BIRTHRIGHT
by John Dee Cooper
© 2021
Chapter 3
Frank cherished those precious moments of darkness and silence when the other slaves had settled down and Danny was safely fidgeting and mumbling in his sleep. It was the only time he could detach himself from cold reality and lose himself in thought. And tonight his thoughts were on Danny.
He was devoted to the boy. He'd watched him grow from a shy kid clinging to his father's coat tail into a handsome head-strong teenager. When calamity struck he’d stayed at the boy’s side and shielded him. The fates had turned a blind eye so far and let them stay together. But slaves have no right to choose. They must serve or die. Frank had sworn to protect the boy but he knew that one day soon Danny would be snatched away. How would either of them cope with that?
The cold night had the world in its grip. What little warmth there was inside the shelter came from the huddled bodies of the sleeping slaves. Frank nestled close to Danny and tried not to think any more.
The distant rumble of a motor, like an angry bee, disturbed him, and as it got nearer Frank wondered what a truck could be doing out this late at night.
The truck stopped outside the slave shelter. There was a brief hesitation while the whole world seemed to hold its breath, then a loud thump on the shelter roof. The overseer, not happy at being roused from the warmth of his bed in the adjoining hut, threw open the shelter door exposing the occupants to a sudden blast of cold air. There was no time to light the lamp. Instead he shouted at the sleeping slaves and yanked the chain linking them together at the ankles. One by one, dazed and bewildered, the six slaves dragged themselves out into the open.
Danny was still half asleep and had to grab hold of the big fellow in front to steady himself. He wasn't sure if this wasn't still all part of some weird dream. But the bitter cold soon brought him to his senses and he shuffled into line between the big guy and Frank.
"What's going on?" he whispered, trying to shake the sleep out of his eyes.
"Silence!" bellowed the overseer. "Stand ready for inspection."
Still only vaguely conscious, the six slaves arranged themselves into as straight a line as they could manage, and tried to stay awake, their drowsiness confounded by the confusion of dark figures and flashing lights that was suddenly all around them.
"What do we do with them, uncle?" said a young voice.
"Hold the torch steady," said another. "Do we call them out one at a time, sir?"
"Better to keep them in line," came the reply. "Get them to undress, overseer."
The overseer shouted the command but the slaves just stood there like dummies with glazed eyes. It’s not unusual for slaves to need goading into following an order that is outside their normal routine, so the overseer used his whip on one of them and slowly, with stiff fingers they began to unbutton and peel off their rags until all six stood naked, hunched up and shivering in the cold.
“Stand and display,” came the next order. Slowly and reluctantly they spread their legs, lifted their arms and, trying not to tremble or whine, exposed themselves completely to the elements with their hands fixed behind their heads.
"You alright, Danny?" whispered Frank when he judged the overseer was out of earshot.
"What's going on?"
"I don’t know. Just keep quiet and don't draw attention to yourself."
Danny thought about the last time he'd been lined up naked like this. It was at the auction in Norwich. That was when they'd first taken an interest in his physical capability. Up until that point he'd just been a kid bought and sold on the basis of having two arms and two legs. Now he was a commodity. A resource. He had to show his potential for work. So, despite Frank's warning, he took a deep breath to fight off the cold, flexed his muscles and tried to look tough.
"What are we looking for exactly, uncle," said one of the young voices.
"Strength and muscle,” said the Colonel. “We want two with supple physiques so that we’ve got something to play with but hard enough so they won’t break too easily.”
There was something creepy about these disembodied voices fading in and out of the flickering torchlight, but Danny kept his nerve, held his breath and tried to stop his legs from shaking.
"They smell!"
"They're workers, Bruno. What do you expect?"
"We can clean them up, can't we? How about this one?"
From their position they must have been talking about Jack who was standing at the end of the line. Jack was the same age as Frank, but about as different from him as chalk from cheese. Both men were rugged but whereas Frank had bulk, Jack was lean and wiry with the tightly packed muscles of a boxer. He was more of a loner as well. He'd hardly uttered a word since he'd joined the team. But he was a hard worker and never complained.
"Good choice, my boy," said the Colonel. "Overseer, unlock his chains, and stand him by the truck. Leave his clothes. We won’t be needing those."
"What about him?"
The voices were slowly moving down the line.
"Too skinny – we want something with a bit of meat on."
"What, like this one?"
"He's got elephant's legs. That's no good."
"I wish there was more to choose from."
"They're all so filthy – and covered in scars and bruises."
Danny could see the three boys more clearly now they were closer. They were about his own age, dressed like princes in their thick warm overcoats, radiating comfort, confidence and wealth – which made him feel all the more wretched. He was shivering, his naked body rank with sweat and dirt. If he'd been given proper work to do he would have built some muscles like Frank and the others, but he was still being treated like a child. He hated them all. And now these rich young freemen were going to despise him.
But they didn't despise him. They simply ignored him.
"How about the one on the end?"
The torchlight swung past Danny and focussed on Frank.
"He's in good shape and looks as if he's got some spirit in him. What do you think, Sir?"
They didn’t give Danny a second glance. Except, that is, for the tall fair haired one who was holding himself a little apart from the others. He caught Danny's eye with what seemed at first to be a smile. It was a warm, friendly gesture and Danny's instinct was to smile back.
He checked himself just in time. What was he thinking? A miserable, pathetic slave! How could he inspire anything but contempt? Even the stars were mocking him and as the moon slipped behind a cloud he could hear them unchaining Frank and leading him away. He watched as his one friend, his brother-protector, was swallowed up in the darkness. He clenched his stomach and tears welled in his eyes.
Then, all of a sudden, the overseer was stooping down to unlock his ankle chain.
"Can't think why,” he said, “but they want you as well."
To be continued...
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