“Okay.” Mira took the brochure. The front advertised shows for a cornhusking party happening in a few weeks. She opened it and scanned the inside. The brochure looked like it was for a theme park. Take a tour of the Woodsman house and afterward have an authentic antebellum dinner, only $89.99, a caption read. Want to have some quality time? Take the kids to our playroom and have houseworkers Louisa and Mary watch them for the evening, another read. The brochure also advertised performance showings. A disagreement is brewing near the corn crib. Tom’s caught Ben stealing a few ears. Will he tell? Shows every half hour. Witness reenactments of field-workers showing the tobacco-picking process! Slave driver Tom will take a break from his work to explain how he keeps his crew in line!

“There are reenactments in tobacco fields? I don’t know who would want to see something like that,” Mira said.

“Yeah, they’re for effect. Like all the reenactments.”

“For effect?”

“That’s what this place is. All these stops have reenactments. The whole plantation is meant for people to take part in, to give an experience of what plantations were like.”

“So, you mean visitors go out and pick tobacco?”

“Nah, nobody’s doing any of that. That’s what they got the field-workers for. You just watch. You can dress up too if you like. A few of the visitors do, wanting to feel part of the show. Do you want a ticket for the park? You can see what I mean. Tickets are paid for as part of the wedding.”

“No,” Mira said, but changed her mind. “Yes, actually.” She took the ticket and left the booth to find the cottage.