The people were awestruck. They gasped as they listened, as though they were being told a fairy tale.

‘I was lucky that I believed him. Two of my friends also believed him, the others did not. I thought if I continued to live in this place, there would be no change in my life. What was the harm in going there once? If I could earn good money, I could keep my family in comfort. So I went with him. What happened after that is for you to see. I’ve taken my entire family there. One of my friends came back and is living here like a wealthy landlord. Someday, if you wish, I can take you to meet him. My messiah told me, “Just as I’ve helped you, you too must do the same.”’

Pushing his way through the crowd, Ho Han stood before the man.

‘If we want to go, what do we have to do?’ someone in the crowd asked.

‘You have to sign a seven-year agreement. The rest of the responsibility will be mine. Your food and travel expenses will be borne by me. An amount in the form of an advance will be paid to you. You can give that to your family, or spend it on yourself – that is entirely up to you. When you become rich, you can pay me back if you wish.’

The rumbling slowly became an uproar. Some called the man a cheat, others believed him and the rest were simply confused. Slowly the crowd dispersed. A few men stayed back. Amongst them were Ho Han and Ho Yen.

Leaving the crowd behind, the man now stood in the shade of a tree. Taking a bundle from one of his slaves, he took out a handful of chocolates. Putting one of them in his mouth, he distributed the rest amongst the crowd.

They had never tasted chocolate before; it was like ambrosia, melting in their mouths. By the time it was late afternoon, eleven of them had signed the papers.

Five

There was still some time left before dawn.

Neither Ho Han nor Ho Yen could sleep a wink. Secretly putting together their clothes, rice bowls, chopsticks and a few other essentials in two small bundles, they hid them behind the chicken coops. It was imperative that the other three slaves who slept in their small, dark room should not discover their secret. They were well aware of what happened to slaves trying to flee from their masters. The death of the slave who had died vomiting blood because of the severe thrashing he’d got was still fresh in their minds. They remembered well the torture they’d faced, especially the red hot steel square stamped onto their foreheads.

Oh, that dreadful afternoon! Ho Han was squirming in unbearable pain. He was crying at the top of his voice. His young heart could not share that despair with anyone. There was no one who could feel his pain. He lay there, gagging on his tears while his master’s men thrashed him soundly and left him in a closed room. No one came to see him, or to offer him any food. On that horrible day, the six-year-old boy understood what it meant to be a slave. He was made to understand how a slave should behave, what a slave ought to and ought not to do.