in
April 8th, 2004
Angela always looked on the bright side of things. I was not on of those people. She was as happy as a slave could possibly get, which wasn't very happy. I had wanted to be free so badly that I couldn't be happy where I was. Angela always tried to cheer me up about it, but it rarely worked.
One day I decided that I was fed up with slaving away for nothing. I would escape. I had heard about underground railroads where slaves could run away at. If only I could get Angela to come with me.
I had everything planned out. I had studied a quilt that an old slave, Irene, had made. She had escaped successfuly long ago. The quilt she had made had a map embroudered into it. It showed the path that she took to reach freedom in the north.
When I talked to Angela about it she didn't seem as convinced that it would work. "I just don't know," she began. "What if we're cought?"
"We won't be," I said.
She gave me an odd look and then asked, "How do you know?"
"I just do," I replied.
Angela thought for a minute. "Alright."
"You'll come," I said with a hopeful smile.
"Yes, I'll come." That was all I needed. emediantly I started devising a plan on how and when we would escape.
Later on that week we were ready. Angela was as nervouse as anyone ever had been.
"What if we're caught?" She kept on asking.
"Don't worry."
"But,..."
"It will be okay."
"But..."
"Angela, it'll be alright."
She sighed and answered, "All right. Let's get goin'."
That night we said a quick goodbye to all of our fellow slaves. "Are you sure you know what you'r doin', George?" Tim asked.
"I'm sure," I replied.
"Maybe someday I'll leave, too," he said.
"Why don't you come with us now? It's not to late."
"My time will come soon. Right now it's your's and Angela's time. Someday we'll see each other again. Once we're free."
I smiled and left the room.
It was pitch black outside. "I'm so scared, George," Angela asked as we walked off of the plantation.
"Don't worry. I won't let anythin' happen to you, Angela."
Our walking turned into a trot and then into a run. Angela was breathing heavily. I think I could hear her crying, but I'm still not quite sure.
After a while we came to a river. I looked at Angela. She nodded. We both jumped in and let the current carry us out away from the wretched place we were escaping from.
I remember coming out of the river. I was so tired. Angela was half asleep. "Come on, Angela. Just a little bit further."
"I can't go on. I...I...I'm to weak."
I couldn't stay there, but even more so I couldn't leave Angela. I picked her up and carried her away. She fell asleep quickly. I trudged up to a tree and sat down. I figured that I could rest. Just for a little while. I wish now that I had kept walking.
I woke up late the next morning. I enjoyed the few moments before I remembered everything that had happened. I jumped up as I heard the sound of barking. "Angela! Angela! Quick! Get up!"
"Hmm?" She said in a soft, relaxed tone.
"They're after us! They're followin' us!"
She hopped up. "Oh, no. Oh, please no. Help me. Help me. Oh, please, Lord, help us."
It was to late. They were close on our trail. I had to think. What would we do? What could we do? I took a deep breath as I saw the blur of men and dogs coming after us.
See more stories by Julia