be asleep by now—like you should be.”
“But it isn’t fair—”
“Come here, Roselle.” Lizzie pulled her daughter real close, speaking quietly so the boys wouldn’t overhear. “Listen to me. This is only our first time out at night since . . . well, since they’re saying we’re all free. Wait and see what happens and maybe you can come next time. Now, be a good girl and mind what I say.”
Lizzie grabbed Otis’s hand and hurried out of the cabin before Roselle could argue—and before Lizzie could be tempted to change her mind and tell Otis to go by himself. She had to get used to being free, and this was a good first step, small as it was. The crickets were making a big racket as she and Otis walked up the small rise from Slave Row and crossed the backyard by the chicken coop. Lizzie wasn’t expecting to see a dark shape hunched on the back step of the Big House, and she gasped in fear.
“Who’s there?” a voice called out. Missy Jo’s voice. It took a moment before Lizzie’s heart slid back down out of her throat so she could speak.
“It’s Lizzie. Me and Otis was just taking a little walk. You needing something, Missy Jo?” Lizzie held her breath, half wishing that Missy Jo did need her so she would have an excuse to stay home.
“No . . . I’m just admiring the pretty evening. You all have a nice walk.”
“Thank you, Missy. I-I will.”
“See?” Otis whispered. “I told you everything would be fine.”
“You don’t think she’ll tell on us, do you?”
“Ain’t nothing to tell. We can take a walk if we want to.” He gave Lizzie’s hand a gentle tug, and they started forward again, passing the stables and continuing down the lane away from the house. “I know a shortcut through the cotton fields, but it might be too hard to cross that rough ground at night.”
“Sure is dark out here,” Lizzie said, clutching his arm.
“Why’re you so nervous, Lizzie-girl?”
“Can I tell you something?”
“You know you can.”
“This . . . this here is the first time I ever been off the plantation.”
“That can’t be.” He looked down at her, frowning. “You ain’t gone on errands with Miz Eugenia sometimes?”
“No sir. She’s always saying I’m nothing but a field hand like my mama, and she always took Ida May or Cissy with her.”
“I never knew that. Next time we’ll have to go in daylight so you can see the world better.” They kept on walking, their shoes scuffling in the dirt, kicking up little clouds of dust.
“Ain’t it strange,” Lizzie asked, “that something we get punished for all our life, like walking off the plantation after dark, is fine all of a sudden? I can’t get used to it.”
“Things always seem scary the first time.”
“Well, how long will it be until I feel free? Until I know we can walk away from here whenever we want to without somebody chasing us down, making us come back?”
“Gonna take some time, Lizzie-girl. That’s for sure.”
They reached the end of the tree-lined lane and turned down the wider road that led into the village of Fairmont. A carpet of stars filled the sky, shining clear down to the horizon above the barren cotton fields. The moon was behind Lizzie’s back, and she and Otis cast long shadows on the dirt road in front of them as they walked. Before long, they reached the end of the cotton field and the beginning of the woods. Lizzie halted.
“I seen the forest from a distance when I worked in the fields, but I never walked this close to it before.” The tree branches were all tangled together, and the ground beneath them was overgrown with bushes and weeds and fallen logs. She didn’t see how they’d find their way.
“Here’s the trail.” Otis pointed to a narrow path leading into the woods. “Saul and me used to explore these woods when we were kids—when we could get away with it, that is.” He chuckled softly. How could Otis have happy memories of growing up in this place, when
“But it isn’t fair—”
“Come here, Roselle.” Lizzie pulled her daughter real close, speaking quietly so the boys wouldn’t overhear. “Listen to me. This is only our first time out at night since . . . well, since they’re saying we’re all free. Wait and see what happens and maybe you can come next time. Now, be a good girl and mind what I say.”
Lizzie grabbed Otis’s hand and hurried out of the cabin before Roselle could argue—and before Lizzie could be tempted to change her mind and tell Otis to go by himself. She had to get used to being free, and this was a good first step, small as it was. The crickets were making a big racket as she and Otis walked up the small rise from Slave Row and crossed the backyard by the chicken coop. Lizzie wasn’t expecting to see a dark shape hunched on the back step of the Big House, and she gasped in fear.
“Who’s there?” a voice called out. Missy Jo’s voice. It took a moment before Lizzie’s heart slid back down out of her throat so she could speak.
“It’s Lizzie. Me and Otis was just taking a little walk. You needing something, Missy Jo?” Lizzie held her breath, half wishing that Missy Jo did need her so she would have an excuse to stay home.
“No . . . I’m just admiring the pretty evening. You all have a nice walk.”
“Thank you, Missy. I-I will.”
“See?” Otis whispered. “I told you everything would be fine.”
“You don’t think she’ll tell on us, do you?”
“Ain’t nothing to tell. We can take a walk if we want to.” He gave Lizzie’s hand a gentle tug, and they started forward again, passing the stables and continuing down the lane away from the house. “I know a shortcut through the cotton fields, but it might be too hard to cross that rough ground at night.”
“Sure is dark out here,” Lizzie said, clutching his arm.
“Why’re you so nervous, Lizzie-girl?”
“Can I tell you something?”
“You know you can.”
“This . . . this here is the first time I ever been off the plantation.”
“That can’t be.” He looked down at her, frowning. “You ain’t gone on errands with Miz Eugenia sometimes?”
“No sir. She’s always saying I’m nothing but a field hand like my mama, and she always took Ida May or Cissy with her.”
“I never knew that. Next time we’ll have to go in daylight so you can see the world better.” They kept on walking, their shoes scuffling in the dirt, kicking up little clouds of dust.
“Ain’t it strange,” Lizzie asked, “that something we get punished for all our life, like walking off the plantation after dark, is fine all of a sudden? I can’t get used to it.”
“Things always seem scary the first time.”
“Well, how long will it be until I feel free? Until I know we can walk away from here whenever we want to without somebody chasing us down, making us come back?”
“Gonna take some time, Lizzie-girl. That’s for sure.”
They reached the end of the tree-lined lane and turned down the wider road that led into the village of Fairmont. A carpet of stars filled the sky, shining clear down to the horizon above the barren cotton fields. The moon was behind Lizzie’s back, and she and Otis cast long shadows on the dirt road in front of them as they walked. Before long, they reached the end of the cotton field and the beginning of the woods. Lizzie halted.
“I seen the forest from a distance when I worked in the fields, but I never walked this close to it before.” The tree branches were all tangled together, and the ground beneath them was overgrown with bushes and weeds and fallen logs. She didn’t see how they’d find their way.
“Here’s the trail.” Otis pointed to a narrow path leading into the woods. “Saul and me used to explore these woods when we were kids—when we could get away with it, that is.” He chuckled softly. How could Otis have happy memories of growing up in this place, when
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