I slept in a warm fluid, but a light seemed to pull me closer and closer to itself, then a hand held me at my feet and pull me with a tremendous amount of force, I fell to the floor and below my feet I felt dry hay and my mother laid beside me weak from all the pushing that was necessary to bring me into this world. I tried to stand but couldn't, a farmer took a towel and whipped the blood and fluid from my fur, and I tried standing again, this time it worked. I went to my mother and sucked on her breast as I lay beside her. Papa John congratulated his coworkers on a successful delivery, the stallion they just birthed was strong and healthy. They would allow him to stay with his mother for a few weeks before going to its new owner on the south side of Chicago. Papa John gave the stallion a name, he called him Roch.
Roch had only known his mother for a few weeks, she let him suck from her breast and taught him how to run as a horse, he could feel her love for him as she was very protective of her kin. Time had come for Roch to be sent off but his mother didn't let the farmers come near him, she ran in circles and threatened to kick anybody that dared to come too close to him. Papa John had to use the tranquilizers to calm her down before Roch could be taken away, Roch struggled but was overpowered due to his smallness in nature. They put a straddle around his neck and pulled him to a trolley that hooked two powerful stallions that rolled him away from his home to his new owner.
The date was 1986 and freedom in the United States was based on the color of a man's skin. Human beings were seen as not human due to the pigment of their skin. Roch's new owner was a master called Captain Fotherby, he had vast farmlands in the south side of Chicago and many workers in his fields. Roch was a new stallion that had been added to his barn. In the barn each horse had their personal care giver, a young African American boy called Kofun was assigned to take care of Roch till he grew to be a full grown stallion. Roch grew to love this young boy because of his kind and gentle nature. Kofun's family was part of a resistance trying to get freedom from their masters, they had been cooking up a plan to flee the country and try to make their way to New York where African American had rights of their own and had freedom to own property. The change had started in the United States but Chicago had still stuck to their old beliefs and Captain Fotherby came from a family of masters so he didn't believe in change. Therefore Kofun's father had arranged for a ship to carry him and the other slaves in South Chicago to New York city.
Kofun was a young dark and handsome boy who attracted attention in any room he entered. He had a radiant character and was humble. He served as a tray boy at Captain Fotherby's house, this required him to serve the Captain's family at breakfast, dinner and lunch. Whenever he was at the table he would notice the Captain's daughter Anna staring at him, he thought that maybe what he saw was in his head and chose to ignore it. Until one fateful night that he received a letter from young Anna confusing her feelings for him. This came as a shock to Kofun, it would be an abomination to be caught with the daughter of the Captain, in fact it meant death. He thought of how to address the issue, so he took Roch for a ride on the open field to a place where he could be alone with his thoughts, but before going for the ride he went to Anna's window and picked up rocks and threw it at her window till a light was visible in the room. Young Anna opened her window with a smile on her face as she saw Kofun on a black stallion. She climbed down from her window and unto the horse and they both ran away into the night.
They arrived at a waterfall, the rays of the moon was reflected on the surface of the water and steam was visible coming out from the water. Kofun set a mat down and brought out a basket which he used to grab some fruits and bread from the kitchen. He looked up to see Anna petting Roch as she loved his fur, she picked up an apple and fed it to him. Kofun stood there as he admired her beauty, she noticed him looking at her and her face became red as she became shy. They both talked for hours and hours about what they thought destiny had in store for them and what they believed the future would be like. Kofun had never laughed the way he laughed that particular night. Anna spoke to him as an equal; she wanted to hear his opinion and she was a great listener. They talked for hours seeming to forget about time, the day was about to break when they both mounted on Roch and raced for home before the Captain would wake and discover that his daughter had been missing.
Kofun had continued to visit Anna consistently because he was drawn to her, anytime he served at the dining table they would always exchange glances, or she would always try to hold his hand as he poured her drink. Meanwhile, the resistance had finally completed their plan and the day they planned to take action drew closer and closer. Kofun didn't know how to tell Anna that she wasn't going to see him again, and if the resistance found out about their relationship they would call Kofun a traitor. He didn't know what to do, because he knew what they felt for each other was real but he couldn't stay in a place where he is not seen as an equal due to the color of his skin.
The day before the resistance ship was meant to depart, he took Anna for a night ride like they always did. This time he took her to a high hill where one of his friends had a small herd of sheep. Anna loved the animals and she was fascinated because she had never seen a sheep up close before. She played in the grass and laughed on top of her voice due to the behavior of the animals. They had a picnic under a big oak tree as she petted and fed Roch, she noticed that Kofun was very absent minded in the position he sat so she asked him,"What are you thinking of?" He laughed as though he didn't hear what she had just said, but she kept on asking him till he planted a kiss on her lips. They both fell asleep as they enjoyed their time under the moonlight. Kofun woke up at night and wrote a letter to Anna telling her about the hard choice he had to make for his people and his future. He stared at her sleep till day broke, then he heard the horn of the ship and he stood up and petted Roch for the last time, he told Roch to take care of Anna that he would come back for her later in the future. He then mounted Roch and raced for the shipping dock, the ship had already left the shore, but Roch pursued till Kofun jumped off his back and unto the ship, as Kofun legs touched the hardwood of the ship he began to shed tears as he waved his best friend Roch good bye. Roch got on his heels in salute to his young master and friend. Kofun smiled and laughed as he used his hands to clean his tears. He loved that horse.
THE END
