“Saul, it is impossible to forget about your family, but it is better not to think about it. You are a slave, and your life’s worth depends upon the service you deliver to your Master.”
Saul looked down as tears filled his eyes.
“Anyway, son, this is where you are going to sleep. Maybe you had better accommodations in your own home, but this is comfortable enough.” Caleb pointed him to a bed at the end of the room.
It looked small and poorer in comparison to the one he had at home. There he had a room all for himself; the sheets and blanket were confectioned by his mother using the finest textiles his father was trading. From a larger window, he could see the neighbor’s fields. The floor was covered by a colorful carpet on the tones of red and white.
However, as Caleb suggested, Saul shook his head to cast away that thought.
On a bench beside the bed, Saul saw new clothing, neatly folded.
“That is your new wardrobe. Since you will go to school, it is essential that you always have clean clothes to show your Master’s wealth and to show that he takes care of his slaves. Rufus will walk with you and Master Flavius. Whenever you need to know how you should behave, or you have any questions, you can ask me. In this way, you will avoid putting yourself in a situation which might lead to punishment,” Caleb warned in a stern tone frowning and crossing his arms on his chest.
Saul looked at him and felt like his mind was blank. He was nothing but a tool to serve his Masters, and he remembered well what his teacher had told him about slavery in the Empire. He remembered many stories about cruelty, which he hadn’t seen so far in this house, and prayed that he would not.
“Master Marcus Tiberius behaves justly toward us, but you shall never disobey or disappoint him, or you will face punishment. Even if I can't recall the last time, he did it, it is advisable not to dare your luck or his patience. When he has guests, he will show his best slaves to them, and I guess he will include you in this group. Give them all due respect as if they were your Master. Don't speak unless asked to do so, and don't attract too much attention; this might put your Master in a shady position and lead you to face his anger.” Caleb explained.
Saul listened carefully; he knew the Romans were capable of extreme cruelty, and all that he wanted was to live in safety.
“Thank you, Caleb, but concerning tomorrow, I think we can manage on our own to carry the tablets—I can manage.”
“It will be heavy; you are so small…”
“Let’s do it this way,” Saul interrupted. “If I find them heavy, then the following day, Rufus will help me. Otherwise, he can concentrate on other duties,”
“You should discuss this with Rufus or Nana, who is the slave managing the house duties. Let’s eat before going to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, and you need your rest.” He guided Saul to the kitchen.
Chapter 3.
They reached the kitchen where other slaves were already gathered for their meal.
Saul recognized Cassandra and Nana and greeted them with a casual nod. Nana spoke first, “Look who’s here. Hello, Saul, how was your day? Have you met all of our Masters?” Nana asked.
“Yes. I like Master Flavius. He has been very friendly to me; he treats me more like a friend than a slave. I am afraid that I might forget my position when I am with him.”
Her spoon halfway to her mouth, Cassandra said, “You can’t imagine how much he missed having a companion his own age in the house. He is kind like his mother; we all love Mistress Flaminia. Master Marcus Tiberius scares me a bit, but he is fair with us.” Bitterness entered her voice. “He is a severe person, and he makes it clear we are nothing more than his belongings.”
“Cassandra, don’t scare the boy; he is new. Saul, I am Tessa. Come eat something. Please sit down,” she said as she went to get food for him. Tessa worked as the main cook for the family and, together with Nana, she was one of the oldest slaves in the house. Everybody respected them for their experience in life’s matters. She was brought from the Celtic territories and sold as slave when she was just a child. Her memories of her free life faded away like shades in the mist.
Saul scarfed down his meal eagerly. Despite his previous meal, he felt hungrier than he thought, and his stomach didn’t seem to be satisfied yet. As he reached the kitchen, his stomach started to rumble again.
“That is what I call a healthy appetite, son. Don’t you worry, I’ll get you more,” Tessa said, noticing the empty plate.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know why. Generally, a light dinner is sufficient, but now I feel so hungry.” Saul stuttered, slightly shrugging his shoulders.
“Well, there is enough food in this house to calm your appetite,” Caleb laughed.
“Thank you, but I think I am going to sleep. See you tomorrow?” Saul stood up from the chair.
“Sure, Saul. I'll come to wake you up. You just try to sleep well tonight, by the way, my name is Rufus. I will walk with you and Master Flavius to school.”
Rufus was a man on his thirties and was acquired by the family ten years before. He worked for Marcus Tiberius as a physician and had an ambulatory in the city, quite close to the house of Flavius’ teacher. His profession brought him to lose some of the empathy he had by nature. He knew that to be a good physician, one needs to be as distant as possible from the patient.
“Isn’t he adorable? So young and sweet,” Nana said as she started to clean up before the arrival of the next group of slaves.
“I am still a bit perplexed,” said Caleb, with a thoughtful expression on his face.
“Why?” Nana asked.
“Usually, for new ones like Saul, who have never been a slave, Master Marcus Tiberius puts me in command of their training. This time, I didn’t have any order from him. I'm wondering what he has in mind.”
“Caleb, the boy has such a mild nature, it won’t be any problem for him to adapt to his position as a slave here. He realizes his status perfectly, and from my point of view, he doesn’t need any further training, as you call it.”
“Hmm,” Caleb mumbled.
Saul slowly undressed and went to bed. Yet the dormitory was empty as the other slaves, generally either helped with the final chores or entertained with each other in the kitchen. He felt tired, but sleep did not come to wipe away the sadness and loneliness inside his heart. In the silent darkness, his mind went unavoidably to his family. His father, his mother, his sister and, from there, to all the things that made up his life as he had known it.
When he found it difficult to fall asleep, his mother used to sing him a lullaby. She would sit down beside him, caressing his forehead, and sing in her sweet, gentle voice. He could almost hear her.
He closed his eyes and the same lilting danced in his ears.
When he opened them, although the melody played in his heart, his mother and his family and his home were far away. He rose from his bed and looked up at the sky. Before he realized it, he was singing the same lullaby.
His harmonious voice filled the quiet night air, carrying the melody through the halls, rooms, and corridors of the house, soothing, caressing the air and the sleep of the people living in that house.
The clear notes drifted to the slaves still gathered in the kitchen, having a last chat of the evening, and planning their duties for the next day. As if mesmerized, Nana and the others stood and followed the song until they arrived at Saul’s bed where he sat, looking at the sky through the small window and singing, sadly, his lullaby.
Nana knew that no noise was allowed after dark, especially from the slaves’ rooms, and she knew she should stop Saul before their Masters heard him. However, his voice was so mellow and pure that she thought it was coming directly from the gods rather than from a little boy. She found herself unable to stop it.