Jillian Chantal

The writers of Tuesday Tales are writing to the word prompt tall this week. We’re a group of ladies who each write completely differently from each other, but use a common word each week.

Check out the other tales here.

Once they both were awake and dressed in just one gown each, Esther and Theodora went out the door to the little porch on the front of the cabin.

To their surprise, a couple of ladies stood there. One was taller than any other woman Theodora had ever seen and one was almost as round as she was tall. They both had huge grins on their faces.

“We were getting ready to knock. William said you’d be arriving sometime in the night and we didn’t think we could wait much longer to meet you,” the tall one said.

Esther stepped off the porch. “I’m Esther and this is Theodora.”

The shorter woman said, “I’m Lizzie and she’s Sassy.” She giggled. “My former master named me Elizabeth, but I call myself Lizzie now and Sassy used to be Cassandra. Are you two going to change your names?”

“I’m too old to change now, honey.” Esther took the shorter woman by the arm. “I heard there was a kitchen around here.” She waved Theodora off the porch. “That’s my young friend, Theodora. I’m thinking she’s going to keep her name since the master on our old plantation allowed the mothers to name their babies.”

Stunned at that news since she’d never known it, Theodora’s words almost stuck in her throat. She coughed and said, “Yes, I’ll be keeping mine, too.” She vowed to ask the old woman more about her mother as soon as they were alone.

This week’s word for Tuesday Tales is snow. We’ve gone a little backward in my tale of an escaped slave in order to fit in the word prompt. This is part of the scene of the daughter of the house’s engagement party.

check out the other tales here.

“Stay out of this, Adams. I know exactly who this young person is and why he’s here. He’s been trying to seduce my daughter for years and I’ll not stand for him to ruin this evening.” The master tried to push past Mr. Adams.
“I’m afraid you’re too late. The night was already ruined for some of us when the bride to be flung two vases to the floor in some kind of rage herself.” Mr. Adams nodded at the groom to be. “If I were you, young man, I’d break off this entanglement as it seems you’re walking into a situation which I believe you’ll come to regret. I’ve heard from others here who feel the same way.”

“See here. You have no right to speak that way in my home,” the master said, the neck of his skin reddened and the powder from his wig flew around his shoulders as if it was snow. Theodora feared for him again. All this anger was surely not good for the master. If he died of some kind of fit, what would happen to the slaves? Would we be sold? Would the mistress need the money we would bring?
“I’m merely stating what everyone here is thinking. The lad and his father made the deal with you to join your families for political reasons and this behavior by Robertson’s future wife is certain to put a damper on his aspirations for office.” Mr. Adams bowed.

“My wife and I shall take our leave and allow you some privacy to try to salvage what you can out of this night.”

He turned and was followed out by most of the crowd. A few stayed which Theodora figured was for the sole purpose of witnessing what would happen next. It was sure to be the gossip of the whole town by daylight.

Daylight reminded her. Were they still going to try to run? Surely not. The house in chaos as it was surely meant no one would sleep this night or in the morning. There would be no chance to escape.

This week’s word is Greasy for the Tuesday Tales challenge. We are a group of authors who write to the same word prompt each week.

My story picks up with the main character and another slave she escaped with hiding in a barn and eating the breakfast the lady of the house brought them.

Check out the other tales here.

As soon as she was gone, Theodora and Esther helped themselves to the biscuits and ham.

Esther held up a piece of the ham. “I’ve seen folks in the house raise a glass to toast something good. Let’s raise a piece of ham to our first meal of freedom.” She nodded at Theodora’s ham. “Pick it up, child and we’ll hit them together like the white folks do with their champagne.”

Shaking her head at the old lady, Theodora did as instructed and giggled a little. “This is silly, Esther. We’re not even free yet and you’re being a little crazy.”

“I’m calling us free.” She winked. “After all, did anyone wake us up this morning and make us sew or sweep or do anything against our will? I say that’s freedom. We get to sleep all day today if we want and we just got served breakfast in bed. Has that ever happened to you before?”

“When you put it like that, I guess you’re right. I just hope it’s not freedom for a day, but freedom forever.”

“All’s we got is one day at a time, child. We take that day and live it free. Of tomorrow comes, we do it again—if we can.”

When Theodora swallowed the piece of biscuit she’d taken a bite of, she said, “How did you get so wise?”

Esther shrugged. “Maybe not wise, but I have lived a long time and seen a lot of suffering of our people. First on the plantation and then in the city. I learned to be content by telling myself it was just for a day that I’d be enslaved. Then the next day, I’d tell myself that again. I believed in my heart that at some time, that one day would be the one I tasted the sweet air of freedom. This is that day, Theodora. This day.” Tears streamed down Esther’s face. “And I’ll take this day of happiness even if I’m hiding in a barn.”

Reaching out to hug her friend, Theodora said, “I’ll take this day, too.”

Finishing their breakfast in happy, contented silence, they each smiled at the other.

Finally, when the last crumb was gone, Esther stood and brushed off her skirts. “Time to find that chicken coop and visit the privy.”

Theodora wiped her greasy fingers and and picked up the tray. “How will we climb down with this?”

To her amusement, Esther took the tray and shook the crumbs off it. She used one of the blankets to wipe the grease from the ham off it then placed it against her chest inside the bodice of her top gown. “Just like this.”

“You really are silly this morning. How will you balance with that on? Those rings of the ladder are steep.”

“This is from the girl who just called me wise? How can you now be doubting me?” Esther laughed.

“You’re right, but let me go first so I can catch you—or the tray—if one of you falls.”

Happy New Year! How appropriate that the word of the week for Tuesday Tales is year. This is my slavery story continued.

Be sure to check out the other tales here.

Lavinia came to stand in front of Theodora. “And you need to leave this girl alone. She’s been abused by my sister for too long.”
Her words brought Mr. Robertson and her father to a halt with the stranger. They’d almost made it out of the room, but Mr. Robertson cocked his head at Lavinia and said, “Are you an abolitionist?”
“Of course she isn’t,” her mother said. “Her whole life is based on her father being a slave owner. She’d never be part of that movement.”
A man Theodora had never seen before—like most of the people still in the room—stepped into the middle of the room. “I say, Madam, you and your husband are in the wrong state to be arguing about slavery. Are you not aware that the great state of Pennsylvania passed a law in the year of our Lord 1780 to free the Africans gradually? Most of us who live here agree with that legislation. It’s men like your husband who do not.”
“Wait one moment. You can’t attack my wife and my own beliefs in my home.” A sly look came over Master’s face. “Besides, even our great president of these United States owns slaves. If you criticize me, you criticize him.”
“Then I guess that’s what I’m doing. We realize you and many of your colleagues—including him—take your slaves out of the state to avoid the law. I sincerely hope that one day you’ll be stopped from that behavior. I know Mr. Washington is of the opinion he’s not a resident of Pennsylvania but merely here as the government is based here, so the law doesn’t apply to him. I imagine you think you’re immune as well, sir.”
“I agree with our president. Yes. There is nothing wrong with that.” The master nodded at Mr. Robertson. “Let’s take this one out to the street and return to try to start the festivities again.”
Theodora wasn’t educated but she knew her master was not going to be pleased with what this man would say next. She could tell by the look on the gentleman’s face he wasn’t pleased with Master.
“I find you odious and a blustery fool. Any man who can’t see his own reputation going down in flames has no place in our city, much less in our government. I am going to make it my duty to be sure you are cast out of Congress.” The man tipped his hat and bowed to the people standing near him.

Sorry I missed some weeks. I’m writing something totally different for me and the words that were used the last few weeks didn’t fit at all in my tale and there was no way to make it work. This week’s word is crazy and I can use that one for sure.

This story is about a slave and set in 1792. In this scene, the youngest son of the house is asking the slave, Theodora why she escaped (she was captured after one day and given lashes for it). She’s a house slave/seamstress and is working on a gown for one of his sisters.

Be sure to check out the other tales here. Mine is completely unedited so it will probably change at some point.

“Please tell me. I truly am baffled. Why you’d go. You have food, clothing and a roof over your head. Yet you risked it for a life as a fugitive. Why?”

The angst in his voice was what decided her to answer truthfully. She leaned forward with her elbows propped on her knees. “To answer one part of your question, I didn’t know I’d receive lashes if I was caught.” When he opened his mouth to speak, she held her right hand up to silence him. “Wait. You need to know this part.”

He nodded and remained silent with an eager expression on his face.

“While I had seen and heard the men who work the plantation being lashed, I was the first woman to my knowledge.”

His eyes widened. “Really? So you had no inkling that would happen?”

“None.”

“All right, so you didn’t realize your punishment would be so severe, but I still don’t know why you left. I want to understand.”

“I left because I’m not free.”

“But all your needs are tended to.”

Theodora laughed. A short, bitter sound even to her own ears. “As do you. But the difference is, you have the freedom to go into town to the shops, to attend horse races, to travel wherever you want to go with no fears of being beaten to a bloody mess if you choose to go. You have the freedom to not answer questions if you don’t want to and most importantly, you have the right to say no. I don’t have any of those things. The people who own me and my kind are the ones who make all the decisions. Down to even what I can eat. So, yes, my needs are tended to, but if I wanted to eat a beef loin steak instead of gruel, I don’t have the chance to make that choice.”

A shadow passed across his eyes. She couldn’t tell if it was pity or understanding, but she thought for a moment—perhaps—that he understood.

“Thank you for explaining. I think I see better now.”

She gave him a sad smile. “And I thank you for saying thank you. Those words are never spoken to me unless by another of my kind. For you see, we’re politer to each other than your finely tutored gentlemen ever were or will be.”

He stood. “I will try to behave in a kinder manner. For I now see more than I did before coming in here this afternoon.”

When he was gone, Theodora thought back over the conversation. She was surprised at the questions he asked, but more stunned that he actually appeared to listen and take heed of her words.

Only time would tell if what they discussed had a true impact on him. She hoped so but wasn’t optimistic as he was of the class of people who didn’t normally care about her kind other than to get from them what they wanted.

She rose from her seat to make her way to the privy since she hadn’t had a break all day.

Before she could get to the door, Miss Emily came dashing in, with her headpiece in her hand and her hair in disarray. “You must come now. Mother is going crazy.”