Chapter

Glimmer on a Dark Road

When he awoke the next morning, the room had a different light and the music was gone. His case and shoes were where they had been left. The man who had laid him down the night before was there in a rocking chair. He was sewing up a patch on a sleeve to a brown woolen jacket.

"You're awake." He said it as a remark on the time which made the boy wonder.

"What time is it?" To this the man looked to the ceiling.

"Oh, I'm guessing about noon."

"Is Miss Delphe back yet?"

"The uh, lady you came with?" The boy nodded. "No, not to my knowledge."

"May I go out and see?"

"You ain't no prisoner here, but" He said at Prince's zealous. "You don't travel too far now, you hear. For your own good, it's best you stay close.

He stepped out into the main hall. The other two men were still there, but they were the only ones. Everybody else who occupied the hall the night before were all gone. They actually stood upon seeing him as if he was a nobleman. They didn't say much. They articulated their offering of food and sat the boy down at a center table. Buttered grits and toast and bacon that darn near materialized before him. It was all served cold which made their offerings not very appealing but at their disappointment he thought he ought to put a little more effort into it and ate near everything.

After he ate, the two men took the plates off to a back room at another part of the shack. They didn't return. Prince, left alone, eyed the doorway which made no effort to be closed. He couldn't see the river from where he sat. Only a few drooping trees shaded the road. He bet he could see better if he got up to look. Even greater would be if he saw Delphe coming down the way to meet him. He got up and went to the door. Sure enough the still dark river was there. Delphe however was not. Looking up the street he found it to be empty. The trees were tall ones with long pendulous vines that swayed to a mournful dirge in the slight breeze. He looked back into the hall. The man who'd been sitting in the rocking chair in the back room with him was at the wall to his room now leaning against it. He came over, opening an arm to Prince. Prince hardly knowing this man was hesitant to be drawn in by him. He allowed the man however to guide him across the empty dirt road until they made it to the thick of the trees and the edge of the still black waters that lay feet beneath them.

Prince couldn't help but be fascinated at the site.

"This is the first time seeing this?"

"In the daylight." Prince answered, but the man seemed to know already the truth in the matter because he said this.

"You've been away for a long time?" Prince stole a glance at the man but quickly drooped his eyes. The man took a breath and looked out at the still waters. "Listen, it wasn't right keeping you up like that. Nothing I say can change your past. All I can say now is, it's going to be a whole new world out there for you kid. There's gonna be a lot of firsts from here on out." Of course all Prince could think of was Delphe. If there were going to be a lot of 'first's' as this man claims, then he would rather experience them with her.

"Delphe is coming back, isn't she?"

"She said she was." He sighed at the boy's reflection. "Come on. Let's get back inside." Prince followed the man in and sat back at the table. "You ever see a deck of cards before?"

"Sure I have."

It was just the two of them at the table. They played for hours. This man's rules were a little bit different than what Delphe had taught him but Prince did his best to try to learn. The man made an effort to learn Prince's practices too.

Mid-afternoon he was ushered back into the room and asked to stay. About that time he heard the first guest arrive. People continued to trickle in as the sun began to settle down. The man who had been his company for most of the morning went in and out of the room while the night was still young. There was a moment when he popped his head in to see how Prince was holding up that he decided to stay. It was because the boy had tears in his eyes. This had just happened. When he checked on him twenty minutes prior he had been in good spirits. Perhaps now that the sun was down that feeling of abandonment had hit him. The man decided not to leave. He took the rocking chair. Picking up one of the tattered blankets he began to rock as he poked the needle in and out of it. He reminded him of Delphe in this way which made Prince miss her all the more.

This one seemed different than the other two. They were all gentle to him. Eager to please, but there was something more with this one. A natural way about him as if he knew his way around sad little boys. Prince would never know about his life but if he had to venture a guess he would say that this man was a father himself. He could bet he was a good one. There was a moment there when he wished he had been his father.

The other two came in with supper about an hour later.

"You could grab some sleep. We can take it from here." The skinny one with the deep voice and straw hat offered. The boy knew they were not speaking to him. Seeing the boy had stopped crying, the father type took them up on this and left him.

Supper was so much better than lunch. He was given crab legs and asparagus with some type of soup he had never eaten before. It was very spicy which he wasn't used to but there was a sweet flavor to it that made him continue to return to it and bread to dip in it. They gave him red wine too which he was excited to try but hated the taste. They laughed at his reaction. He was good with sticking with water and was willing to look past the fact that it was a little foggy in his glass.

It was a bit more difficult to fall asleep that night. He was more rested and now delved full-fledged into his grief.

The next day she had still not returned. He was beginning to worry that she had forgotten her promise. Forgotten him. He was feeling very lonely without her. She had been there every day of his life and now she was gone. He laid on that wooden bed and let the tears flow for her again. Silently because he was still trying to be good like she told him to be and didn't want to cause no trouble with these men. He stopped when he heard the men talking to someone. It was still too early for the guest to arrive.

"You know I can't understand this. You take it."

Prince peeked out as the older of the three was handing something for the fatherly type to read. There was a new man there that stood before the other three. He was the first pale face he's seen since his arrival. His face had a soft and roundish appearance to it. He was young. He wore a black cape over a white ruffled shirt. A tall black hat covered clean black hair and pushed out his ears.

"Where did you get this?"

"Just where it says."

"What do we do?" Deep voice asked.

"She didn't write this." The fatherly one challenged.

"She didn't have to. I did; but she signed it. It's all legit. This is what she wanted."

The father type looked behind him at the boy protectively.

"This is a nice place you've got here." The pale face redrew his attention as he scanned the room. "I have a friend, he's a police man, I might like to bring him here sometime."

"Let him go." The elder of the three directed.

"We can't give in to this." The fatherly type muttered. "We've got no proof she wrote this."

"That doesn't matter now. We've done all we could for him. So has she. It's out of our hands now."

"If we can't protect those that come to us…"

"This is the only way we can protect them." The older man looked at his younger companion who was stumped for words. "Let him go." Pale face grinned in satisfaction.

"Is this him?" He asked passed the men. "You are the boy she calls Prince." At the boys dreadful stare he told him. "Delphe is not coming. You are to come with me."

~.~

The boy's things had been gathered. Suitcase in hand he came back into the main hall. As he made his way towards the door he heard behind him.

"It ain't right." The fatherly one had muttered to his companions whom did nothing to debate. Their turmoil did nothing to squash his own fears. He wondered if following this man was really the right thing to do. Knowing nothing else he did as was expected of him. Be good. That's what he was told to be and that's what he would do until he made his way back to Delphe.

He left the shack that day looking back at the men who had cared for him in Delphe's absence. They had been so kind to him. He thought it foolish now, but the entire time he had been there he had not asked once their names. Not even the fatherly one. He walked away thinking what a shame that was. An opportunity lost. Till this day he would not know who those three men were that sheltered him.

Historical Trivia:

Deeply rooted in the south, New Orleans due to its port access was at one time the largest importer of slaves. Due to southern law, those whom escaped slavery could be tracked down and killed. Efforts were taken in these parts to protect slaves evading recapture. This was one branch in a large network of what was to be known as the Underground Railroad.

A word from the author: I'd like to hear from more readers. Let me know what you think of the story so far.