A gibbous moon was high in the sky before Henry crawled out of his tree. His body ached intolerably at the confined position he had been forced to stay for such a long period of time. Slowly he walked, unsure if anyone was nearby or not. As the distance between the charred house and him grew, so did his swiftness. His long legs stretched and ate up the distance quickly, he kept his stride at a steady speed. As the night waned into daybreak, Dark Henry found himself in familiar territory. His heart filled with elation; he was almost home. The fatigue fell away and he kept up his jaunt through the rest of the day, skirting the roads and keeping well within the tree line. He ate the walnuts as he ran, cracking them in his large hands. Finding a stream, he broke through the thin crust of ice and drank his fill. He was nearly home.
Mary stared in awe at her husband, he had survived and made his way home again. Johnny Reb hadn’t killed him and he was home, safe and sound.
“What did you do while you were in the army camp?”
“I carried supplies, like a pack horse. All the men did. The bigger you was, the more supplies they packed on. There weren’t many horses, I think they ate them beasts. Any food them boys found at homesteads was eaten, there on the spot by the soldiers.” Henry yawned. Mary got up and led her husband to their bed. She knew he was bone tired; it was time for sleep.
Mary prayed that the end was near, that soon, this war would be at an end. For now, she was thankful that her husband was home and that night she lay awake, her hand caressing her husband’s back. Her hand mapped out the familiar lash marks Clark had given him years ago. She had memorized them long ago and was relieved that there were no new ones. She fell asleep, her hand still touching the familiar back of her husband.
TEN
Spring came as it always did, with enthusiastic bursts of color and birth. Only six of the original twenty men ever made it back to the Anderson farm. Henry and one other married man made it home along with four single men. It was never known whether the others had gone north or had perished in the trying. All hoped it was the latter.
John’s health continued to decline and through the long winter, he had become bedridden. Victor and Drake fought for his attention, but Ida and Rachel won out. Rachel was a happy child and Ida strived daily to encourage Rachel’s tinkling laughter. Victor and Drake wanted nothing to do with the girls and played as the foot of the bed with the small iron soldiers, that had been Theo’s toys when he had been a small boy.
Throughout the day, Patina and Mary checked in on their charge and the children. While Patina fed her children, she coaxed John to eat as well. The old man had lost his appetite, but would try when the children ate. They too encouraged him to eat, their food encrusted smiles entreating. John was moved out to the porch with the help of Tall Tom and Gabe. There he basked in the warm sunshine and seemed to a little better.
It was early May, when word reached the Anderson farm of General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox court house. It was also coupled with the devastating news that President Lincoln had been assassinated at Ford’s Theater, by an actor, John W. Booth. Theo’s world was spinning out of control. The surrender meant that the war was over, but what now, with the Union President dead as well? What in the hell was going to happen? What did it mean to him? The war was over, the north had won and the slaves were now free. Theo stood on the porch, reading the notice over and over. It’s over, it is finally over and the president is dead, his brain chanted. At the cost of so many men, brothers, fathers, husbands and sons, it was over. At the cost of a President, it was over. His arm ached dully at the thought of war. Unconsciously, he went to rub the arm and shrugged sheepishly to himself when his hand rubbed air.
Theo went to the bell and rang it, calling in all the slaves. It was time to tell them the news, that the war was over and they were free. He didn’t know if they even knew who President Lincoln was, but they would need to know that the war was finally over and they were free. Slowly, the whole of the slave population made their way to the main house, their faces tense, because it was mid day. The last time they had been called in, twenty men were taken away to fight the war. Only six of their own had returned. Mary and Patina came out to the porch and stood silently, waiting for the young master to make his wishes clear.
The sun seemed especially bright today and the scent of the flowers, sweet. Theo stood before his people, unsure on how to proceed. He had known these people all his life, and had come to know some of them more intimately over the last few years. He didn’t begrudge them their freedom, but he was unsure how he was to run the farm without their help. He had thought long and hard during the winter about what he would do should the war end, but he didn’t
