Spirit Ran Free
Chapter Two / Page Two

Lyakena tried desperately not to show any emotion but her eyes welled with tears. "You will always be with me, Jushetta."

After settling his debt, Paul Marceau assisted his newly purchased slave into his fine gilded carriage. The instant Lyakena stepped up, she felt that strange morning sickness, which had begun during the latter days aboard the slave ship. Being but a naive young girl, her innocence didn't give her a clue that she was pregnant with Jaakeem's child. Lyakena had no idea that she was moving into a maze of African American history.

Following a refreshing bath at the Justin Marceau home, Lyakena was sitting in an elaborate room wearing a robe when Priscilla, Master Justin's Creole servant strutted in bringing new clothes. Lyakena was happy to see her, even as Priscilla glared at her nastily posing with a hand on her hip. Priscilla was notoriously known as the beautiful voodoo woman and regarding her eccentric behavior, she'd been passed from master to master.

"That Georgia White man done told me to bring you this pretty mess. He say you some Dahomey princess or something."

"Hello," Lyakena spoke with her Fon dialect. "I am so very happy to see you."

"Girl, Priscilla don't talk no Dahomey Fon. Don't you know no English? Cause, honey child, when I's ready to talk, I want somebody to be knowing what I be saying."

Lyakena smiled. She loved Priscilla's bandanna and big hoop earrings and thought she was so beautiful. Being that she was a small-busted little girl, she envied Priscilla's full cleavage as well.

"Poor little pretty thing," Priscilla smiled, brushing her long wet hair. "Girl, you don't know nothing. That's how come you be acting so sweet. Child, you can't be no slave acting dumb like this. How you gonna handle these White folks? These here is the master-beast. Lord, they gonna bite your tits off and eat you up. And that's the real truth, baby child. Sure as I know my name, honey, Priscilla got to teach you something real fast."

Cont. / Page 3

the author


Forest Hairston