When Tall John from beyond Africa spoke I almost believed what he said. There was so much confidence in his tone that you were compelled to believe him.
I took a deep breath and felt the weight of his words on my shoulders. I didn't even know where Universe was, or how big it was. I figured that it must have been at least as big as Georgia, and Georgia, I knew, was so big that it would take a strong man three weeks to walk from one end to the other.
"Boy, what you yammerin' about?" I asked. "I'm just a nigger, born a slave."
"No," John said. "You are Forty-seven. You are the hope of your world and mine and all that lies between."
"You is crazy, boy."
Instead of answering John laughed and pushed me into the pond. The shock of the cold water and of peaceful John pushing me made me laugh so hard that I couldn't climb out again. But then John held out his hand and made like he was going to help me. But the minute I pulled against him he pushed me in again. He stood there at the water line laughing at me.
"Help me out, fool," I said.
And when he stuck out his hand I grabbed on and let my weight go, pulling him in with me. He started sputtering and trying to jump out of the pond. But every time he got his footing I pushed him back again. We were laughing so hard that finally we climbed up to the shore and fell down in the mud.
That was one of the happiest moments I've had in the nearly two hundred years of my long life here on Earth. Before that day I never knew what it was to laugh without worrying that somebody might hear and come and thump
my head. I never knew what it was like to lie there next to your best friend in the whole world and not have a care.
I had eaten strawberries and cookies and went splashing in a forbidden pond.
It was forbidden because all things that were fun or free were forbidden to slaves. I didn't know exactly who owned those strawberries but one thing for sure it was a white man.
But none of that mattered because there I was, alone in the woods with the most wonderful person I had ever known. When he looked at me he liked my black skin and dusty hair, he thought that I was a hero and who was I to say no?
After a long while lying in the mud I waded out into the water to wash my skin and rough blouse. When we were ready to go John looked up at the sky and scowled.
"Clouds," he said. "We may have to find shelter."
Him saying the word shelter reminded me of something.
"How did you know where that tree trunk where we sat down on was?" I asked. "I mean you walked right to it just like you knew it was there."
"You see, Forty-seven?" he said as if I had just proven a point. "You notice things and you don't only notice but you ask why. Those are only two of the reasons why you are destined to become a great hero."
"You ain't answered my question, John."
"I've been hanging around the plantation for almost a week," he said. "Looking for you."
"Me?"
"I could sense you, hear your music among all of the music that men make with their blood."
"Music in they blood?" I said, suddenly afraid that John might be some kind of devil that drinks men's blood.
"Yes," he said with a smile. "Every living being has their own song thrilling through the strings that hold them together. I knew your song. I just had to make sure I really heard it playing in amongst the others. And once I knew you were here I had to meet you to make sure that you were up to the task."
"What task?"
"Saving the universe."
"Where's that?"
"Everywhere," he said, "all over the world and up to the stars."
"Like a ocean?"
"Something like that," John said.
"If you was free an' lookin' fo' me den why'd you let 'em make you into a slave?" I asked.
"Because of a creature named Wall," John said seriously.
"Who's that?"
"He's the one who might destroy everything unless we stop him. He found out that I had been on the Red Clay Plantation "
"What was you doin' there?"
"Looking for you. All I have done for the past three thousand years is look for you. That's because I knew that you would be but I didn't exactly know where and when. That's why I was on the Red Clay Plantation, because someone with a song almost like yours was there. But when I realized that it wasn't you I ran away. After I left Wall caught my scent and he took over Andrew Pike's body and came looking for me."
"And so Andrew Pike is under a spell?"
"Pike is dead and Wall walks the earth in his flesh."
"And who is this Wall?"
"He is, as far as you are concerned, the devil."
These words shook me to my soul. I didn't want to ask any more questions. I didn't want John to tell me any more.
Again he looked at the sky.
Again he said, "Clouds."
"Maybe it'll rain," I said, grateful for mundane conversation. "That'll be good for the gardens."
"But I can't carry you if the sun isn't out."
"Why not?"
"Because my powers, such as they are, are derived from solar energy. My body is like a battery that converts power of the sun into action. If I were to attempt to carry us home without the sun shining my energy would run out and I might even die."
"How far is we from Corinthian?" I asked.
"Sixty miles at least."
Before I could voice my dismay John grabbed me by the wrist and we took off. We ran for a short time and finally came to one of the big trees we'd passed earlier. Fat raindrops had started to fall and the sky was dark with rain clouds.
"We'll have to stay here until the sun comes out again," John said.
"What if it don't come out?" I asked.
"Then we will have to wait until morning."
"Mastuh'll kill us we do that," I wailed.
"As long as you see him as master he may very well," John said. "But if you see that you and he are equals and you realize that he needs you more than you need him then, just maybe, you will be reprieved."
My heart was beating fast and my guts were churning.
"Let's try to run back," I cried.
"It's at least thirty miles away, Forty-seven, maybe forty. We would never make it in time."
"But he'll kill us."
"Kill us and he kills his precious Eloise."
I wanted to beat the smug slave's face in. Here he had shown me the best time of my whole life and now he was going to get me killed. Why did I ever go with him?
The rains came down hard but the thick foliage of the ancient tree kept us mostly dry. The ground was mulched pretty well by dead leaves and so the space was like a big, carpeted room. When the night came on it became very
dark. John and I leaned against the bark, shoulder to shoulder. The dark and the sound of the rain, and maybe the fear of Tobias, made me very tired. I nodded and almost fell asleep.
"Do you want to see where I'm from?" I thought I heard him say.
"Might as well," I said, "seein' as it'll prob'ly be the last story I hear 'fore Mastuh tie me to that wagon wheel an' have 'em whip me till I'm dead."
I turned on my side and I'm pretty sure that I fell asleep.
I opened my eyes on a beautiful day in some far-off and wonderful place. Not only was I awake but I was running down an open road.
Somewhere in my mind I worried that I might be seen by some white man who would beat me like the slave laws demanded. I worried, but the road was broad and straight so I figured that if I saw somebody coming that I could run away before they could catch me and bring me back to the plantation.
But when I looked around I realized that I didn't need to worry. The plants on the side of the road were red and purple, without leaves, not at all like proper trees. And the sky was pink and red and the road was paved with something like glass, and there was no sun in the sky but it was still bright and clear.
"This is where I am from," a voice said.
I stopped running and turned to see my friend was standing there next to me.