill.” Laurie hated it when people tried changing the subject.

“You still don’t have any evidence to support your claim.” George said. He wasn’t ready to waste his time running after a suspicion that would end in nothing but a dry trail.

“This is the shirt he was wearing.” Laurie pulled out the shirt Axe wore when he came to her store. He had left it in her home after he was cleaned up and given a new set of clothes by Tom.

George stood up from his desk. “Would you kindly show me where my slave is hiding?” The woman was telling the truth, and if she was lying, she was an expert.

“Gladly.” Laurie replied with her smile. The two hundred dollars was within reach.

Both of them saddled on their horses with three other men and began their long ride to Old Charles’ plantation.

 A/N: Sorry for the delay. Exams suck the life out of me.

comment, vote, fan(?) please? *cute smile*

oh and check out the song. it's awsome.