Title: Yes, Miss Caroline
Chapter: Prologue
Author: Öshi
Chapter Rating: PG-13 for slight violence and attempted corruption of a child's mind.
Caroline gripped her father's hand tightly as they walked through the sticky atmosphere of the crowded marketplace. She had wanted to go with him, not knowing how badly the weather and people would affect her.
"Papa, can we go back to the ship now?" She wasn't fond of the large boats, even at such a young age, but it was a whole lot better than being in this place. Hell, even working on her father's plantation with her brothers would be better than this.
The burly man glanced down at his youngest and only daughter. "Not yet. You know we still have work to do."
She smiled. "Oh yes! I get to get one of my very own, don't I? I bet we'll have lots of fun together! I can teach it how to play marbles, hide-and-seek, and maybe even tea party!"
A frown crossed the man's features. "You don't play with them Caroline. You make them work."
"Oh Papa, you're so silly! You know I don't have anything hard to do!"
He sighed. As soon as she turned six, he had decided it was high time she took responsibility for her own slave. All the ones around the house and plantation were already broken in and none were truly 'hers'. She always said how she wanted one, but he couldn't help but think she just wanted a friend. No matter how many times he told her, she still didn't understand that they were different. Sometimes it even disgusted him how polite she was to them. Sure, she made them do stuff, but she was always so damned polite about it.
As they turned a corner, he couldn't help but rethink. Caroline was his only daughter. He had seven sons to carry out the duties of a plantation owner so he always managed to give her some leeway.
Her long brunette curls bounced behind her as she skipped ahead to the center of the attention. "Caroline!" he called to her, "Stay close, it's dangerous here!"
She turned around and tripped over her own tiny feet. A line of Africans were being led up to a large stage where they were about to be auctioned and one noticed her fall. He was a small boy, not but two years older than her and he reached out and broke her fall with his lower arms. He quickly pushed her back upright as to avoid a beating but he had been seen.
The man in charge of this line cracked a whip over the boy's back. "I told you to keep your hands off them people!"
Caroline's eyes widened as her helper was beaten. "Stop it!" she yelled as loud as she could. The man stopped to look at her curiously. She shook her head. "Ma told me it was wrong to hit people."
He let out a small laugh. "What a cute little girl! Who does she belong to?"
Caroline's father came up and picked her up, putting her on his back. "She's mine."
The slave owner smiled, showing a variety of missing teeth. Caroline hid being her dad's back. "Eeeww…" she whispered.
"She's adorable! But sir, you must tell her that these aren't people! They're beasts!"
"Indeed," he agreed.
The line was ushered forward and the boy looked back at her with a look of longing in his eyes. She was carried to the front of the stage where each were presented and auctioned off. She scanned the line for that boy and when she found him, she shouted. "I want that one!"
Several people gave her strange looks, but her father was calm. "Which one, sweetie?"
She scrambled off his back and onto the stage. There were a few gasps but she continued to move forward. As she approached the boy, he shrunk back, obviously afraid of her. The owner watched her every move. The tiny boy was no longer chained to his fellow captives so she took his wrist and dragged him forward.
"This one!" she exclaimed proudly as she presented him to the crowd.
His eyes darted around the place in fear, not knowing what was going on. His frail, almost naked body was shaking, bleeding and he just knew he was going to get abused even more if she was going to buy him. He had heard stories and none had a happy ending.
"Can I get him daddy? Please?"
He looked skeptical. "Don't you want a girl?"
She shook her head. "Nope! Boys are much more fun!"
Immediately, her male parent began to worry. "W-what do you mean by that?"
She stuck out her bottom lip in a form of a pout. "When Mrs. Jackson comes over with her daughter…all she wants to do is play dress up. Boys are more fun! Joseph taught me how to climb trees! He helped me catch frogs too!"
He shook his head. Indeed, his middle son was quite the adventurer and often had a bad influence on Caroline. "Are you sure you don't want a girl Caroline?" In all reality, he wanted her to chose a girl so he could take the boy for the fields.
Stubbornly she shook her head again. "No."
She sighed in defeat. Why did he always give into her? Luckily for him and Caroline, no one else wanted this small being so when they boarded the ship, the little girl was pleased. Her father was pleased as well. It had been a good day for buying.
As she leaned over the edge of the boat, allowing the mist to hit her face, she thought of the boy, whose name was John, his English name anyway. She was getting bored and wanted someone to play with. Her father was busy recording his gains and the crew members didn't like her much, seeing as they thought of her as a burden. She thought that maybe, just maybe, she would be allowed to bring him up on deck.
Creeping into her father's office, she closed the door behind her as quietly as possible. "Papa?"
"Mm?"
"Can I…can I play with John?"
He flipped through some papers and refilled his pen with ink. "No."
"But why not? Isn't he bored?"
"It doesn't matter whether he is bored or not. His duty in life is to serve you now. Don't think for a moment about his needs."
She tried her best pout, but as spoiled as she was, he didn't give in. He had a firm belief against interracial mingling.
Caroline had never been happier to be home. She ran to one of her favourite servants, Miss Betsy, as she called her and threw her arms around her middle. "Guess what!?"
"What be it Miss Caroline?" the kindly looking colored lady asked as she continued her task of hanging the laundry.
Caroline poked her head out from beneath the white sheet Miss Betsy had playfully tossed over her head. "I got a new friend!"
"Oh? Will I be meeting them soon?"
"Yes!"
Miss Betsy smiled. Caroline was always making up imaginary friends to occupy herself. Not interested in any girls to play with, she played pretend when her brothers were too busy to play with her.
"He's with Papa now."
"Ah, he's a real person?"
"Yes! Papa bought him for me!"
Miss Betsy froze. "Miss Caroline…"
Caroline obviously didn't realize the nerve she had struck. "Oh Miss Betsy, I can't wait for you to meet him! His name is John and I know we are going to be friends forever! You'll see!"
With that, the young girl took off towards the house to alert everyone else of her new friend. Miss Betsy smiled sadly. The girl meant well now, but she hoped to the dear Lord that she didn't grow up to be like the rest of the family.
To Be Continued…
Authors Notes: Well, that was not the longest chapter in the world, it could have been longer, I admit, however, I think that's a good place to stop. I'm trying to get as many facts straight as I can so this story doesn't seem completely out there. So yes, if you couldn't already guess, the couple will be John/Caroline ^.^ When they're older of course. I always wanted to read about an interracial coupling of the sort but couldn't find any interesting stories of such…I guess this is just my way of saying: ANTI-SLAVERY! GO CAROLINE! lol…I'll shut up now.
Chapter: Prologue
Author: Öshi
Chapter Rating: PG-13 for slight violence and attempted corruption of a child's mind.
Caroline gripped her father's hand tightly as they walked through the sticky atmosphere of the crowded marketplace. She had wanted to go with him, not knowing how badly the weather and people would affect her.
"Papa, can we go back to the ship now?" She wasn't fond of the large boats, even at such a young age, but it was a whole lot better than being in this place. Hell, even working on her father's plantation with her brothers would be better than this.
The burly man glanced down at his youngest and only daughter. "Not yet. You know we still have work to do."
She smiled. "Oh yes! I get to get one of my very own, don't I? I bet we'll have lots of fun together! I can teach it how to play marbles, hide-and-seek, and maybe even tea party!"
A frown crossed the man's features. "You don't play with them Caroline. You make them work."
"Oh Papa, you're so silly! You know I don't have anything hard to do!"
He sighed. As soon as she turned six, he had decided it was high time she took responsibility for her own slave. All the ones around the house and plantation were already broken in and none were truly 'hers'. She always said how she wanted one, but he couldn't help but think she just wanted a friend. No matter how many times he told her, she still didn't understand that they were different. Sometimes it even disgusted him how polite she was to them. Sure, she made them do stuff, but she was always so damned polite about it.
As they turned a corner, he couldn't help but rethink. Caroline was his only daughter. He had seven sons to carry out the duties of a plantation owner so he always managed to give her some leeway.
Her long brunette curls bounced behind her as she skipped ahead to the center of the attention. "Caroline!" he called to her, "Stay close, it's dangerous here!"
She turned around and tripped over her own tiny feet. A line of Africans were being led up to a large stage where they were about to be auctioned and one noticed her fall. He was a small boy, not but two years older than her and he reached out and broke her fall with his lower arms. He quickly pushed her back upright as to avoid a beating but he had been seen.
The man in charge of this line cracked a whip over the boy's back. "I told you to keep your hands off them people!"
Caroline's eyes widened as her helper was beaten. "Stop it!" she yelled as loud as she could. The man stopped to look at her curiously. She shook her head. "Ma told me it was wrong to hit people."
He let out a small laugh. "What a cute little girl! Who does she belong to?"
Caroline's father came up and picked her up, putting her on his back. "She's mine."
The slave owner smiled, showing a variety of missing teeth. Caroline hid being her dad's back. "Eeeww…" she whispered.
"She's adorable! But sir, you must tell her that these aren't people! They're beasts!"
"Indeed," he agreed.
The line was ushered forward and the boy looked back at her with a look of longing in his eyes. She was carried to the front of the stage where each were presented and auctioned off. She scanned the line for that boy and when she found him, she shouted. "I want that one!"
Several people gave her strange looks, but her father was calm. "Which one, sweetie?"
She scrambled off his back and onto the stage. There were a few gasps but she continued to move forward. As she approached the boy, he shrunk back, obviously afraid of her. The owner watched her every move. The tiny boy was no longer chained to his fellow captives so she took his wrist and dragged him forward.
"This one!" she exclaimed proudly as she presented him to the crowd.
His eyes darted around the place in fear, not knowing what was going on. His frail, almost naked body was shaking, bleeding and he just knew he was going to get abused even more if she was going to buy him. He had heard stories and none had a happy ending.
"Can I get him daddy? Please?"
He looked skeptical. "Don't you want a girl?"
She shook her head. "Nope! Boys are much more fun!"
Immediately, her male parent began to worry. "W-what do you mean by that?"
She stuck out her bottom lip in a form of a pout. "When Mrs. Jackson comes over with her daughter…all she wants to do is play dress up. Boys are more fun! Joseph taught me how to climb trees! He helped me catch frogs too!"
He shook his head. Indeed, his middle son was quite the adventurer and often had a bad influence on Caroline. "Are you sure you don't want a girl Caroline?" In all reality, he wanted her to chose a girl so he could take the boy for the fields.
Stubbornly she shook her head again. "No."
She sighed in defeat. Why did he always give into her? Luckily for him and Caroline, no one else wanted this small being so when they boarded the ship, the little girl was pleased. Her father was pleased as well. It had been a good day for buying.
As she leaned over the edge of the boat, allowing the mist to hit her face, she thought of the boy, whose name was John, his English name anyway. She was getting bored and wanted someone to play with. Her father was busy recording his gains and the crew members didn't like her much, seeing as they thought of her as a burden. She thought that maybe, just maybe, she would be allowed to bring him up on deck.
Creeping into her father's office, she closed the door behind her as quietly as possible. "Papa?"
"Mm?"
"Can I…can I play with John?"
He flipped through some papers and refilled his pen with ink. "No."
"But why not? Isn't he bored?"
"It doesn't matter whether he is bored or not. His duty in life is to serve you now. Don't think for a moment about his needs."
She tried her best pout, but as spoiled as she was, he didn't give in. He had a firm belief against interracial mingling.
Caroline had never been happier to be home. She ran to one of her favourite servants, Miss Betsy, as she called her and threw her arms around her middle. "Guess what!?"
"What be it Miss Caroline?" the kindly looking colored lady asked as she continued her task of hanging the laundry.
Caroline poked her head out from beneath the white sheet Miss Betsy had playfully tossed over her head. "I got a new friend!"
"Oh? Will I be meeting them soon?"
"Yes!"
Miss Betsy smiled. Caroline was always making up imaginary friends to occupy herself. Not interested in any girls to play with, she played pretend when her brothers were too busy to play with her.
"He's with Papa now."
"Ah, he's a real person?"
"Yes! Papa bought him for me!"
Miss Betsy froze. "Miss Caroline…"
Caroline obviously didn't realize the nerve she had struck. "Oh Miss Betsy, I can't wait for you to meet him! His name is John and I know we are going to be friends forever! You'll see!"
With that, the young girl took off towards the house to alert everyone else of her new friend. Miss Betsy smiled sadly. The girl meant well now, but she hoped to the dear Lord that she didn't grow up to be like the rest of the family.
To Be Continued…
Authors Notes: Well, that was not the longest chapter in the world, it could have been longer, I admit, however, I think that's a good place to stop. I'm trying to get as many facts straight as I can so this story doesn't seem completely out there. So yes, if you couldn't already guess, the couple will be John/Caroline ^.^ When they're older of course. I always wanted to read about an interracial coupling of the sort but couldn't find any interesting stories of such…I guess this is just my way of saying: ANTI-SLAVERY! GO CAROLINE! lol…I'll shut up now.