Guards...

Finally we came to a large building. It was dark gray like smoke. It had no windows, just bars. It did not look inviting. We played it by ear and came to two large men. Guards, I suspected. I was right!

"Who are you?" one of the gruff guards asked. I had to thinks. "Haven't ya heard, I'm yas new slave, 'n' wife." "We didn't order any new slaves, did we George?" "Duh, I don't know." "Well, we keep all slaves in the dungeon, come with us. So, we followed them down a dark passage way, just as dark as the outside. Suddenly, we were thrown into a small, dreary dungeon, with an old woman.

Ma!!

That old woman, sittin' there, was not just any old woman, it was Ma! But I's didn't know that. Me being so outward with things, asked the old woman how she came to be in this dungeon. She said that she used to be a slave, but when the North won the war, they threw her in here so she wouldn't be discovered when the building was inspected for slaves. "Uh" I said. I introduced myself and Angie and she said that she used to have a son named William, but he died. I said that me Ma and Pa died too.

She put her old, wrinkled hand in mine and said, "Pleased to' meet ya, William an' Angie." She hugged Angie. "I am Sarah"

"Sarah what?" I asked.

"Sarah Louise Taylor," she said proudly. That was my mother's name.

"What's your husband's name?" I asked her with a kinda shaky voice, wantin' t' hear the old woman answer.

"Frederick Jacob Taylor."

"And what is yer dead son's name? "

Her eyes were sorrowful. "William Frank Taylor."

I burst out cryin', as I hugged the old woman. "It's me, ma!" For a long while we sat, just cryin' and blurtin' out things that we remembered from the ol' days, "remember that quilt ya made that fell apart two days after ya made it," was one of the things I blurted out. I had followed my heart to her, and here she was!