It's August 21, 1859, on William Ellison's cotton plantation in Como, Mississippi. Ellison discusses politics with George Palmer, the town's local judge. They sit rocking in their chairs overlooking Ellison's cotton fields, taking short puffs of their cigars while a mulatto girl without a name slowly fans Ellison.
Moments later, Mrs. Ellison brings out some fresh lemonade from the kitchen and sets it on the table between the two men. She leans over and kisses Ellison on his sweaty forehead and walks back into the mansion to begin her cross-stitching.
Meanwhile, the 300 men, women and children are bent over in 112 degree heat, hand picking cotton one by one and loading it into woven grass baskets strapped to their backs. A small slave boy by the name of Carter walks by with a wooden bucket of stream water and a ladle. He stops by each pair of workers and offers a drink.
Off in the distance, a newly purchased slave by the name of Humphrey starts humming a well known tune, Old Man River; a song taught to him by his mother when he was 8 years old. It had been 24 years since he had seen her, yet he remembers every word and note. He pauses to remember what she always told him. "The only thing you own in this world that The Man can't take from you is your soul". After a few minutes, he slightly smiles and starts singing the words out loud.
"What do you got that boy doing over there?", asks Palmer.
"He's watering my cattle.", replies Mr. Ellison.
"Watering your cattle? Now why would you want to do something like that? Seems sort of wasteful. You can't eat them. They don't even produce milk. The only thing those things are good for is working and reproducing; sometimes a little pleasure if you find the right one. I prefer the 12 year old ones myself, they're fresh and they're easier to hold down", Palmer says with a chuckle.
"It's kind of hard to squeeze milk from a hungry cow, George. It's more cost effective to keep them healthy and happy. Healthy and happy cattle work harder and produce more", Ellison replies while glaring at him from the corner of his eye.
Palmer now uncomfortable, clears his throat and takes two quick puffs of his cigar. After a few minutes of silence, he says,"There are talks of war you know."
"So I've heard."
To be continued.......
