It was as if the world stopped but I kept on going. I rose up out of my body and looked at the plate held by my body's hands. The blue and red threads wound together and waved toward one side of the rim. When I looked toward that rim I saw mountains and deep forests with trees older than countries and bears that stood twice as tall as tall men stand.
Canada. The word sounded in my mind. Freedom. This word rung true.
I snapped out of the trance and said out loud, "Follow the blue and red threads and they will lead us to freedom in Canada."
When the morning broke I told my friends that we were going to take a journey through the wild woods of America and go all the way to Canada, where they might let a colored man or woman be free.
"How do you know what way's the right way?" Champ Noland asked.
"Because," Tweenie said, "he an' John shared the light and now Forty-seven is the one to lead us."
There were tears in her eyes and a deep sadness in her voice. Everyone listening believed her, even me. And so that night we set out through the woods. We had over fifteen hundred miles to travel on bare feet. There were wild animals and evil white men we passed along the way. We had many adventures and each of us nearly died more than once. But we made it to Canada and freedom. Mama Flore was able to settle down on a farm that Champ started. He married Tweenie and they adopted Nola and me. And for some time we all lived together safe from chains and whips.
Maybe some other time I will tell the story of our escape or of the times years later when I came up against Mr. Stewart and other ghouls of the evil Calash Wall.
But for the time being this story is over. Some of us lived, others did not. But at least for some of us there was happiness and freedom at the end of the trail.
Walter Mosley
