Dyson was out in the fields. It was the beginning of another day of harvest, and he had just gotten finished with some minor duties inside the estate. His master had him working with one of the new older negro women, who, surprisingly, looked younger than what he had thought. She introduced herself as Lucinda, and that she was surprised when his master had picked her and her son out at the same time.
âI thought that white man was jokinâ when he said he wanted both of us,â she said as she scrubbed the floor with a towel. âNone was buyinâ in bunches like that⌠especially the ones that knew each other. Yet... he did.â
It made Dyson think how his master did the same for his family. His sister, his mother, his father; all of them were bought at the same time by the one he calls master. Why? What did he see in them? It still struck Dyson as odd, since his master talked like them, walked like them, even thought like them at times. He couldnât do anything about it though, couldnât even voice his thoughts to his master. He didnât have a choice.
But they did.
Which made his mind drift to her son. His name was Leo. Dyson was standing next to him now, although if someone came by, they might not see the boy. Dyson dwarfed Leo by far.
Leo was quiet. He hadnât said much to Dyson since he arrived. A simple hello was all he muttered, before getting down to work, hands gripping the nearest corn stalk and slicing the bottom with his small scythe.
Maybe Dyson could change that.
âHey, Leo!â
That got the boyâs attention, his head turning back towards Dyson. âHow do ya know my name?â
Dyson sighed and bent down. âWorked with your momma inside the house. She mentioned ya soâŚâ
âShe did?â Leo asked. Dyson nodded curtly. âShe must be happy Iâm here at least.â
âAt least?â
Leo sliced another plant with his scythe. âMama and I got separated from my sister when we got here.â
âAt the plantation?â Dyson asked, wide-eyed.
Leo shook his head and moved towards the next plant. âNo, when we got to Mississippi.â The corn plant fell as he continued. âI tried to grab her from one of âem white folks but he pushed me away. Told me and my ma to know our place.â
Another plant fell. Dyson watched as he hoisted a few of the stalks over his shoulder and placed them in a bundle behind him. âYa think ya might see her again?â
Leo paused and turned to look at Dyson. His lips had sagged down, and his brows crushed in defeat. âI hope soâŚâ He wiped sweat from his head. âWhat about you?â
âJust got me, my mother, my father, and my little sister.â
âYour whole family is here?â Leo said, his eyes nearly falling out of its sockets..
Dyson nodded. âYep. Master bought all of us at the same time!â
The boyâs head hung low at the sound of that. Dyson frowned.
Silence pervaded the area. Dyson had even joined in, having walked back to grab a small scythe of his own to work with Leo for a bit. His master wouldnât mind.
Besides, Dyson wanted to get to know Leo. Was it because he was new, or was it because Leo looked kinda like himself? Dyson couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew one thing. He needed to get to work before the guards started talking. With a quick step, Dyson fell into line, working a little bit ahead of Leo. âSo, what ya think of Master?â
âHe different,â Leo replied bluntly.
âHow so?â
âHe likes jokinâ a lot.â
Dyson tilted his head. âHe does?â
Leo gripped the plantâs stem tightly, before he brought his scythe upon it. âSays he tells âem when to fire.â
âYeahâŚâ Dyson murmured. There werenât that many guards out today, but a couple still could be seen on horseback or holding their muskets.
âHow many are there usually?â
Dyson turned around. âWell, there be about eight of âem out mostlyââ
âOnly eight?!â Leo practically shouted. He dropped his scythe to cover his mouth with both of his hands. He earned a glare from one of the guards, which Dyson saw from the corner of his eye.
âSorry,â Leo said, scrambling to pull himself back together. He picked up his scythe and grabbed a couple more corn. âThatâs not a lot for a place this big.â
Dyson sighed. âMaster told me somethinâ about âem beinâ short around here. Says most called up to go to war.â
âReally?â A soft hum could be heard from Leo. Dyson raised a brow. âDyson, this is great! We could⌠you knowâŚâ
Dyson knew what he was alluding to. âNo, Leo. I canât.â
âWhat do ya mean?âÂ
âMaster needs mââ
âNo he donât!â Leo growled out. âHe donât need none of us! Dyson, they wouldnât be able to catch us andââ
âLeo, theyâll shoot you before you even think about leavin'.â
âAnd what? Thereâs way more of us than them! We can take âem!â
Dyson felt a presence linger over him. One that he knew wasnât truly there, but the ever-watching eye of a guard from that oak tree down by the road was staring directly at them. He needed to steer this conversation elsewhere, or itâll only be time that heâd trudge on over and really ask whatâs going on.
Â
âLeo thatâs not theââ
âPoint? Dyson you been here for how long?â
âA few years before the war even startedâŚâ Dyson murmured. âBut what difference does that make?â
Leo dropped his scythe and picked up some of his bundles he left behind. âA lot! I mean, youâve been here for so long. Have you ever thought what being free was like?â
âNo⌠Iâm fine here.â
Leo stopped walking, dropping the bundles he had to the ground. âW-What?â
Dyson cleared his throat. âMaster been nice to me and my family. Although rough in the beginning, Master and I been good to one another.â
While Dyson chipped away further and further down the row, Leo hadnât. He was frozen there, which worried Dyson. Had he said something wrong? He was just telling Leo the truth. Nothing else to tell but the truth.
It took a couple more stalks for Leo to regain himself. He had just bent down to pick up his bundles when suddenly, a voice called from afar.
âDyson!â
Dysonâs head popped up from where he was situated. It was that young negro woman from before. âSable!â
Her head wrap bounced as she carried herself toward the two boys. âFinally found ya!â She paused to control herself, panting all the while. âMassa needs ya!â
âHe does?â
She looked up and nodded. âHe lookinâ weak. Said he had a slight fever.â
Dysonâs eyes widened. âWhere is he?â
âOn the back porch.â
Dyson dropped everything and ran towards the estate.
Leo looked on. âDoes Dyson really care about him?â
Sable nodded. âHe does. Massa important here. There ainât none like him. He saved us from the others.â She turned to look at Leoâs progress. âYou better too. Guards ainât too nice.â
Leo gulped and looked down at his blunder. He tried to pick them up carefully, but his heart was beating faster than he could grip them. âSorry.â
âDonât be. Just keep ya head down and ya do fine,â she said softly, patting him on the back. Leo slowed his pace and picked up the remaining stalks.
Neither of them saw Dyson running into the burning red glare of the sun.Â
I couldnât believe that I was doing it again, but I was. Rainbow Dash was on my back, gripping me from behind like her life depended on it, while I took these hands of mine and carried us up this wall. I never had done something like this before, so having gotten this far was a good thing. When I was back in Mississippi, good times were hard to come by. I always worked. Master always had something for me to do. At first, times were tough; Master didnât let me get off so easily if I made mistakes.Â
âGod damn negro, not listeninâââ
He used to be very⌠aggressive. Angry. It could be because he felt like he was on top of the world. That I couldnât be like him, or more. Iâm always a slave. I didnât get a choice to go beyond that. I just obeyed. Yet, he realized who I was, and who I could be. He said it to me after Iâd been there for a year.
âDyson, if you werenât such a lowly nigger, I wouldnât mind havinâ you as my son.â
Son. Master hadnât ever had one of them. No daughters either. Just him and his wife, who we used to call Mother Burr. Donât know why they couldnât have one kid at least. Imagine the kid would be much like Mr. Burr, for sure. Sadly, thatâs all I could do now. Imagine what could have been. This also reminded me of why Master was so angry.
When his wife was no longer there, Master turned grim, an empty white man who couldnât accept himself. He, for the first week, couldnât even get out of bed. Heâd have some of the other slaves come in, but they would come out with no order or request, except for them to leave him alone. Iâd ask them to give him some food and water for the day, hoping heâd let that be, which he had done, accepting the food even though he didnât feel all too well.
After that week, I never heard him speak out so aggressively again. He let me run errands in town more. I felt⌠free for a time, or rather, more free. Something in Master just... changed, and I welcomed it wholeheartedly.
However, even in another world, as I put my hands to the test, his presence lingered. Not sure whyâÂ
âDyson!â
Rainbow shouted into my ears. I had been swinging from one ledge to the next, completely lost in thought. She sounded like she wanted to talk.
âSorry, Dash. Ya need somethinâ?â
She growled, and even whinnied a bit. âNot really, just thought you went deaf for a second.â
âDeaf?â my voice raised a bit at that one. âWhy ya sayinâ that?â
âI was trying to ask you something and you just⌠didnât hear me,â she said, breathing softly near my ear. âIs there something bugging you?â
I tried to say something, but my lips were as cracked as the wall. I tried to dampen them, my tongue reaching out to lick my lips, but even my tongue felt withered. I still pushed what I needed to say out there though, âTo be honest, yes.â
âYou donât have to tell me, I undâwait, really?â
I hummed to myself. âYep. Got lots on my mind.â
âAbout what?â she asked. I could feel her head resting just below my shoulder blade.
âWhat it was like back in Mississippi.â
A gentle lull hung over us, as I swung ourselves up to the next ledge. Did I get her all mad again? Was she upset I was thinking of that place, a world that would be fine with making me a slave? I couldnât turn my head around to get a glimpse of what she looked like. I bet she looked like she was frowning, ears laying back against her head. Yet, she would still raise a brow at my words. She a curious one. Curious about my past. Thatâs what she seemed interested in for the past couple of days.
A neigh confirmed my thoughts. A bit aggressive, like she just forced a blow out of her nostrils. What was she thinking about?
âDyson?â
âY-yeah?â
I felt my face heat up. I stuttered. Hadnât done that since Master had tried to punish me for talking to a lady in town long ago.
âWhat was it like?â
I paused, my hand nearly reaching towards the next little rock jutting from the wall. âWhat was what like?â
âMississippi. Being a... âslaveâ. Your... âmasterâ.â
I took a deep breath and took a lunge for the next rock. It gripped into my palm so effortlessly, yet I could not feel my hand at all. It just felt like powder, with bits of smaller grey rocks mixed in. I kept us there, my feet gripping around those little jutted pieces, while I gathered my thoughts.
âIt was an interesting place,â I began. âPeople there were⌠different. Master wasnât my first. Had another that was way worse.â
âW-Worse?â
Her voice cracked when she said that. Made me think of the words I needed to say. Didnât want her worrying too much about me. âYep. He hated my father. Made sure to not give much room to breathe, so to speak.â
I swallowed, my saliva flooding my throat. It was hard to recall this memory. My head had been good to me so far through this climb, but even it sent surges of pain down my spine. âP-Pa got a lot of l-lashes. Ma had to keep an eye o-on him andââ
âDysonâŚâ The pony behind me cooed softly in my ear. âPlease, donât go any further.â
âIs it uncomfortable for ya?â I asked.
âKinda⌠I didnât know your kind was as bad as SombraâŚâ
Her mumbles trailed off, as I willed myself up to the next ledge. Dash didnât seem like the type to just let things go, but I knew I wasnât in the right state of mind to be saying all of this. Still, I had to do it. She had to know.
âNot all of them were that bad, yâknow.â
âThey⌠werenât?â
I tilted my head. âIn Mississippi, there were free people, and then there were people like me. We just so happened to be different than them.â
I heard Dash sigh behind me, the air that escaped her nostrils tickled the hairs underneath my ear. âDoesnât sound cool at all to me. I couldnât imagine being singled out like that.â
âAre other ponies different colors?â
âYeah!â Dash excitedly replied. âYou remember Twilight? Sheâs purple and has a huge horn and wings!â
I swung to the next ledge. âReally?â
âUh-huh!â She sounded like my sister when she wanted to ask for some of my bread. âTotally purple! And Applejack? Sheâs an apple farmer, and sheâs orange!â
âOrange fur?â
âYeah! And then Fluttershy. Sheâs my best friend and sheâsâŚâ
I started to ignore her as he talked about her friends. It reminded me of my mother, who tried to rant about our previous owner in the mucky shed we slept in. It got old, much like hearing her ramble about her friendsâ multicolored fur. No use when I needed to make some progress, then we could talk about it.
While Rainbow rambled on, I spotted a ledge above us that was wider than the rest, but the path to it was very confusing. I had to swing my way to the left and then follow the rocks in an outward fashion to get to it. Maybe then we could rest for a bit before continuing on uâergh!
âDyson, are you alright?â
Another bit of pain surged through me. âDonât speak to anyone about this, Dyson. If you do, Iâll have toââÂ
I shook my head, frantically looking around for the sound of that voice. It was him, wasnât it? Was he here? Mr. Stockton?
The woman in the room screamed in pain as another flick of the whip cracked against her skâ
âDyson?â
A nudge from a hoof of my passenger sent me back to where I was. I blinked away the images of back then. What was happening to me?
âIâŚâ
âLetâs get up there, Dyson, okay? We can rest up on that ledge for the night.â
I look up to the ledge she was talking about. The same one with the rocks that jutted in the opposite direction.
All I had to do was lift us up there.
I reached out andâÂ
She looked at me, begging for me to do something, but I knew I couldnât do anything. I just kept my mouth shut, blankly staring as the shadow of the whip which flicked back behind the man. Why was he like that?
ânearly slipped, but I regained control, my hand gripping onto the rock once again.
Rainbow Dash had yelped when I almost missed my mark. She wasnât too pleased about it either, shouting my name and thensome.
âDonât scare me like that!â
Why did I always do something like this? Making mistakes is for a slave that donât belong here. I shook my head. I needed to get these thoughts out of my head. I needed to focus. I needed to breathe. For myself. For Dash.
I sucked in a dry pocket of air. It felt terrible in my lungs, bearing a fire that set my body aflame. However, I had to keep on breathing it in. I would be fine afterwards. Iâd be free from this torture. Iâd be free from everything here, for now.
âKeep going, Dyson! Weâre almost there!â
âNow get going, youâre burninâ daylight.â
I reached for the first one. My right arm extended out in full.Â
It didnât take much effort. I had a good grip on her, and the energy I had behind that made me swing for the next.
âDo you want to meet him again?â
I grimaced and shut my eyes. I donât know why, but these thoughts of mine were hurting my head. Why now? I was so close to getting out of here and my body was failing me. Why? âWhy canât you help me? Canât you see what heâs doing to me?!â
I nearly missed that rock too, but I used what little weight I had on my feet to get a second shot at it. Got her with a vice grip.
My heart was racing. One more and weâll be able to rest for a while.Â
âJust one more!â
âWait here, Dyson, while I go get you the letter for your Master.â
The air that rushed through me sent my body for one final jump.Â
And thenâŚÂ
The sound of a musket firing behind me. A body lurching back. A boy just like me. I fell to the grouâÂ
Suddenly, the world fell to a blur. My legs gave out. My head hit me full force, and everything just looked different.
âDYSON!!â
She was still latched on to me, but not like I remembered it. She was above me now, and I was looking far down below. Air rushed between my arms and legs. I felt as if I was weightless, and all I could see was how the world looked from this far up, and how fast it was coming so close to us.
Wait, close to us?
My eyes widened. I could hear Dash frantically flapping her good wing, trying to angle us somewhere else, but I couldnât see too well, everything was a blurry mess of grey. All I could do was be a passenger who was hopelessly hopeful that maybe this wasnât the end.
But as my body arched back, I felt the pain wash over me, probably like Leo did, tasting the world that some slaves said was between life and death.