The Return of the Freedom Thief
Page 29
As days passed into weeks, and then into months, survival was a struggle for everyone. Food was scarce, and those who were stronger often stole what little was available from those weakened by sickness. There was no sanitation, no medicine, little food, almost nothing to make the living conditions livable. Many of the prisoners died, and bodies were often left out in the open to rot, as the guards refused to get close enough to bury them. Ben struggled to stay alive, to stay as far away as he could from the many men suffering from dysentery, scurvy, and typhoid. The young soldier Robbie died, and the other two Federals, Jason and Trev, who had befriended Ben, were desperately weak. Ben didn’t know if they were also ill, so he took the few things he had acquired over the months, two blankets and the remains of a cot, out of the living space and away from his two friends. He stole a tattered tarp from a man who had died, and made himself some semblance of a tent. At least it provided a small amount of protection from both the sweltering heat of summer and the overwhelming cold of winter winds. He prayed the tarp didn’t contain germs strong enough to sicken him.
And then one day, everything changed once again.
There was some kind of ruckus going on outside of the gate. Many of the prisoners able to do so crowded around the soldiers, trying to see or hear what was going on. The soldiers on the inside of the gate began pushing the others back, hitting them with their fists or the butts of their rifles, anything to get them away. Most of the prisoners were sick with some sort of illness, and the soldiers were determined not to become ill themselves. Finally, in a desperate attempt to get the prisoners back, shots were fired, and several men dropped to the ground. The others turned away and ran or stumbled back to their spaces.
After a short silence, an order came from one of the officers, and the gate opened to a spectacle most of the prisoners never thought they would see again. A lovely young woman, clad in a beautiful dress and shawl, came through the gate accompanied by a maid and Major McLoyd.
The Major escorted the young woman past the rudimentary quarters of the prisoners living outside, and into the prison barracks. A few minutes later, she and her maid came out alone. She continued her stroll down the grounds, carefully stepping over the bodies of sleeping men, and even a few who had died. One hand held a white handkerchief across her nose and mouth. Even the black servant had one across her face.
As she came closer to where Ben was, he saw with a shock that the young woman was Amy, the oldest Reed daughter. He stood up, and as soon as she saw him, she walked faster until she was in front of him.
“Ben! Oh, Ben, we’ve been so worried about you. We didn’t find out for the longest time that you had been captured, and Father has been trying to get you out of here, but the Major refuses. He finally allowed me to come here, but I can’t stay. He had to go to his office in the barracks and told me to wait for him, but I didn’t.”
Ben interrupted her. “Mistress Amy, why are you here? If the Major doesn’t want you out here by yourself, you’ll only get into trouble.”
She reached into the basket her maid was carrying. “I know, so here. Here is some food for you, but also, at the bottom of the packet are some instructions. We know how to get you out, but you’ll have to do it on your own. Major McLoyd has put more men in our house, so we can’t get out at night to help anyone. Just do what it says, and you’ll be on your way home.”
She thrust the packet at him, picked up her skirts, and she and the maid hurried back to the barracks building. Just as they reached it, Ben saw the Major come out. His angry voice carried out to the grounds, but before the Major could look around to see where Amy might have been, Ben stepped back into his make-shift tent and quickly lay down on the cot. If Major McLoyd looked his way, he would not be able to see him.
* * *
Night fell. The darkness was made colder and thicker by the autumn fog that settled in quickly and deeply. Ben read the instructions in the packet while there was still some daylight. According to a tiny map, at the far Northeast corner of the prison grounds, right where the north wall met the east wall of the fence, was a tiny hole. It could be enlarged to hold the body of a slim person, and with all the weight Ben had lost, he surely fit the definition of a ‘slim person.’ He put on his jacket, and picked up what few possessions he had that he thought he could use on his way…if he actually got out. He knew if he was caught, he would be shot, but at this point in his life, he had no choice but to try to escape. Being as quiet as he possibly could, he left his hut and crept quietly along the north side of the huge prison wall until he came to the intersection of North and East. Feeling his way on the ground, he groped around until he felt a small hole beneath his hand. He began to dig as fast as he could, and still be fairly quiet. As the hole slowly became larger, his spirits rose…maybe he would be able to get out of this horrible place after all, and find his way back to Kentucky…
* * *
He woke up slowly, and looked around. He was in a big soft bed, in a nicely furnished bedroom. He stretched, and when he realized his body didn’t hurt, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Before he could stand up, a young black girl jumped up from a chair by a window, making Ben’s heart leap into his throat.
“Master Ben, you awake! Now you just stay right there, while I go get the Mistress.”
She ran out of the room, shouting, “Mistress! Mistress! Him’s awake, him’s awake!”
A moment later, Mistress Fenaway rushed into the room, followed by a tall, slim blonde girl.
“Ben, you are awake! We have been so worried about you, but the doctor assured us you would eventually. But take it easy, don’t rush this getting up business.”
Ben was speechless. He had made it at least back to Lexington, even if not to the plantation, but he surely didn’t remember much about his journey. He stood up shakily, reached out and hugged Mistress Fenaway. She kissed him gently on the cheek, backed away, and held out her hand to the blonde girl.
“Ben, I’m not sure you would recognize her now, but this young lady is Puck.”
The last time Ben saw Puck, she was crying, tears streaking a dirty face, begging him not to leave her. He had no idea how she had gotten back to Mistress Henshaw’s, but for now, it didn’t matter. She stood before him with a smile on her lips, and blue eyes sparkling. Her dress was a deep blue, accentuating her eyes, and the short mop of unruly hair had grown out into long blonde curls, pulled back in a wide blue satin ribbon from her heart-shaped face.
“Hi, Ben. I’m so happy you are here and okay. I’ve missed you so much, and I’ve been so afraid that we’d never see each other again.”
Ben looked deep into her eyes, and saw something there that he hoped would never go away. He reached out and took her in his arms. “I’ve missed you, too, Puck, but you’ve always been with me in my thoughts and my heart. Now that I’m here, I don’t think I’ll ever let you go again.”
She laughed as her arms went around him and she hugged him tightly. “Now that you are here, I don’t think I’ll ever let you leave again. Not without me, that is.”
At that moment, Ben knew that however long it took him to really get well, he was home. Someday soon, he would leave Mistress Fenaway’s, and head back to the plantation, to Grammy, and to whoever was left of his family. And he knew, without a doubt, that Puck would be with him, now and forever.
At long last, the Freedom Thief had returned.
The End
Also by Mikki Sadil from Books We Love
The Freedom Thief
The Return of the Freedom Thief
Cheers, Chocolate, and Other Disasters
Lily Leticia Langford and the Book of Practical Magic
Night Cries ~ Beneath the Possum Belly Book 1
About The Author
Mikki Sadil has been writing since the age of ten. Her inspiration came from her French grandmother, as she listened to all the myths and fairy tales her grandmother told her in the French language. From small poems about her kittens and puppies, to a
true story about a blind mare she brought to a championship just from voice signals, to a book of Haiku poetry in college, and finally, to over 50 published short stories and non-fiction articles for kids and teens, her fascination with writing has grown. Her four published novels are for Middle Grade and Young Adults, and include The Freedom Thief, an historical adventure taking place just before the Civil War; Cheers, Chocolate, and Other Disasters, a contemporary story about bullying; Lily Leticia Langford, a contemporary story about magic, and Night Cries, Beneath the Possum Belly, book one, an historical story about a sixteen year old psychic, voices in the night, gargoyles and witches.
Mikki shares her home on the beautiful Central Coast of California with her husband, Richard, their wonderful Corgi, Dylan, and a fat and lazy Siamese/Himalayan cat, Beaujangles.
Books We Love Ltd.
http://bookswelove.net