Dunk. Swish swish. Drip. Plop. Squeak squeak. These are the only sounds Jeb the janitor should be hearing on this June afternoon. The children of the school Jeb was working at were outside, enjoying a lovely day, while Jeb was stuck inside. Jeb didn't have a problem with being the janitor. He loved the look of the floors after he'd gone over them with a mop.
" Now that's one fine lookin' floor, yessiree." he would whistle after a job well done.
On this particular day, Jeb was not mopping the floors, or dusting windows, or even mopping the throw up that happened earlier this day in Mrs. Timnever's class. instead, Jeb, the lowest person on the food chain that is the faculty, was dealing with the hardest problem any of the faculty would ever have. It's not an earthquake or a broken desk. In fact, it's a girl.
"not just any girl, i got myself a slave girl!" he says to himself.
Not only is it a slave girl, but a runaway. And she was crying.
".......and then they....." and that was all he could get from the girl before she passed out.
"great" he mumbled.
" Ah got a dang slave girl in ma school". The town Jeb lived, a little town called Littleroot county, was found in the center of the country's highest slave state, Alabama.
" biggest dang slave state the in US of A and have to find myself with a slave! how am ah supposed to keep ma job if ah got a dang slave girl livin' with me! shit!" he said. He could always give the girl to the bounty hunter for a fair price. Then again, he remembered what he saw when he was 8 and snuck into the old barn. the bounty hunter had found a young boy, probably younger than him, and they shot him right there on the spot.
He shook his head. He had never been a devout christian, but he could never live with himself if he gave up that girl. He picked up the girl, and brought her to the basement where he lived. The only regret he had was not cleaning up the throw up in Mrs. Timnever's class.
He watched her stir as she cradled back and for on his cot. shivering. Because he is the janitor, Jeb gets to live in the basement of the school.
"how could someone do that to a child?" he said to himself. He looked at the sleeping child in the torn up rags, red marks all over their arms, and mud and blood crusted onto her skin. He walked over to the window and looked at the kids playing outside.
" Already, these kids here are bettah off than I'll eva be, they learnin' how to read, write, and they'll grow up to be smart. they'll get a good payin' job up north, and they won't have to worry about runaway slaves, or maybe they'll work at their daddy's plantation, where the slaves work. They ain't nevah gonna now what freedom is, those slaves. A true shame".
When the kid were dismissed, the teachers had left, Jeb comes out.
" A night owl, that what ah am." he grumbles, as he picked up a piece of paper and threw it in the garbage. When he finished cleaning, he went back downstairs to check on the girl, and to cook some dinner.
As he walked downstairs, he saw the girl, still resting on the cot. He went over to the stove. In his opinion, he was a good cook, and now he had someone to test on. He grabbed some bacon from the fridge, threw it on the stove, and almost immediately the smell fills the air.
"What's that burning smell?" asks the girl rubbing the sleepies out of her eyes.
" that's the smell of our dinnah, so get used to it." he said.
After they ate, Jeb asked how she thought dinner was.
"do you want my honest opinion?," she said," I've tasted better dirt then your food." she said, affirmatively.
" well you should cook next time." says Jeb, defensively.
" as long as you do the dishes." she said.
" I've nevah had anyone else to cook for me befor', so this'll be interestin'", he said.
" don't you have any family, Jeb?" asked the girl.
" I don't really want to talk about ma family," said Jeb, sharply, "tell me about yours."
" there's not much to tell.' she said with a sigh." All that was left was me and my brother, and the day he was sold to other slave keepers, I ran away so there's no chance of finding him now". After a long pause, they decide to go clean the school. Together, they make a good team. Jeb sweeps the floors, then Stephanie mops, then Jeb washed the chalk boards while Stephanie shakes out the erasers. After a long, hard day at work, Jeb and Stephanie go back to the basement to sleep. As Jeb was shutting out the lights, he saw Stephanie looking out to the north star.
" What's so important about that there star?" he asks, and then sees the hurt look on Stephanie's face.
" there's a story that goes with it. Once upon a time there was a slave boy. He was the strongest, bravest slave in the world. He could get whipped until his master got tired and not shed a tear. he could harvest two cotton fields by himself, and not break a sweat. his goal in life was to protect his little sister, so one day, they decided to run away. When they ran away, the master sent the guards after them. They ran for many miles with the bounty hunters on their tails for many miles, and when they felt they couldn't run anymore, they waded into a river. When the guards caught up to them, and when they were going to shoot, the boy and girl turned into golden water pans and flew into the sky. Where their hands touch is where the north star is found. they say it was a miracle granted for their hardship."
"wow" is all Jeb could say. As the night drifted on, all jeb could think about is the star.
In the morning, Jeb woke up to the smell of bacon. As a man he loved bacon, especially if someone else is cooking for him. he hungrily opened his eyes and sat down at the table. After a well cooked breakfast, Stephanie said jokingly
"this is how breakfast is supposed to be."
That night, Jeb was washing the dishes from dinner, and Stephanie came running in.
"they've found me!" she cried, as she stuffed some things into her bag.
" what? how?" said Jeb, following her.
They quickly packed up their bags and ran to Jeb's good friend Bill's house. Bill works on the underground railroad, he harbors slaves and brings them to freedom.
"Ain't nothin' bettah than seein' those slaves faces when they get to freedom" he would always say.
when they got there, Stephanie briefly retold the story of what happened. Stephanie was washing the window of the school when the bounty hunters walked by and saw her, and recognized her from the wanted posters.
" I thought I was safe. The bounty hunter never come out in the daytime." she sobbed, as Jeb gave her a comforting hug.
" I gots to get you two outta here. There's gunna be another group comin' in tonight. I'll put you two in a carriage, ready for the group to come and leave with y'all." said Bill.
"Thanks Bill," said Jeb.
Sure enough, when nightfall came, the group arrived and the carriage took off. There was about 18 people on the carriage, including Jeb and Stephanie. Jeb was in charge to lead the carriage, because he was the only non-slave there. He lead them through 3 states sucessfully, but they were stopped at the border to the north, by some guards.
"Do you have any slaves in that there carriage do ya Mista?" asked one of the guards, as the other two checked. Luckily, the slaves had hidden themselves in hay sacks, and the guards didn't think to look there. after about fifteen minutes, the guards gave up and left.
Later that night, the slaves surprised Stephanie with a little information.
"Jeb, the slaves know where Tom is!". She sounded as giddy as a kid in a candy store. Turns out, the people who bought Tom were actually people who bought and freed slaves. When Tom told them he had a little sister, they went back to the plantation, to free her, but she had escaped.
" They told these slaves if they see me, to get me to them immediately!"
At sunrise the next morning, the slaves had all thanked him, and all hugged goodbye to Stephanie.
" Bill's right." mumbled jeb. And they set out to search for Tom.
A few months later, Jeb woke up to the smell of bacon. He got up, went down the stairs, and greeted his wonderful daugter, and his courageous son, in their kitchen, to enjoy some well cooked bacon.
" Now that's one fine lookin' floor, yessiree." he would whistle after a job well done.
On this particular day, Jeb was not mopping the floors, or dusting windows, or even mopping the throw up that happened earlier this day in Mrs. Timnever's class. instead, Jeb, the lowest person on the food chain that is the faculty, was dealing with the hardest problem any of the faculty would ever have. It's not an earthquake or a broken desk. In fact, it's a girl.
"not just any girl, i got myself a slave girl!" he says to himself.
Not only is it a slave girl, but a runaway. And she was crying.
".......and then they....." and that was all he could get from the girl before she passed out.
"great" he mumbled.
" Ah got a dang slave girl in ma school". The town Jeb lived, a little town called Littleroot county, was found in the center of the country's highest slave state, Alabama.
" biggest dang slave state the in US of A and have to find myself with a slave! how am ah supposed to keep ma job if ah got a dang slave girl livin' with me! shit!" he said. He could always give the girl to the bounty hunter for a fair price. Then again, he remembered what he saw when he was 8 and snuck into the old barn. the bounty hunter had found a young boy, probably younger than him, and they shot him right there on the spot.
He shook his head. He had never been a devout christian, but he could never live with himself if he gave up that girl. He picked up the girl, and brought her to the basement where he lived. The only regret he had was not cleaning up the throw up in Mrs. Timnever's class.
He watched her stir as she cradled back and for on his cot. shivering. Because he is the janitor, Jeb gets to live in the basement of the school.
"how could someone do that to a child?" he said to himself. He looked at the sleeping child in the torn up rags, red marks all over their arms, and mud and blood crusted onto her skin. He walked over to the window and looked at the kids playing outside.
" Already, these kids here are bettah off than I'll eva be, they learnin' how to read, write, and they'll grow up to be smart. they'll get a good payin' job up north, and they won't have to worry about runaway slaves, or maybe they'll work at their daddy's plantation, where the slaves work. They ain't nevah gonna now what freedom is, those slaves. A true shame".
When the kid were dismissed, the teachers had left, Jeb comes out.
" A night owl, that what ah am." he grumbles, as he picked up a piece of paper and threw it in the garbage. When he finished cleaning, he went back downstairs to check on the girl, and to cook some dinner.
As he walked downstairs, he saw the girl, still resting on the cot. He went over to the stove. In his opinion, he was a good cook, and now he had someone to test on. He grabbed some bacon from the fridge, threw it on the stove, and almost immediately the smell fills the air.
"What's that burning smell?" asks the girl rubbing the sleepies out of her eyes.
" that's the smell of our dinnah, so get used to it." he said.
After they ate, Jeb asked how she thought dinner was.
"do you want my honest opinion?," she said," I've tasted better dirt then your food." she said, affirmatively.
" well you should cook next time." says Jeb, defensively.
" as long as you do the dishes." she said.
" I've nevah had anyone else to cook for me befor', so this'll be interestin'", he said.
" don't you have any family, Jeb?" asked the girl.
" I don't really want to talk about ma family," said Jeb, sharply, "tell me about yours."
" there's not much to tell.' she said with a sigh." All that was left was me and my brother, and the day he was sold to other slave keepers, I ran away so there's no chance of finding him now". After a long pause, they decide to go clean the school. Together, they make a good team. Jeb sweeps the floors, then Stephanie mops, then Jeb washed the chalk boards while Stephanie shakes out the erasers. After a long, hard day at work, Jeb and Stephanie go back to the basement to sleep. As Jeb was shutting out the lights, he saw Stephanie looking out to the north star.
" What's so important about that there star?" he asks, and then sees the hurt look on Stephanie's face.
" there's a story that goes with it. Once upon a time there was a slave boy. He was the strongest, bravest slave in the world. He could get whipped until his master got tired and not shed a tear. he could harvest two cotton fields by himself, and not break a sweat. his goal in life was to protect his little sister, so one day, they decided to run away. When they ran away, the master sent the guards after them. They ran for many miles with the bounty hunters on their tails for many miles, and when they felt they couldn't run anymore, they waded into a river. When the guards caught up to them, and when they were going to shoot, the boy and girl turned into golden water pans and flew into the sky. Where their hands touch is where the north star is found. they say it was a miracle granted for their hardship."
"wow" is all Jeb could say. As the night drifted on, all jeb could think about is the star.
In the morning, Jeb woke up to the smell of bacon. As a man he loved bacon, especially if someone else is cooking for him. he hungrily opened his eyes and sat down at the table. After a well cooked breakfast, Stephanie said jokingly
"this is how breakfast is supposed to be."
That night, Jeb was washing the dishes from dinner, and Stephanie came running in.
"they've found me!" she cried, as she stuffed some things into her bag.
" what? how?" said Jeb, following her.
They quickly packed up their bags and ran to Jeb's good friend Bill's house. Bill works on the underground railroad, he harbors slaves and brings them to freedom.
"Ain't nothin' bettah than seein' those slaves faces when they get to freedom" he would always say.
when they got there, Stephanie briefly retold the story of what happened. Stephanie was washing the window of the school when the bounty hunters walked by and saw her, and recognized her from the wanted posters.
" I thought I was safe. The bounty hunter never come out in the daytime." she sobbed, as Jeb gave her a comforting hug.
" I gots to get you two outta here. There's gunna be another group comin' in tonight. I'll put you two in a carriage, ready for the group to come and leave with y'all." said Bill.
"Thanks Bill," said Jeb.
Sure enough, when nightfall came, the group arrived and the carriage took off. There was about 18 people on the carriage, including Jeb and Stephanie. Jeb was in charge to lead the carriage, because he was the only non-slave there. He lead them through 3 states sucessfully, but they were stopped at the border to the north, by some guards.
"Do you have any slaves in that there carriage do ya Mista?" asked one of the guards, as the other two checked. Luckily, the slaves had hidden themselves in hay sacks, and the guards didn't think to look there. after about fifteen minutes, the guards gave up and left.
Later that night, the slaves surprised Stephanie with a little information.
"Jeb, the slaves know where Tom is!". She sounded as giddy as a kid in a candy store. Turns out, the people who bought Tom were actually people who bought and freed slaves. When Tom told them he had a little sister, they went back to the plantation, to free her, but she had escaped.
" They told these slaves if they see me, to get me to them immediately!"
At sunrise the next morning, the slaves had all thanked him, and all hugged goodbye to Stephanie.
" Bill's right." mumbled jeb. And they set out to search for Tom.
A few months later, Jeb woke up to the smell of bacon. He got up, went down the stairs, and greeted his wonderful daugter, and his courageous son, in their kitchen, to enjoy some well cooked bacon.
