The Slave

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 24

Agatha sits out late in the night crying. She was tired of living like this. Her previous master was also raping her every night. Sometimes she ended up with scars and bruises all over her.

When master Tom came visiting their place, he gambled with her master and won. Agatha was used as settlement for that gamble. She was happy to leave, she never knew she was coming to another abode of hell.

She remembered her home and how she was taken. She had gone to fetch some firewood for cooking and the white boys threw nets over her and dragged her away. She wept as she thought of home. She has lost all hope of leaving this place and she was tired of living like this, she went inside and took a small knife and walked slowly inside the bush. She raised her hand up to stab herself but someone holds her from behind. She turns to see who it was and she screamed.

“Leave me alone, leave me please, let me die, I can’t take it anymore I just want to die”

But Bush wouldn’t hear of it, he held her tight until she was calm. Then he walked her back to the ranch and gave her a glass of water to drink.

“Are you calm now?”

“Yes I am, thank you”

There was silence between them for a while but Agatha broke that silence.

“How long have you been here?” She asked

“One year and three months. And you?

“Two years and eight months, I’ve been sold three times and this is my third master. ”

“Then you must be one hell of a stubborn person”

Agatha chuckles and then continued.

“I just want to go back home. They call us bush people, animals and slaves, they may have better resources and things that we don’t have, but we are their greatest weakness. They fear us, they are terrified of our unity, our strength and our abilities. Africa is blessed and they fear that one day we will conquer the world this is the reason they do what they do. I want to go home, I wish to go home. I do not know if it will ever happen but I do hope to someday. (She turns to Ukeh) How about you? Do you ever think of going back home?

“It’s the only thing I think of”

Agatha smiled and there was another silence between them.

Tell me, what is your name? She asked.

“Bush, they call me Bush”

“Hahaha, not that, I mean your real name, your name from your birth parents.”

“Ukeh, my name is Ukeh”

“Ukeh, sounds lovely. No matter what they call you here Ukeh, never forget your real name. It is your identity, it is your strength, it is your freedom”

“Thank you so much Agatha, I am so relieved to hear these words from you.

Agatha stands up and dusts her butt.

“Thank you Ukeh for saving my life”

And she starts walking away towards her room.

“Amara, the name is Amara, whenever we are alone, you can call me Amara. It makes me feel closer to home. Goodnight”

And she walked away.

Ukeh didn’t believe what he just heard. “Amara” could she be the same Amara he was searching for? Could she be the old man’s grand daughter?