Best Friends

Best Friends

It was about the middle 1700s, and all was quiet in little Jenny's
house. She did not know what awaited her in the near future. She was an
11-year-old girl born into a wealthy English family. With them, she
owned a plantation in Georgia. They also owned many slaves and grew
rice and indigo, a blue dye. Her mother and one of two sisters had been
affected by scurvy and died on the trip to America. Now it was just
Papa, Jenny, and her sister Abigail (Abby for short). Alone, a wealthy
family, all alone, in Georgia.
All day the slaves toiled under the hot sun. Some slaves said the day
never really ended because they usually worked late into the night. The
slaves lived in small houses with dirt floors and walls. When they got
thirsty or hungry they could do nothing, for they knew they would be
beaten or even whipped. Slaves had an extremely hard life.
One day Jenny decided to go out to the plantation to see what actually
happened out there. When the overseer heard footsteps, he turned to see
Jenny and asked, "Does your papa know you're out here, girl?" Jenny
never really liked the overseer and didn't know why her papa hired him
in the first place.
"Yes, sir," she answered timidly and quickly turned to walk toward the
other corner of the plantation. Then she heard something that sounded
oddly like crying. She followed the sound to a nearby shade tree. Then
she saw a little black slave. "What's the matter?" Jenny sweetly asked.
The girl turned and gasped.
"I'm sorry ma'am. I'll get right back to wo-
"I heard you crying. What's wrong?" she asked motherly.
"I-I j-just stood up to catch my breath and he yelled 'Get back to
work!' a-a-a-and h-he w-w-whipped m-me," as she tried to hold back the
tears, they were all suddenly let out. She lifted up the back of her
shirt only to show a terrible bleeding slash.
"Oh my goodness! Why would that nasty man go and do such a thing like
that?" Jenny asked.
"You-you mean you don't know?" the slave asked wiping tears from her
eyes. So they sat under the shade tree and the black girl told Jenny
about the way slaves were treated. They talked about the trip to
America and anything else that popped in their heads. "Well, I reckon
I'd better get-a-goin' seein' as we musta been sittin' there for a good
time!" said the slave.
"Yes, I suppose&;#8230;. Hey! What's your name?" asked Jenny.
"I'm Becky. Really Rebecca, but no one calls me that&;#8230; And
yours?" Becky asked, grinning ear to ear.
"I'm Jenny! See you!" she said. "Boy" she thought. "I must be her first
real friend. Come to think of it, she's mine!" The second each hit her
pillow, she fell into a deep sleep.
J J J
The next day they met in the same spot. It was about the middle of the
day, and they sat under that tree talking about anything and
everything. "Why do you all treat us slaves so badly?" asked Becky "I
mean, not you," she added quickly seeing the look on Jenny's face. "You
treat me fine. You know. Like an equal. But, I mean you white folks
just buy us, sell us, and trade us like we're a bunch of animals," she
said. They smiled at each other.
"It's all I've ever known," Jenny admitted.
Then Becky said, "I wish we could do something&;#8230;you know, my
mama's always talkin' bout' how her mama and papa escaped to freedom in
Cana&;#8230; Canid&;#8230; oh somethin' like that. I don't know
that much ab-
"Oh!" interrupted Jenny. "You mean Canada, don't you? Yeah, we learned
about that in school. Do you mean you'd be free if you got to
Canada?"
"Well I'll have to ask my mama about the details, but&;#8230;I guess
so." So they talked about slavery in the Colonies and what it would be
like to escape to freedom.
The next day Becky and Jenny met under the shade tree at the same time
as before. "Hi, Becky!"
"Hi, Jenny!" They sat down and Becky launched into a story her mom had
told her the night before about how her grandparents escaped to
freedom. "It was amazing," said Becky finally, as she took a drink of
the lemonade Jenny had brought. "My mama said she'd love to be free,
but if we got caught, we'd be beaten or even killed." Jenny had just
thought this over and realized what she was about to say would change
her life forever.
"I'll help you," she said after a big sigh.
"You'll help me what?" said Becky looking as if she was scared of what
the answer might be.
"I'll help you escape to freedom," she said so suddenly, it made them
both jump.
"What- I- You- I mean- what if- but then- I don't know- what are you
talking about! You can't. You just- Really? You really mean it?" she
said looking awe-struck.
"Of course," Jenny answered. "I'll have to meet your family and stuff,
but I don't really see what could go wrong, except we could get caught
and that wouldn't go over too well with my papa," Jenny said
sarcastically. She turned and looked at Becky. "So are you in?"
"Of course I am," replied Becky.
"Then I'll come to your house at midnight," and it was settled.
J J J
Knock, knock, knock went the sound of Jenny knocking softly on the old
wooden door. There was a small creaking noise, and the door slowly
opened.
Jenny heard the sounds of tossing and turning shortly after Becky lit
their lantern. "Wassamatter?" asked Becky's mother.
"What's goin' on, Beck?" asked her father.
"Mama, Papa, I'd like you to meet my best friend, Jenny. Now, I know
what you're thinkin', but she's committed to doin' a somethin' that'll
probably blow your mind." Becky told them. She told them about the
first day they met and how they kept meeting like that. "Mmmm," her
mother would say. "Oh&;#8230;" her father would say. "And that's how
it happened" ended Becky finally.
"And?" her father asked.
"Well?" asked her mother.
"What's the big secret?" asked her mother and father in unison. "What?"
exclaimed Mama and Papa together after Becky told them the big news.
Mama fainted, and Papa started sweating and talking really fast.
"What if she's a tryin' to get us in big ole trouble? What if she tells
the overseer? What if she tells&;#8230;What if she tells her- her-
her Papa?" Becky's papa whispered.
"I won't tell anyone. I promise," Jenny added, trying to look innocent
but serious. Papa screwed up his face trying to look generous and
fighting the urge to just yell, "GET OUT!" all the same time. "I mean,
I'm risking my reputation as well as your lives! I promise, I won't
tell anyone and I won't let anything bad happen to you." Jenny's mind
was made up. And so was Becky's.
J J J
They met the same time the next night. "I brought food for you guys,
canisters of water, and some blankets, and- oh! I almost forgot! I
stole, yes stole," she added seeing the look of shock on Becky's face,
"a map of the colonies showing from here to Canada." Jenny told them.
She had had to take the map from her father's room.
"So, you mean we're doing it tonight?" asked Becky's papa.
"You could wait until tomorrow night, but I'd say it would be better if
you started tonight," Jenny suggested.
"I guess so," they sighed.
"I'll go with you some of the way because I'll have to be back by dawn,
that's when my father wakes up," Jenny said after a moment of thought
and silence. "Well, I guess we'll be going then," and with that, they
were off.
Off into the dark, wet night they went without making a sound. Every
now and then they would hear a chipmunk or squirrel hurry up into a
tree.
After a few minutes they heard some guards deep in conversation. "Yeah,
then I says, 'Oh, but sir, it wasn't me, sir!' You know I was lookin'
all innocent an' all," one said. They appeared drunk.
"I'll handle this," Jenny whispered just loud enough for them all to
hear. She told the guards Abby wanted breakfast in bed, and that she
lost her key to the kitchens. She said she needed them to go for her,
and that she'd keep watch. "You stand behind that tree. After this
you're on your own," she whispered. They watched as she pulled her
trick on the drunken guards. Then she gave them a thumbs up, and they
tiptoed toward her. "We owe you big," they said.
Jenny just smiled sweetly and modestly. "You really have no idea,"
Becky's father interrupted.
"Here," said Becky's mama, as she pulled out a flag from her original
country.
"I'm gonna' miss you," Becky said finally.
"Same here," said Jenny. "Oh! A little tip. Moss grows on the north
side of rocks," she added in a rushed whisper. "Well, I guess this is
good bye," they all said. And so it was.
J J J

Four months later Jenny received a letter:

Dear Jenny,
We made it to Canada. I'm attending school.
I love it here. We are free. My papa is a farmer.
We even have a pet dog.
I am reading a lot, too. As I said before, we love it here.
I will never forget what you have done.
Love,
Rebecca Green