Looking around he saw his sons still in the dining room, Harry shouted, “why, are you still here?”
Charles and Drew at a run-walk pace hustled out the kitchen, down the long hallway, into the drawing-room. If it were possible, steam would spew from the top of Harry’s head. Harry’s anger had grown to the strength of a volcano erupting if anyone challenged his views, he mushroomed.
In the drawing-room, he joined his sons. He said, “Charles, Drew when Vance arrive, I’ll start the meeting.” He looked away from the young men, glanced around the room as though he was seeing it for the first time.
He motioned for them to take a seat. Harry walked by the big picture window, that went from the ceiling to just above the floor, he was looking for Vance to arrive. He turned and sat in his favorite chair, the headrest was the gargoyles’ opened mouth. One armrest was its tail, holding the chair was the beast claws and feet. Dark red and hints of brown upholstery covered the Gothic chairs and couch in the room. The medieval era was Harry’s favorite historical period.
Harry had no idea what the Gothic historical era was all about, except when he was a boy living in Boston, the Brown's had a picture book of old English drawings of a gargoyle. The pictures in the book were black and white, Harry deduced they had to have been brown and dark red velvet, they were his favorite colors and material.
As the three men sat quietly, Bella, Harry’s cook, backed through the double doors that led into the drawing-room. She was carrying a tray filled with sandwiches, cake, and lemonade. Drew yelled, “Why'd you bring so much food?”
Drew was tall and a handsome blond, he had big blue eyes, perfect white straight teeth, and a flawless physique. His good looks were from his mother’s side of the family. Unfortunately, he inherited his father’s rotten character and evil personality, so much so he was wicked. Drew was eighteen years old at the time of the meeting. To prove his manhood, he had killed seven Union soldiers, five Confederate, and shot at his brother, Drew claimed they were weak and useless.
Bella nervously answered Drew, while looking a Harry, “Massa Brown tells me ta’ bring food.”
“Leave it niggra,” Drew shouted.
Bella sat the tray down and slowly began to back out the room. Ignoring the encounter, Harry walked over to the picture window again. This time he saw Vance old mare, sluggishly coming down the long driveway at a snail’s pace. He looked around at his sons, “Vance is coming.” To Bella, he said, “no disturbance, close the doors behind you, tell the misses to be, soundless.
“Yaw’ Sir, Massa.” She left closing the double doors gently behind her.
Charles looked at his dad with deep concern, and asked, “Dad, want me to let Mr. Vance in?”
Charles was taller than Harry and better looking than his dad and brother. Though Charles inherited his father’s big bones. Charles even had a proud walk and expensive taste like his dad. He had black straight hair and big green eyes with eyelashes that women dreamed of having. He had inherited his grandpa William MacCall Italian features and deep velvet voice that was smooth as silk, he drove women crazy. In addition, to his already elegant voice, Charles added a little zest, he practiced Harry’s Bostonian accent. His personality echoed his grandpa, he was kind, loving, and caring. Drew had the height; Charles the good heart.
Drew hated poor people and slaves. Charles silently worked with and funded the abolitionist tasks, to set the slaves free. Slaves that had children, he would give the parents money from his allowance, so once free, they would have means to begin a new life. He also had connections in Canada.
Drew was brassy, Charles was as sweet as apple pie, the women adored him. He was a teenage heartthrob and player, Charles had a new girlfriend, just about every other week. Harry absolutely loved it. One evening before the meeting, Harry looked in the mirror and said to his reflection, “wish I had been like Charles when I was younger.” Harry turned from the mirror laughing and continued, “that boy knows what to do.”
In the drawing-room, Harry paced the floor as Vance aged dawdling mule poked alone. “Naw’ I’ll go out to meet him,” Harry said in answering Charles request to let Vance in.
As Harry began going toward the front door, he heard Baerbel’s loud voice coming down the hall into the drawing-room. She was screaming in an ear-piercing foolhardy sound.
In the kitchen, Baerbel was taking her frustration out on old Bella. Baerbel slapped Bella in the face and then pushed her on the floor. Bella fell to her knees and pretended to cry. Baerbel loveless marriage, Drew’s disrespect, accompanied by an abundance of self-love was the high-flying vulture that ate holes into the core of her lonely solitary soul. [RL25]“Cain’t you move faster niggra,” Baerbel yelled. “You move slower than a sick old mule.”
She was going to slap Bella again, Paula ran in and instantly helped Bella off the floor. Baerbel was yelling so loud she did not hear Harry entered the kitchen, he studied the scene for a moment. Baerbel yelled, “both you’s ain’t nothin’ but stankin’ pigs wid’ legs.” She spun around to leave but fell right into Harry.
Harry said through clenched teeth, “iffen’ you don’t keep the noise down, I’ll put you out and make you live in one of the empty slave shacks, I will not repeat myself.”
He said to Bella and Paula, “I am getting you help.” He grabbed Baerbel’s skinny arm and squeezed hard, he said, “I am a man of my word, I am a man of action.”
Baerbel said not a mumbling word.
Harry hurriedly walked down the hall, burst through the drawing-room doors, “I’ll meet Vance,” Harry said as he rushed past his sons, and went straight out the front door.
Vance was climbing down off the wagon as Harry was exiting the house. Vance was a short skinny man of little means, he and his wife lived in a two-room shack close to Titleburk. Unknown to Harry, Vance and his wife were abolitionist; Charles had financed several of their missions.
Harry tolerated the little man because he would do anything for a small price. Harry walked off his porch to meet his friend he said, “hello Vance, glad you could come,” he reached out and shook Vance's hand. “My boys are waiting inside.”
Once inside, Harry had the men to pull their chairs in a circle; leaving enough room in the middle for Harry to spread out his map.
“Hold all questions; listen to what I have to say first. So, boys, Shut-up.”
Harry opened the map and laid it in the middle of the circle. Drew sat on the edge of his seat; questions yelled in his head. Knowing his father, he chewed on his bottom lip, squeezed his knees together and held his peace.
Charles and Vance caught each other’s eye and said not a word.
“I bought the three properties that conjoined mine,” Harry began, “I now own sixteen thousand two hundred and fifty acres. The border of this property is approximately twenty-seven square miles. I am calling it, the H. B. Metropolis. On the MacCall property, my new home The Castle will be built.” He looked at the three men, “before you say anything, I am tearing down the MacCall house.” Harry radiated with excitement, he shifted in his chair before continuing, “understand this; I will be talking in mileages. He looked at his sons and Vance. “That’s important information for your understanding,” he continued.
Drew couldn’t keep quiet any longer, “why pops?”
“Shut-up,” Harry snapped. “When I’m finished, you’ll appreciate what I’m doing.” Harry pointed at the map. Charles shifted in his seat. Vance sat so still; he resembled a mannequin posed in a store window.
As Harry described his plan, his thoughts were on the iron rods and plates. He stopped talking, got up and walked over to the big picture window, he stood frozen in place. He exhaled, faintly asked himself in a soft whisper, “will I get caught?” Harry pulled himself together, turned facing the men and said, “I’ll continue.”
V
H.B. Metropolis
Harry eased down into his chair; thoughts pounded in his head like a jackhammer trying to break through a steel wall. He k
new his plan was wrong, inhuman, and against the American Government. Still, he continued, he started the meeting by saying, “this house, the barn, the small cabin that’s in a distance from here, and the slave quarter sits on seven thousand acres.” He pointed at the map and said, “adding to my property I purchased the three adjoining plantations providing me,” Harry chuckled then boasted, “with the largest plantation known to man.”
To keep his illegal slaves at bay, Harry installed four sets of gates and planted a forest all around his property. The gates stood sixteen feet above ground and were firmly entrenched six feet deep. Surrounding the gates was miles of forest to keep his illegal plantation concealed and invisible. The walls of steel and impenetrable forest were meant to be imposing.
The Gates
The main gate was in the shape of a rectangle, it began seven miles behind Harry’s mansion. This gate was installed twelve miles going north and south, and ten miles east and west. The massive iron bars made the gate look like a gigantic outdoors jail cell. This gate was called the main gate.
Inside the outer gate, three different gates were installed, they were the same depth and height as the main gate. The first gate was called the divider gate. It was installed one mile south of the main gate and ran east and west for ten miles, attaching to either end of the main gate. This gate separated the children from their parents.
The second gate sat between the outer gate and the divider gate. Living in the two squared acres gate was where the children were raised. A four-room cabin was built in the middle of their area. Inside was a room for the boys, one for the girls, the nurse and teacher shared a room, and a large gathering room. Outside was the cooking area. In the 1900s a kitchen and full bathroom were added in the cabin. This gate was called the children gate.
On the southern side of the divider gate, the overseers lived six and a half miles from this gate. Two three room cabins were constructed for the overseers and their woman. A barn with two stalls for their horses was built. The horses grazed on the land around the overseers' cabins. The oversees women were responsible for keeping the land clean and free of manure, they roped off the horses' grazing area.
The third and final gate was installed four miles south of the overseer’s, Harry wanted his slaves to be happy and comfortable in their compound. The slaves living area was a one-square mile. This gate was called the slave gate. Inside the slave complex were sixty small cabins that lined up in rows of fifteen across from each other, on two different dirt roads. Harry named them Charles and Drew Road. The cabins had four rooms, two on the lower level and two upstairs. Harry’s slaves were a mixture of whites and coloreds. He tried to treat both groups the same, in some instance, the whites were treated worst. His experience with his own race was too often brutal.
Within the slave gate and a half mile from their cabins, was a church that gave the slaves hope. A bar with watered down liquor, to keep them mindless and comfortable with their confinement, yet alert enough to keep working. Lastly, there was a general store where they received their ration of food, material to make clothes for themselves, children, nurse, teacher, and the overseers. They also made beautiful quilts, for the Brown family to sell in town. The men designed and made furniture, that was sold to merchants across the state.
Outside the slave, gate was gargantuan tobacco fields that were separated into four half-mile square. Every four years, the crops were rotated which allowed three fields several years to rest. The tobacco was on the eastern side of the slave gate.
A half mile from the slave gate was the southern region of the outer gate.
The Forest
Completely wrapping around the outer gate, Harry left a half mile of an opened field. At the end of the half-mile, an eight-inch-wide ditch was dug thirteen and a half feet deep, six-inch steel plates were placed against the wall of the dugout. The ditch encompassed the twelve-mile outer gate. wherever a forest was planted, steel plates were installed. Harry hoped the deepness of the ditches would stop the tree roots from going under the clearing into the slave area, and perchance up the massive slave gate. Thus, enabling the slaves to climb up and over. He had an understanding, that nature had a way of sometimes interfering with plans but knew that his ingenuity would outmaneuver nature. Directly behind Harry’s mansion, there was nothing but the barn. Harry planted a garden of wildflowers; behind the floral garden he had a row of multiple trees put in. The scenery made a beautiful view that hid what was behind it. Even though the illegal plantation was built seven miles away, Harry did not want to take a chance on it being discovered. He left room for a hidden path, that led to the outer gate.
On the outside of the ditch, a seven-mile-thick forest was planted twenty-seven miles north and south and twenty miles east and west. For his own peace of mind and to keep from feeling claustrophobic, in the front of his mansion Harry left six acres of land opened and free from all the trees and gates. He also, increase the width of the long dirt road that led up to his home.
Inside the outer gate, a dense row of trees was planted on both sides of the divider gate. A forest was thickly planted around the outside of the children area. When they were outside the kids, nurse, and teacher had to look up to see out.
A clearing was left between the outer gate and divider gate for Harry to get through. Between the divider and outer gate, another forest was planted behind the outer gate’s opening all the way to the main gate, stopping at the plates.
The slaves' main labor was working in the tobacco fields. When they became older in their late fifties the men made furniture and women sewed. Harry realized that it was possible for someone to question where he was getting his crops and that the tobacco had to be inspected periodically. He learned how to cover his tracks through one of his KKK friends. The man had a made-up company to conceal his illegal activities. He died in a terrible fire accident that was set by his son who was also a member of the KKK organization. Unfortunately, the boy could not split his heart into two parts, hate people who were different than him and love everyone like him. Still, Harry used the man’s theory and practice for H. B. Metropolis. He built a tobacco farm between MacCall and Titleburk, far enough away for his illegal plantation to stay hidden.
Outfox the American Government
Harry sat back in his chair exhausted, he had talked almost none stop. He said, “boy’s, Vance, I am going to need your help to make all this happen.”
Charles couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Pop why are you doing this?”
Harry’s answer shocked his son’s but not Vance. He knew that Harry was a ruthless man. Vance put up with Harry because he was poor and needed the money.
Harry explained that the gate surrounded two acres of land was where children were going to be reared and taught a skill until they turned fourteen. And then given to a family of similar skills. The four-room cabin was going to be built for the kids and caretakers. I will hire two trusting women one a nurse the other a teacher, to raise the little monkeys,” Harry said to proudly.
Drew cut in, “who’s going to do all the work?”
“Good question,” Harry said with a chuckle, “Since slavery is over, I’ll hire those coloreds and whites walking around looking for work.”
Vance finally got up the nerve to say something, he nervously cleared his throat, “Harry it sounds like you’re going to lock yourself in with the slaves.”
“No, not at all my good friend, I am going to build me a magnificent castle, not the size of Buckingham, but just as grand on the MacCall’s land.”
Charles asked, “are you tearing down this house?”
Harry stood up and went to the big picture window, he gazed down the long driveway before saying, “no, this is the house for the plantation, my castle will be built so I can get away, hold parties, and socials events without being detected.” A few tears rolled down Harry’s cheek, he wiped his eyes and sorrowfully whispered. “A place for me to feel normal.”
It was as though Harry knew that he was d
estroying his family, from one generation to the next. The plantation master life would be wrapped in the secret so tight; they would cease to exist. Harry thought of Stella, he would never see her again, he thought, who will get her money?” His desire was to get H.B. Metropolis up and running, kill Baerbel, and marry Stella, he believed she would keep his secret.
Drew cut into Harry’s thoughts when he asked, “When are you going to hire these people.”
Harry turned and briefly looked at Charles, he went to Charles and patted his shoulder before answering Drew’s question. Harry went to his seat and answered, “We’ll get an early start tomorrow morning,” he looked at Vance and said, “Vance you’re staying here tonight.”
Vance argued, “Harry, I got a wife, she will be worried and mad iffen’ I ain’t home ta’ night.”
Harry replied to Vance in an authoritative tone, “that was not a question.” He went to the snacks that Bella had brought in earlier and grabbed a hand full of grapes.
Harry knew if he continued to live in his current home while developing his plantation, this would create a certain doom and gloom against the project. Harry foresaw, that keeping slaves on his property, would cause a catastrophic constitutional issue, that would land him in prison and destroy his plot to outfox the American Government. And then a lightbulb went off in Harry’s head, he said softly to himself, “I’m building a museum.” He looked around at his sons and Vance with a great big smile, he proudly said with a topmost lie, “I am building a museum.” Satisfied with his fib, he stuffed three grapes in his mouth and smiled.
Baerbel’s Letter
The day of Harry’s meeting about the plantation, Stella received Baerbel’s letter. She was confused, distraught, in disbelief. At first, Stella thought a jealous crazed woman was trying to destroy her wedding. On the day of Harry’s meeting, Stella took the letter to Billy who was at the Steel Mill. She figured he would know if Harry was married since they were good friends. When she arrived, a worker took her to Billy’s office. After their greetings, she asked, “is Harry married? Are his children alive?”
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