Living Secrets

I am Cuff, a slave, a man dwelling in his cold, dark sorrow.
Today I woke up in my hard cold bed, my feet numb from the frost outside. I have no blanket and sleep on a straw bed. Outside it was snowing, I looked out my drapes and saw my master sitting by the fireplace, playing cards with his wife. I ask myself what did I do to deserve this? I didn’t do anything wrong. I looked back at master, sitting in his velvet chair while laughing with his wife. The food me and the other slaves in the room have is crap compared to the normal African food at home. I’ve been working in these tobacco fields for 1 month, every day for 14 hours. Even though I have only worked in the fields for 1 month, I have already been scarred, emotionally and physically. Master calls us objects, it seems like hurting us is enjoyable for him as he laughs every time we are hurt. On my 17th day working in the fields, I was farming the tobacco like I normally would, when master asked me “why didn’t you cover up the seeds”? I said “They need sunlight to germinate.” He got his whip and hit me with it 6 times until I had a scar. He chuckled and said “You don’t cover up the seeds, idiot.” He asked the other slaves do you cover up the seeds and they all said “no.”He did not even know how to farm but still hurt me. After that he responded “oh then that’s too bad for your little friend.”I hate working at the plantation in America but about 6 months ago I was having a great life in Africa. I had a brother and a great life, my parents are still with me but are always working. But one day that changed I lost home and my brother, some English men put my head in a wool sack and carried me onto their ship. They took me and about 60 more black men and women and told us work by sweeping the decks. For the last month it has only been working in the cold wearing thin clothes and working for our master. Me and the other men on the plantation used music to keep us in rhythm while we work. Besides my family the most important thing to me is religion. The don’t let us black men into church so we sneak into the woods to practice religion. The law says we can’t be around more than 5 black men without supervision. But we do not care every night we sneak into the woods to pray and worship god. If someone of us slaves were caught being with other black men we would get in major trouble. Still every night I go into the woods because god is important to me and to all men, women and children. Every day is a living hell, it would be better to die than work your whole life on the plantation. Yet I stay alive because god is the only thing that keeps me sane. Every day there is something terrible and nothing good. I ask again, what did I do to deserve this?

II

That is the story of my friend Cuff’s life on the plantation. He worked all the time and received no respect. I am Ry Taylor, I am 16 years old and work at the Anglican church as a tour guide. You might think, oh since he works at the Anglican church he is Protestant, in addition it is mandatory to be protestant around here in the south. But I am actually a secret Quaker. In the south Quakers were accused of Witchcraft and executed. I am a Quaker but pretend to be Protestant by working at a Protestant based job. I know that my friend Cuff works very hard and lost everything he cares about and can’t even go to church. So I have decided to let him be a quaker and practice with us. Quakerism is the perfect religion for him as he is treated terribly and harshly. In Quakerism ever one is said to be equal so I thought it was a great fit for him. I asked him if he likes Quakerism and he said “yes” and said “thank you so much for changing my life Ry.” The way I met him is very interesting and no one knows besides Cuff and his parents. My parents owned the Taylor plantation they are farmers and make the Africans farm their resources. When I turned six my parents wanted me to see how the system works. While they were having tea and talking I was exploring the plantation and saw a boy about my age. I went up to him and asked if we could talk he said “yes master.” I was very confused, I said “I am no master my parents are, call me Ry.” I asked him “where are your parents”? He said “they are working in the tobacco fields like I was.” I said “But you are just a kid, why do you have to work”? He said that all of the Africans on the plantation had to work. He also said that you have to start working at five. He also said that his family was taken away from their home in Africa and were forced to work here. I said “that’s terrible, my parents told me lies and never told me how unfair they were.” I said “do they treat you well, are they sympathetic”? He said “Sadly not they treat us as objects and harm us for the fun of it.” I said “that is awful.” “I am a Quaker in secret because Quakers are accused of Witchcraft.” I said in Quakerism everyone is treated equal.” “I can sneak you and your parents into the church when I leave in secret too.” He said “Yes please, God bless you.” That is how I met Cuff and his family and changed their lives forever.