‘The mulatto slave William.’ The room go silent. I feel me legs start to tremble, can barely stand. The crowd start to murmur and buzz like them want to swarm all over me, sting me till me dead.

‘Not guilty.’

I look to Stella, her face is aglow. ‘Me son,’ she whisper. ‘Praise the Lawd. Me prayers, dem been answered.’

The judge bang on him box for quiet, so the head jury man can continue. ‘The Negro slave Stella. Guilty as charged!’

The judge can barely be heard as the crowd cheer and stomp them feet when him pass the sentence.

‘The Negro slave Stella, I pass a sentence of death. She will be taken to the public square and hanged by the neck until dead. May God rest her soul!’ And, for the last time, him bang him hammer on the little wooden box.

As soon as the trial over, the guards take Stella back to the gaol, the sound of the crowd cheering and whistling following behind the wagon as she get taken away.

When the crowd gone, Mister Grignon tell me somebody going come to fetch me. The guards herd me down the stairs and out into the back of the courthouse to wait. I feel faint, have to sit on the steps, not able to move. I hear me name, look up and there is Winnie, walking towards me. She take me by the hand like a little child, lead me to Mistress Josephine house, put me to bed. Hold me in her arms like she Granny Callie and let me weep long and hard like I couldn’t let meself weep before. And when I wake, me come to know, even though Winnie and Mistress Josephine not in the court, them been following the trial from afar. Mistress Josephine sent little Rose off to stay with relatives in Kingston, trying to shield her from all the court business. And she sign a permission slip so I can stay in town to witness what going happen next.

All Is Silent

Is a hot day. Hot like any other day. No air. No little breeze to cool you. And the air is as dry as the cane stalks when they get crushed in the mill. In the town square a big crowd already gathering. Everybody acting like is one big holiday. All I can think bout is how thirsty I is. How dry me mouth feel. How much I want to drink water till it start to pour out through me skin. Create a river round me, so I can float away.