The sound of a newborn baby’s cry filled the chilly midnight air. The mother of the little newborn smiled a painful smile. The pain of knowing that because of her baby’s dark skin, her child would have to suffer tremendously. Deep cuts and bruises covered the mother’s own back from the harsh whipping she had earlier. At this moment, that did not matter to her. The beautiful face of her child took all that pain away. A loving father stared in awe as he asked, “What shall we name her?” She replied, “Lucy.”
“Lucy. LUUUCCCYYY,” a voice screeches in the distance. “Coming,” I mutter to myself as the broom which my weak hands are holding drops to the ground with a loud thud. My thin legs can barely make it up the treacherous staircase. Every muscle in my boney body wants to use the safer steps, the stairs only my masters could use. “LUUUCCYY,” a voice yells again, wrenching me out of my imagination. My pace quickens to the room where a middle-aged woman is sitting in bed. The cold room I entered was filled with wonderful paintings on the walls of faraway places someone like me could only dream of seeing. Lush, red curtains drape the gleaming windows while hot coals glimmer in the fireplace, producing hardly any heat. “Make the fire bigger,” barked the lady. I quickly grab some firewood and throw it in the fire. Then, seeing that the box is almost empty, my legs carry me outside to gather more wood.
Once outside, my eyes are drawn to the cotton fields. Out in the fields, the scorching sun shines down on my brother, Eli. The most troublesome slaves labored there. The slaves that worked in the house had earned their way there by not causing any chaos. Working one’s way up was very difficult. Many slaves tried to get the jobs in the house but were unsuccessful.
Small sticks scatter the ground. My hands, covered with blisters, reach down and collect them. A multitude of splinters cut into my hands. The work I had done this morning was really taking a toll on my body. Exhausted, my legs give out from under me, and I fall to the ground. Dead leaves crunch under a hefty man’s feet as he approaches me. “Get up,” the man growls, kicking me in the ribs. As I start to stand up, a sharp pain throws me back down. Blood pours out from lash marks I had just received. “That’s what you get for sitting down,” the man says as he thunders off, leaving me to pick up the wood I dropped.
My legs carry me back inside and up the stairs. I drop the wood in the box and rush out the door to get my first and last meal of the day. In my family’s little house, stale bread waits for me. Hungrily, I eat it not caring that it is covered with little green spots of mold. This bread was not as moldy as what I had gotten in previous days. We had our own little garden for food which we were only allowed to tend to on Sundays. Slaves were only allowed to cook on one day of the week, usually Sundays.
Eli soon joins me after a long day of laboring in the field. He whispers in my ear, “I have a surprise for you.” “What is it?” I say in a loud voice. “Be quiet. We do not want anyone to hear us.” My brother continues to speak, “I know a way we can be free.” My eyes glow with excitement upon hearing this. “I can be free?” “Yes. We will escape by what slaves call the Underground Railroad. It will be a dangerous journey.” “What about mother and father?” I ask. “They will come with us. We leave tonight,” Eli answers quickly as he rushes out the door. My brain buzzes with thoughts. I had never been free before. I finish my chores and head to my bed for a little sleep before we leave.
My mother wakes me up from my sleep. I jump out of bed, hurrying to get ready. Silently, we walk out the door and into the night. The sound of crickets chirping fills my ears. A full moon lights up our way. We race into the woods and meet a group of slaves. A white man’s raspy voice gives us instructions. “Safe houses are marked with a candle in the window. There you will find food and shelter. Always introduce yourselves by saying friend for friend. You must split up into smaller groups.” My family and a young man named Abel join to make a group, and we begin our journey.
The sun’s rays shine on my face as it rises. The sound of rumbling startled me out of my daydream. Eli shouts, “Run to the bushes!” Quickly, we jump into the trees on the side of the road. My father, not hearing the warning soon enough, was caught in the middle of the road. Peering out of the bushes in fear, I see a carriage with drunken men sitting inside. The carriage stops right by my father. “Where’s your tag,” yells one man. Slaves wore tags so that when they left the plantation for an errand other people know that they were already someone’s property. Giving no answer, he starts to walk away. “Where do you think you’re going?” another man shouts. My father starts to run. The driver pulls out a gun and shoots him in the shin, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. The driver walks over to my father and ropes his hands and feet together. The driver drags him back to the carriage and hollers, “We can sell him and earn some easy money today, men!” My heart aches in sadness as they drive off. My mother starts weeping uncontrollably. Trying to be strong, Eli says, “Let’s rest for the day, and we will start walking again tomorrow.” We find a nearby pine tree that is hollow in the center. Exhausted, I lay down on the pine needles and fall asleep.
I wake up as the sun goes down. Having to travel at night proved to be difficult as I was not used to it. The night was silent, and not a single sound could be heard. This could be dangerous because if we make too much noise, we would be caught and sold back into slavery. Abel sat quietly leaning against the tree trunk. He had not said a word this whole time. Seeing me stare at him, he says, “I’m sorry about your father.” Shocked that he even spoke a word, I reply, “Thanks.” “I lost my father too. My mother killed herself after that,” he states. “I’m so sorry,” I say now knowing why he did not talk much. I look over at my mother sleeping silently in the corner. After hearing what happened to Abel’s mother, it made me think about whether my mother do the same. I quickly brush the thought out of my head as Eli pokes his head through the tree branches and says, "Hurry and get up. We need to start walking now.” I rush to wake up my mother, and we begin walking again in hopes of not getting caught.   
The stillness of the night became a great obstacle as we passed through a small town. Even at this late hour, people walked about and many were drunk. Starving, I say to Eli, “I need food.” He replies, “Okay, we will try and find a safe house soon.” We walk for a few more hours until I finally see a house with a candle in the window, signaling it is a safe house. “There is a safe house,” I exclaim in excitement. As I am running up to the door, Eli shouts, “Be careful, Lucy.” I spurn his warning and knock on the door. Upon its opening, a tall man greets me, and I greet him back saying, “Friend for friend.” He quickly pulls me in, closing the door behind him. “It’s not safe here. Run,” he says. The sound of guns firing outside sparks my attention. The man hands me a gun and says, “Go out the back door, and you will be safe.” “But my family is out there,” I exclaim. “They are probably already dead by now. Save your own life.” Scared, I sneak out the back door, and I start running to the forest. “No, I can’t leave without helping my family and Abel,” I say to myself. With the gun in my hands and ready to fire at any moment, I turn around and run to find my family. My heart pounds in my chest as I fire at the men trying to kill them. My mother was the first to be shot. She laid on the ground, dead. “Run,” I yell to Eli and Abel. Abel quickly runs away, but Eli shouts, “No, I won’t leave you.” “Go, be free for me,” I say. I jump in front of Eli after seeing a man pointing his gun at him. I pull the trigger right as he is about to fire. Nothing happens. I look at the gun, realizing it is out of bullets. An excruciating, burning sensation pierced my chest, and then, quickly another fiery feeling hit my stomach. Hot blood poured out of my body. I fall to the ground in pain. “Run,” I say to Eli again as I struggle to breathe. Eli picks me up and starts running, unable to get my mother’s dead body. He safely makes it to the woods but keeps on running. Minutes later, he sets me down near a stream. Ripping his shirt, he tries to stop the blood from gushing out of the wounds, however, he was unsuccessful. “Thank you. Now finish the journey and be free,” I say to him. “No, I won’t leave you,” he responds. “Eli, I’m not going to survive.” “Yes you will, because you did not come all this way just to die. Do not leave me here alone.” “You getting to freedom is enough of an accomplishment for me,” I slowly say, running out of breath. “Goodbye, Eli, I love you, brother.” “I love you, too, Lucy,” Eli says. Breathing was no longer an easy task. Closing my eyes, I see my life flash before me. The only thing on my mind are the people I love. Smiling at the memory of them, I take my last breath.
Sobbing, Eli embraced Lucy’s dead body. He realized he had to make it to freedom for himself and for Lucy. Eli dug Lucy a grave and set her inside. Next to her, he dug another grave and ran back for his mother still lying on the ground. Picking up her limp body, he ran back and placed her next to Lucy. He quickly gathered flowers and said goodbye one last time. Then he ran. He ran as hard as he could through the woods. He didn’t care that the sun was out which produced a possible threat of him getting caught. Hours later, he came to a town where the people greeted him kindly and offered him shelter and food. He had finally made it. He was free at last.