Sitting by the side of the gate, watching what take place in that yard. It make me feel sick. Born into slavery, my suffering is nothing compared to the poor slave them that come over on the boat. Calla tell me how backra season them, like a pig on a spit. Slowly turning, turning, burning away dignity, burning away willpower. Season them to break the spirit, till they start to accept how the slave master treat them. Like they is animals. I don’t understand why we let them lead us like cattle to slaughter. Why we all don’t rise up, strike off our chains. Why a man who is free, going buy another man and keep him in bondage?

And I look into the eyes of the other slaves, see the terror and the shame, and I sense them feel the same way. But like me, they say nothing, do nothing, just sit in the dirt, looking at the misery all round them.

Finally the papers get signed. Quiet as can be, we now belong to a new owner. A new massa, a man they call George Longmore. His plantation called Ginger Hill, a big one that lay cross the border in the parish of Saint Elizabeth. It going take another day of travel to get there. I overhear Busha Davis talking to the clerk bout how Longmore bargain hard, but in the end is a fair price. I edge a little closer, wonder how much is a fair price?

The clerk say, ‘Longmore paid one thousand, six hundred and fifty-five pounds sterling. Twenty slaves, strong, no sickness. A good sale all round.’

Is a high price.

Just then, I see a familiar figure enter the slave yard. Is Mistress Josephine, dressed in all her finery. She a long way from Montego Bay. She pick up her skirt them, start to make her way over towards our little group. My spirits start to lift. She coming for me. Maybe I going live with her and little Rose and Winnie. Maybe I can try convince her to buy Eliza, even Sammy. But the daydream get shattered quick when Mistress Josephine look straight through me, like she never seen me before, head to where Calla sitting on her sack, fanning herself. They exchange a few words, before Mistress Josephine march over to Busha Davis, sign some papers and give him a bag of coins. She beckon to Calla, who lift up her sack, start to make her way to the gate. As she pass me she stop, look deep into me eyes, touch me face.

‘Me free, little Will,’ she say, and the tears start to stream down her face. Is the first time I ever see Calla cry. ‘Me never think it going happen to old Calla. But old cripple Jonnie was right.’

‘Free! You mean Mistress Josephine buy you?’ not believing Mistress Josephine going pick Calla over me.