Running Wild.

1.

1.

Aminata.

June 1831.

"Girl! What are you doing?! Get back to work before, the mistress sees you." Ma Dear, scolded me, breaking me from my daydream. "Sorry," I mumbled, before going back to hemming the mistress's dress for tonights ball. I sighed, as I pricked my finger for what had to be the millionth time today. "Ma Dear, what's everyone so up in arms about anyway? They always having a fancy dinner or something." I asked, her.

"I heard the mistress say the Governor and his family are supposed to be here. They giving the master some kind of award." She told me, and I shook my head. "I don't understand what he's getting something for, when he don't do nothing but sit on the porch all day." I replied, and she hit my arm. "I done told you about talking like that when we in the house. Mind your tongue, girl." She said sternly, before looking around.

Ma Dear, wasn't my mother, but ever since I was brought to this hell hole three years ago, she'd been the closest thing to a mother that I had. I wasn't sure what her real name was, because everyone called her Ma Dear, including Mistress Sophia and Master Jean, but she was a good woman. "I'm almost finished anyway." I rolled my eyes. "Then we have to do Miss Anne and Miss Elisabeth's dresses too." She said, and I huffed.

"If you'd stop day dreaming, we'd be finished by now. I don't know what goes on in that head of yours." She said, and I shook my head. I was always getting in trouble for day dreaming. I mostly thought of, my family back home, in Ethiopia, and the freedom I had there. I thought of the beautiful trees and birds that sung to me all day every day. I thought of anything beyond this plantation really. I may have been a slave now, but my mind wasn't.

It seemed as of lately, my family had been coming to me more in my dreams. I had never lost hope that someday we'd be reunited, and I felt like that day was getting closer and closer. "Ma Dear, you ever think about being free?" I asked, in a hushed whisper. "All the time. I think about my being free and living in a house like this with all my children." She said, giving me a small smile.

I knew that Ma Dear, had a few children, but they were sold off after she gave birth. "You still think they're alive?" I asked, and she nodded. "I can feel it. I know, one was in Baton Rouge, I don't know about the others." She said, and I nodded. "Are you not finished yet, Mina?" Mistress Sophia, questioned coming into the room.

"Just about ma'am. I just need you to fit one last time." I said, making up an excuse. "Well hurry up! Anne and Elisabeth still need to be fit, and their dresses altered." She scolded me, as she began to take off her house dress. I kept my mouth shut, knowing it'd be bad if I gave her any lip. Ma Dear helped me fit the dress on her, and I made the final few pins, and finished her dress.

"Perfect. Aimee will be so jealous, I'm sure her dress isn't as fine as this. You know, Jean had this material in from, Italy. Pssh, you probably don't even know where that is." She waved me off, as she looked at herself in the mirror. My eye twitched, at her dismissive tone, for her information I did know where Italy was. Ma Dear, had secretly taught me how to read, and ever since I'd sneak books from the library. They never read them anyway, they only had them for show.

"That is a mighty fine dress Mistress, are Miss Anne and Miss Elisabeth ready to be fit?" Ma Dear asked. "Yes, I'll send them in. And make sure this dress is ironed." Mistress Sophia said as she took it off, and I nodded. We helped her back into her house dress, and she went to call for her girls. "This dress is ugly," I told Ma Dear, once the mistress was out of ear shot.

"It sure is, this green makes her look more sickly than she already is." She said, and we laughed. The twins Anne and Elisabeth came in a few minutes later, and we fit them before they ran off to play. Those girls were ignorantly sweet, and I couldn't imagine them turning out like the mistress or Master Jean, but I knew once they grew up it'd be different. Life is always sweet when your 9.