Oak

By Pauline Lamar Cooper

Love covers a multitude of sins. This page-turning historical novel set in the mid-1800s is a story of love, lies, and deceit-all for the sake of saving a life. In the dawn hours, a light-brown young woman hides from her master in a big oak tree. But there is no escaping him. Nine months later, she stands at the edge of an ocean cliff with a new

• Language: English
• Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
• Release date: Apr 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9798822902305

Pauline Lamar Cooper

Pauline Lamar Cooper was born outside the city of Sparta, Georgia, a small country town east of Atlanta. Her parents were like so many other poor Blacks who had to drop out of elementary school to go to work-hardworking and underpaid. Her father was a lumberjack and worked at a sawmill. He earned extra money playing his guitar on the streets and at the school talent show. Her mother did not have an outside job, but she worked hard to take care of her six children two years age apart, without the luxury of having modern conveniences. Pauline is the middle child of six living siblings. Pauline and her father were the only ones in the family who displayed artistic talent. He played the guitar, sang, and tap danced. She somewhat followed in her father's footsteps, but she never learned to play the guitar and didn't make the school or church choirs. However, she made up for it in her young years by being known as "the girl who show could dance." Now that Pauline is in her senior years, she would like to be known as the author who show writes good fiction stories!

Book preview

Chapter One

A strange feeling came over me when I entered the house. I should have listened to my brother Jake and not come to the old house alone, I thought. But sooner or later, I will have to deal with the unfinished business, so I didn’t want to procrastinate any longer.

A bit skeptical, and with daunting emotions, I eased into the vacant house – not knowing what to expect. As I made my way through the rooms, I was surprised to see the house looked the same as it did before Grandmother died. It was as if life had never left. All of which made it difficult to pack away her things and put the house up for sale. The task left me with raw emotions that I could not reconcile.

Pictures of our ancestors were still on the wall and bookshelves – just as Grandmother had placed them. The framed ancestors were grandmother’s prized possession. She even went to the extreme to trace the family roots back to a time I was glad I had not lived.

Most of our family history was discovered in an old cedar chest grandmother traded for a half-acre of land. Found in it were an old worn diary and a faded picture of my great-grandmother. Her thoughts about the heirlooms I still recall.

Anita, I want you and your brother Jake and Zeke to know who your ancestors are. To know who your folks are, where they came from, and the sacrifices they made is just as important as life itself.

I came to live with my grandmother after my mother died. I was six years old. I thought this was the reason Grandmother felt strongly about my brothers and me getting to know our ancestors. However, I was content with knowing the living relatives in the family. And yet, there were a few I didn’t care to know at all. As the years passed, I came to learn the reason why it was important we know our heritage, and why the diary and faded picture of my great-grandmother were Grandmother’s most valuable finds.

As I moved into the sitting room, I was welcomed by my great-grandmother’s portrait that hung over the fireplace mantel. Her alluring greenish eyes and a hint of a smile gave a palpable sense of occupancy in the house. I put aside the task I’d come to do and sat to visit for a while. There in front of the mantel, I sat remembering the stories my grandmother told about my great-grandmother. And I began to reminisce.

Levi Wilkes, a wealthy plantation owner, and a man who prided himself on the illusion of being a well-upstanding gentleman – purchased a young slave girl named Zora. The middle-aged plantation owner was smitten by the adolescent’s brown skin and alluring beauty. He kept a roving eye on her until she came into adulthood. Then in secrecy, he took Zora to be his private property for pleasure.

Incautiously, while he indulged himself in lustful acts, seeds of sin began to sprout. Aware of the consequences if the mister found out she was pregnant with his child, Zora planned to escape the Wilkes’ plantation. She was careful to whom she let her intent be known, for fear her plan to escape might fall upon Levi Wilkes’ ears. But being aware of her situation, Zora knew it was not practical to make the journey alone. Therefore, her circumstances did not allow her not to take the risk of trust and practicality to confide in her longtime friend, Iona. She trusted Iona would not rat her out to Mr. Wilkes in order to gain a favor for a favor. But it was not only because they were friends that Zora confided in Iona; she knew how much Iona disliked Mr. Wilkes.

It be two things I come to hate on this plantation– it be the burning heat in the fields and that son-of-a-gun, Levi Wilkes, Iona often vented.

Harboring similar reasons as Zora for wanting to leave the plantation, Iona, too, feared she would be forced to mate with plantation breeders. Even though she was masculine-looking in form with fig-shaped breasts and had gotten away with disguising herself as a male, she still worried it would be a matter of time before her ruse would be discovered. And the thought of being selected to mate with plantation breeders nagged at her. So Iona was all in with the idea of leaving the Wilkes’ plantation.

She and Zora spent as much time as they could planning their escape. The first thing they came to terms with was when to escape. Iona pointed out that the best time to leave would be when Mr. Wilkes was away from the plantation or when he was occupied with the sale of his cotton or cattle.

It was less stressful for Iona to be rational and patient with planning to escape; she was not in a life-threatening predicament. However, on the day Iona learned that Levi Wilkes had purchased a slave named Bull to mate with selected females, the thought terrified her! Even though her puny looks and disguising herself as a male had kept her safe from forced mating, she did not want to take the risk of becoming a victim of a slave named Bull. Therefore, escape from the Wilkes’ plantation suddenly became an urgent matter!

To get the ball rolling, Iona suggested they collaborate with a runner who had attempted to escape the plantation previously. But he was captured.

Levi Wilkes gave the runner ten whip lashes for trying to escape his plantation. The whip cut deep into his skin, and blood oozed from his flesh for some time. After the wounds on his back healed, keloid scars were permanently imprinted in his flesh, given the appearance of lumpy skin across his back. It was Mr. Wilkes’ vicious intent that the lashings and scars on his back be a pronouncement that slaves had no rights to liberty. And to provoke fear in the slaves who might get the notion of escaping his plantation, Mr. Wilkes renamed the captured slave, Whippe.

It had crossed Iona’s mind that bad timing was the result of Whippe’s capture. But, nonetheless, whatever the reason was, Iona figured it was worthwhile to collaborate on an escape plan with him. It did not come as a surprise to Iona that Whippe would join in the crime with her and Zora. Neither the scars nor his name deterred Whippe’s taste for freedom. Instead, it was the scars and his name that were a constant reminder of his desire to be a free man. Together, the three of them made final plans to escape. Whippe, however, was not naive; he knew either way it went – it would be his last attempt for freedom.

This time – I will have my freedom, either by life’s way or in death, he proclaimed.

Weeks after planning their escape, the time had finally come! Mr. Wilkes was away from the plantation, and while the overseer was busy with his belly warmer, the courageous, yet cautious trio set out for their freedom. In the pre-dawn hours, they moved towards the east corner of the forest that bordered the Wilkes’ plantation. A chorus of crickets drowned the noise of the heavy breathing and the crunching leaves and sticks underneath their feet. Hovering clouds around the full moon staged the scenery as it kept them out of sight while they moved toward the forest. Zora and Iona huddled behind a bush while peering at the big house at a distance before they made their next move.

I b’leve we be safe to go now, Whipped stated.

When they went into the woods, the three of them gathered their belongings from where they stashed them prior to their escape. It was Iona’s idea to leave the premises empty-handed in case they were spotted; it would not be obvious they were runners. After all, it was no secret that slaves took to the woods for intimate reasons.

Whippe carried the heavier items. Zora and Iona carried sacks with foodstuff, along with a few pieces of clothing and blankets.

The woods bordered on the road to town; therefore, travel was precarious. They couldn’t risk being overheard. So, they kept their mouths shut and walked lightly on their feet in a single line.

Zora stumbled. If not for Iona, she would have fallen on the dew-damp ground. Hold, Whippe, Iona whispered. We needs a bit of rest.

Whippe led them a few steps further into the woods. They found a fragrant cedar with low-hanging branches and settled beneath it. Whippe opened their water jar and passed it to the women. They drank and handed it back to him. After he refreshed himself, he leaned toward them.

Mornin’ soon. Best we hide here ‘til sunrise. Soon, word be out that we’s gone. Get some rest, we be moving fast come morning.

Zora and Iona covered themselves with their blanket, and within minutes, they both were asleep. Whippe stayed awake a few minutes longer, listening to the sounds of the forest. After he was certain there was nothing out of the ordinary in the surroundings – he snuggled down into a light sleep.

As dawn began to peak, Whippe urged Zora and Iona to gather their belongings and reminded them not to leave a trace of their direction.

Almost two days into their journey – Whippe allowed Zora and Iona three rest stops a day. Everything was going as planned, until one day when they were about to resume their journey after taking a short rest. Whippe heard a crackling noise in the forest. He assumed someone was on their trail. But since there were no sounds of dogs, he didn’t think it was a slave-hunting posse. But even so, Whippe knew it would be best they stay quiet and out of sight. So he gave a signal to Zora and Iona to hide.

As they stood quietly behind the trees, Zora quivered with fear. They’d seen nobody in the days they’d been traveling, and now, the approaching noise meant that someone was probably following them. Zora clutched her growing belly, and felt her baby move restlessly as if it could feel the terror rising in the beat of her heart. Crouching down even more to make less of a target to be seen - she began to ache and burn in every muscle. She held back from reacting to her pain by keeping her hand over her mouth. Only the sound of trampling footsteps was heard.

Just when she thought she could stand no more, she saw Whippe relax.

It be Jed. Whippe rose and greeted his friend. When you leave?

The next night after you left. Jed looked at the two women beginning to unfold as they stood behind Whippe. Evenin’ ladies.

Iona muttered a greeting, but Zora fought to catch her breath. Every moment they spent in the forest offered a chance to be captured. Again, Zora rubbed her belly, but this time it was in a calming manner. There now, we go be okay, she whispered to her unborn child.

Days later, they met up with other runners who had escaped from their master’s plantation. It was much the same as it was the first time Whippe ran and met up with women and children he tried to help. But his attitude was different this time. No one was going to stand in the way of his freedom, and it was for that reason he decided to separate from Iona and Zora – leaving them to continue their journey with the other plantation runners. I got you this far. It ain’t but a few days out before you get to freedom soil. I think it be best that you and Zora take up with these here runners.

Amongst the other plantation runners were a newly married couple. They ran from their master’s plantation not long after they’d jumped the broom. The young couple worried they would be separated by either being sold, traded, or bartered for taxes. However, more than anything, the young bride feared for her husband’s life – that he would fight to his death rather than be separated from her.

Iona would not hear of Whippe wanting to separate from her and Zora, and reminded him of the plans they’d made. We stick together; that be the plan. We stay together. We done came this far, just like you said, you done got us this far. We all gonna get to freedom soil together. There be something you ought to know. I knows about things – about the earth – what grows on top of the dirt and what grows in it. I know what to do to keep dogs from hunting us. It best we stay together.

Iona showed Whippe a bag of herbs she’d mixed up to keep the dogs from picking up their trail. Neither she nor Zora told him about the deterrent they had made to keep the dogs off their trail when they planned to escape. They knew Whippe was anxious to get away from the plantation, and Iona did not trust him enough to tell him about her craft. She was concerned he would have taken it and abandoned them. Whippe was then clearly convinced it was to his advantage to keep to the plan.

The men snared rabbits and small birds to eat, but campfires had to be kept to a minimum. With a quick fire, they roasted the meat when it was caught and ate cold meat for a few days afterward. The smell of meat cooking on an open fire traveled great distances in a soft breeze that riffled through the woods on cool nights. On the nights when the temperature was mild, they camped with no fire and only ate what was grown from the earth.

And yet, precautions were not enough to dissuade Mr. Wilkes from tracking them down. As they all settled one night after filling their bellies with fruit and berries, Zora was unable to relax. Her unborn had repositioned, and she felt pain in her stomach and groins. Not wanting to cause an alarm, Zora rubbed her belly and tolerated the infrequent pain. And then tried to settle herself in a position comfortable for both her and the baby.

Finally, the baby was calm, but there was still no rest for Zora. She was alarmed by the sound of horses rushing through the tall, grassy terrain. Whippe was also disturbed by what seemed to be a posse on their trail. He immediately alerted the others, and they all moved quietly into the thicker parts of the woods.

The dogs began to move around in confusion. The pouches of herbs that Iona gave Whippe and Jeb to throw into the woods dispelled their scent. When Mr. Wilkes saw the dogs walking in circles, wagging their tails, he clenched his jaw, his face reddened. His posse was dead in the water with the dogs not able to sniff the runners’ scent. Frustrated because he did not know the direction the escapees had fled, he took his rifle and fired randomly into the woods. And not long after, the posse gave up. Tears of joy mixed with aches and pains dripped down Zora’s face. Then again, she was relieved that her chance for freedom was still hopeful.

The dogs ain’t gonna stay nose blind but for a day or so. And I gots no more roots and herbs to throw out, Iona said.

A day or so should be bout all we need to get to freedom soil, Whippe thought. Just as Levi Wilkes was determined to not let the slaves get away, Whippe was just as determined not to be caught. So to not take any chances of being captured, he suggested they take the alternative route through the swamp.

The marshland be our best bet. It ain’t the easy or the fastest way to get to the soil. But it be a good chance Mr. Wilkes won’t come hunt for us in them swamps.

The young groom was reluctant to take the route through the swampy haven of wild mammals and venomous reptiles; it was not the sort of tour he wanted for his bride.

One of the women who noticed Zora’s state of being, spoked her concern. Them swamps be no place for this woman being in the way that she is. She only gonna slow us down.

Zora being with child ain’t gonna slow us down, but the swamps will, Whippe replied.

Whippe’s reply prompted the young groom to give the idea some thought. He was eager to get his feet off southern soil and did not want to do anything that was going to slow them down.

Maybe it be best we keep going the way we been going – cause If Iona’s mojo works on them dogs like she say, it gonna take bout a day before them dogs be smelling again. Whippe, you said we got bout another day before we get to the river. We be done crossed the river before they catch up with us. That be iffin Mr. Wilkes still want to come after us, the young groom stated.

Even if we be two, three days ahead, we can’t outrun them horses and dogs. I know a bit about how Mr. Wilkes’ mind be. He ain’t quick to give up. I been in swamp land before, and I know it ain’t the best way to get to where we wanna be; but we got a better chance to be safe from Mr. Wilkes’ posse, Whippe recommended.

At the first sight of daylight the next morning, Whippe woke early to ready the escapees for the journey through the swamp. After he’d instructed them how to trek through the woods, he then recommended that at least one person walking in a group together should have a sturdy stick.

After they finished their breakfast – of which most of them had bread and cheese, they searched for fallen tree branches to make for themselves a staff. After they all had geared up for the journey – Whippe gave them trekking instructions for the trail ahead.

Me and Jeb gonna take front lead. In a row of twos, you will follow closely behind. Watch where you step. If we walk straight through without resting, we be out the swamps in a few hours; just make sho you follow our steps.

With their staff in one hand and their sacks in the other hand, Whipped and Jeb led the escapees halfway through the swamp without any problems with crawling creatures and vicious animals. They kept out of sight and out of their way. But they came to find out that wild animals and crawling creatures were not the only threat in the wetland. One step off the trail, a fellow escapee found himself sinking in quicksand. The person paired with him cried out from the rear of the line.

"Help! He stuck in the mud,