Talisa

{In the 1850s, a slave that wanted to escape was considered to have a ‘mental disorder’ called “drapetomania.” The prescribed treatment was whipping or cutting big toes to make running not possible.}

Zadie relaxed in the back of the covered wagon while her mother and father were coupled together in the wagon’s seat. They were on a long journey relocating from the deep south of Georgia to the ever expanding state of Colorado. Her father’s family owned land there, which her father was soon to inherit. Aside from that, the land there was free and so they were desperate to escape the oppression they had faced in the slave state of Georgia. Although Zadie and her mother were free, the hostility toward them did not cease. For this reason, and because her mother was expecting, they made the decision to relocate.

Traveling this far through proslavery territories was dangerous, but fortunately for them their trip had not been too troublesome. Zadie’s father drove the wagon while her mother sat beside him. Whenever they would see other travelers approaching, Zadie and her mother would hide well out of sight. As a result they managed to travel without being harassed orworse. Blacks people were hated enough around there, and a white man with a Black wife and biracial child would only cause further uproar.

“Zadie?” Her father called over his shoulder, interrupting her reading. “Why don’t you read aloud and give us all some entertainment?”

Edward Anthony Dobbs III had met Etta Knight when they were both living their lives up north. They were both aiding in an organization for the abolishment of slavery and had met while working on a specific project together. Within a couple of months they were married and not too soon after Etta became pregnant with Zadie. They relocated to the south to further assist in the fight against slavery and had remained their ever since, until now of course.

“No!” Zadie squealed and giggled out of embarrassment. Peeking up from the edge of her book of her book she said, “Papa, this is aromancenovel. I’m not gonna read italoud!”

“Romance?” He questioned, not hiding his dissatisfaction in her choice of reading material. “Why are you reading that? And who provided you with that novel?” He eyed his wife suspiciously.

“Let the girl read in private, Ed.” Etta said, reassuringly she patted his knee. “She’s fifteen years old, soon to be sixteen, and her interests have matured.”

Edward rolled his eyes, not yet willing to accept Zadie growing out of her adolescence. He has always been very protective over his wife and daughter, considering them more precious than his own life. “Honey, no father wants to hear that his daughter is growing up and developingmaturefeelings.”

Etta and Zadie each snickered at her father’s discomfort. The day she developed breasts had been a milestone that he had yet to overcome. Soon after she met puberty, he became weary of the male attention that Zadie suddenly began receiving. Edward had not noticed that his little girl was growing up until he caught boys watching her with intenseinterest. Only then did Edward come to realize how much his daughter’s petite child body had transitioned into a womanly figure much like her mother’s.

“Why don’t you read something more educational? Something that will stimulate intelect?” He suggested with the hope that she would immediately toss the book aside and pick up one of his own, which touched on topics of either philosophy or science. Edward cared not as long as it ceased the stir of any amorousfeelings within her.

Zadie rolled her eye. Oh, papa, one day I will marry and have a bunch of babies and--”

“Okay, okay.” He raised the palm of his hand. “I think I’ve heard enough.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. Etta and Zadie once again shared a burst of laughter.

“Seems your pa is not ready to accept your coming of age, sissy,” Etta teased.

Zadie leaned forward and kissed her father’s cheek. “You may notalwaysbe the only man in my life papa, but you will always be my favorite.”

He snorted in response. Oh, how he wished that statement was true. “You say that now, but then prince charming will sweep you off your feet and you’ll forget all about your poor old man.” He looked back at her with a dramatic pout.

“You’re probably right.” Zadie shrugged, a smile dancing playfully on her lips. They all laughed and continued to tease one another.

Zadie believed her life to be most fortunate considering the life of most Black people in her time. She was now even happier than ever since she found out that was to be a big sister. She was also looking forward to living at her grandfather’s grand estate in Colorado. However, she was not sure how he would accept having biracial grandchildren. Edward assured them that his father would be accepting, but even her mother was concerned. Just because White folks live in the north does not mean that they are particularly partial on Black people. Her grandfather does not even know that her father married a negro woman let alone conceived a child with her. How then will he react when he finds out that her mother was pregnant? Her father must have kept such details from him for good reason.

While Zadie was taking a nap her father pulled the wagon to a halt. He mother awoke her with a gentle nudge. “Sissy, we’re taking a brief stop.”

Zadie yawned as she widely stretched out her arms. She poked her head out the back end of the wagon. Looking around she could see they were somewhere amongst the trees a little ways off from the trail. She hopped out of the wagon and hiked up a hill to relieve her bladder behind a bush. Once she was finished she adjust her skirts and began her decent.

She had almost made it back to the wagon when she heard her mother’s high pitched scream. Zadie startled and for a moment froze in fear, uncertain what she heard was real. Her mother’s guttural scream broke through the silence again before Zadie was able to shake out of her petrified state.

Quickly she ran in the direction where she heard the sounds of a desperate struggle. Slowly her world seemed to be crashing down upon her. The fear of what she was to witness already began to torment her as her mind raced with painful possibilities. After all this time in their journey the devil has found them anyway, and now that he has them what shall he do?

When she was close enough she then approached slowly and cautiously, hiding behind a thick bush. Zadie peeked through its leaves and branches, making sure not to reveal herself. Several feet in front of her she saw her father being beaten by three White men while two others held her mother down forcefully.

“Please!” He father held up his hands in attempt to protect his now swollen bloodied face. “Just take the money and go!”

“Yea, we’ll take the money but after we kill ya and yer Black bitch.” The filthy bearded man said.

In fact they were all filthy. Dirty, grimy, and stunk of sweat and something putrid. The menacing man standing over her father had to be the leader of the group. He was the only one talking while the others simply laughed or agreed with every insult he directed at her parents.

Zadie’s bottom lip trembled and heart raced as she watched them continue to attack her parents. She watched in horror as they forced her mother onto her back, pulling up the skirt of her dress, and ripping off her undergarments. Her mother wept loudly as two of the men began to unbuckle their belts. The other animals forced her father to watch the wretchedly evil act.

At that moment, her mother turned her head and made eye contact with Zadie. The horror, terror, and pain was clear in her eyes. Zadie stepped forward with the intention to help in someway, but her mother discreetly shook her head, warning her to remain hidden. Etta mouthed the word ‘go’, but Zadie did no’t want to leave them. How could she leave them? She wanted to help, but did not know how. What could she really do? Her father could not even fight back so how could she? She could not hold her own against one large man let alone seven of them. She had no weapon on her and her father’s shotgun was back at the wagon, which was right in their attackers line of vision.

Fleeing was her only option. She took one last look at her father and mother before running off to hide. Crouching down in the dirt, she covered her ears with the palms of her hands to drown out the horrible sounds of her mother’s screams and her father’s cries.

“Nonononono,” she muttered to herself over and over again. She painfully pressed her hands to her ears as she rocked back and forth on the ground. There was little hope that her parents were going to survive this brutal unprovoked attack and there was nothing that she could do about it.

Nothing.

And who would help them?

No one.