A slave’s life
Why am I on this terrible ship? The sight is unbelievable, strange people moaning and groaning all around me. The smell has become unbearable, dead bodies’ rotting everywhere. The heat has become so intolerable; someone take me away from this place! It’s so uncomfortable down here, I feel as if I’m suffocating. It’s so cramped in this room. How will I go on…..?
The night times are lonely but peaceful. All the horrid people will be fast asleep through the dreamless night. However the night stalkers poked and prodded every one every hour although for some reason they left me. Whimpers and screams often echoed from room to room. How long had I been on this ship? Someone, help.
When the ship finally docked in an unknown place, we stood up for the first time in months. Everyone looked like walking corpses rising from the graves, even the little ones with leather like skin we were so emaciated. The sunlight blinded me. My eyes took a while to adjust in the day
light. Carefully but cautiously, we staggered onto solid ground one by one while our chains rattle. My sight started returning I can see silhouetted figures, bags of bones red infected eyes how awful.
The sale
Doors open
Approach daylight
Panic
White men running
Signal
Whipped
Newly chained
Dragged
Weighed
Revenge
Whining
Branded
Pain
Shouting
Distraught
Pushing
SOLD…….
I have been at the plantation as a slave for 4 years now separated from my family at the slave sale. Endless toil at the sugar cane fields. It’s better than being on the ship so I suppose I should be grateful, I don’t like it here and I want to go home. The only time I get to rest is at night when its bed time, even then we have to get up early. Why are they torturing us? Well at least there’s three other slaves here.
There have been many beatings, often for the wrong reasons. I start to drift into a long and lonely sleep, I start to hear African drums banging In my head. Now I remember my mother telling me a story in the village, yes I remember the story of Kiraku a story of inspiration…
Karaba is an evil sorcerous. The reason is she has got a thorn stuck in the centre of her back this turned Karaba evil. She despises women, hates men and dislikes children. karaba Is a beautiful woman even though she’s very evil. She turns men into objects and robot slaves. Karaba always stands straight not showing her back (because of the thorn). This causes her inconsiderable pain.
Karabas slaves were called fetishes. Men turned into robots. They were fearless slaves like loyal dogs. They obeyed without questioning her. The fetishes guarded her day and night.
Kiraku brought himself into the world. He began his adventure when he found out about the evil sorcerous karaba. kiraku wanted to pull the poisoned thorn out of karabas back. After that he asked the nice karaba to kiss him and he turned into a grown up. He told the village about what happened but they didn’t believe him. All the fetishes turned into men again.
Karaba and kiraku eventually got married and lived happily ever after. This story shows determination and courage therefor you must rise against evil.
Katie Harrison