Dear Diary,

Today I had to get up at 04.00 in the morning. That’s usual for me. I’m happy if I don’t have to get up at 03.00 in the morning. The only one pros is that it’s not so hot yet at this time. Then my master came and pulled me out of my room, down to the plantation. It’s very cold in the night maybe 4 degrees. I froze a lot because I just wore a very light skirt. I felt like I had nothing on. Than my owner said that I should pick the cotton. This is really the worst thing a slave can do! To feel a little more brave and warm I sang the song:”Kumbaya my Lord”. This is the song all slaves love to song because it’s so beautiful.

At 05.00 in the evening my master came to me again and coerced me to get a very percious and important letter, but I had to go by foot, 50 miles away. That’s very far and I really had to hurry up because otherwise I would die in the marsh when it became dark. I ran to the castle very fast but it was too late. The dusk already came over the march and it was dark. I didn’t see anything. I wanted to go back but I recognised that there was only marsh as well. So I tried to move on very carefully but suddenly I fell down a few metres an I fell and fell and fell… Wuuush, there was a big eagle. He put me on his back and flew on to the castle, put me down and waited on the edge of the rock. Then I walked through the door and the King whose name I didn’t understand gave me the letter. It was a lightyellow one with red ink and a sign with a slave. I put myself on the eagle and he flew back to my home where I lived with many other black slaves together. I took the letter and brought him to my master. It was still very early and he was very excited how fast I was. He said: “Well, you’ve done a very good job you’re a free man now!”

This was one moment in my life where I thought “wow, the world can be so beautiful and nice".

Goodbye Diary

Copyright: Timo Hosemann