It was the Tennessee State Fair and the girl stood in a one piece brown pull over dress with her head deeply bowed. No other slaves stood around her on the big table. It was a place large enough for 20 or more to be stood. Maybe because it was late in the sales day and most of the tables were empty of younger slaves. Other tables had old people with special skills or high prices. The price or the skill was written on a card hung around the slave's neck.
This girl was young, with her hair sort of messed, a guess would put her age at eighteen or twenty. I was at the fair looking for aviation collectables and had a sack of metal emblems, rather heavy name plates of Memphis launched rockets. I got a Faris and Rhan that day. I would have liked to have a slave to carry my items.
The girls price was 250 credits and that was cheap for a pretty girl of that age range. Dirty hair and a soiled dress do not make the girl. The girl was very pretty with nice brownish hair, and a good long nose. Her nose was a good deal better than mine.
I probably stood looking at her too long for good bargaining power with her owner. The girl got more and more nervous as I looked. I was the only looker at that table. There were few customers in the market at that time of day --some were packing their trucks.
I had slave girls at home already aplenty but I said to a man in a red hat who sat behind the girl's table, "What's wrong with her that she didn't sell?"
"Well I've warned customers she's difficult."
"Dangerous?"
"She fought me."
"Is she new to slavery?"
"I'm not very sure with her I just struggled to get what I wanted and we didn't talk."
"What did you want?"
"The obvious thing."
"Sex?"
"Well I can tell you straight off that she's no longer a pure girl, that's for sure."
"Well you succeeded in calming her she's fearful and shaking --- seems tame now."
"She's not, and I tied and whipped her."
"How many licks?"
"About forty, she pinched me and left vicious welts during sex. Tried ot kick out my testicles."
"Sometimes its the approach -- maybe she knew you were a slave dealer?"
"I owned her whole family bought them all from a scum dog that didn't bathe once a month."
"How long did he own them?"
"He was not the kind of varmint you questioned. Probably he pointed a gun at them and killed those who didn't get on their knees."
"Oh, so will you take less than 250 since she has that flaw?"
"No I won't take less, but her flaw is she won't quit fighting."
"She seems ot have quit now, she is standing here waiting to be sold."
"She knows if she hits me in the presence of others I will be forced to kill her -- so she's waiting. Really, I'll have her hands secured tonight when I go after her. Let her fight and kick every night. You don't want this wildcat."
"Maybe she likes my looks better than yours? I'm nearer her age." I looked closely at her and her eyes looked up briefly, then back down. She could play poker and win.
"So do you buy her or not, but I had to kill her little sister to get her to behave today."
"That seems wasteful."
"She was a ugly mouth cripple, and maybe 50 credit value. She was a fat little pig child and is already in my freezer locker as meat.
That scared her enough for today, but tomorrow her new owner wouldn't have anyone else to kill to scare her."
"How did you kill the sister?"
"Oh slow with a knife, you have to drain the blood anyway if the meat is going to stay good."
"I'm going to buy her and take my chances. What's your name slave girl?" The girl didn't look up or answer me.
"She won't answer because she denies being a slave. Forty whacks acrosss her hind end didn't make her believe that she is owned."
I counted out the credit bills, put them on the table at the girls feet. She had no shoes.
I think Darlene was my challange, although I didn't know her name until later. It was her decision to go freely with me in chains or to rebel. Freedom or slavery or death is really what we all decide in life. Will we submit or will we fight for our freedom?
