Hello, my friends!
I’ve decided to torture you all long enough and finally post the conclusion of my slave epic, “Unshackled.” Enjoy! 
VII.
As Sefu stepped over the threshold into the mansion, he stared around him in awe. The front door opened into a grand foyer, which was illuminated by a magnificent silver and crystal chandelier candelabra hanging from the decoratively sculpted ceiling. A elegant staircase slunk down from the second floor to the first floor, hugging the wall as it eased down to the ground. Every step was covered in a maroon velvet run on top of oak hardwood floor panels. At the top of the stairs, a landing extended twenty feet before curving around to the opposite wall and creating a balcony for those on the second floor to look down to the foyer. Every spindle was made of beautifully carved mahogany, portraying flowers and blossoms as it met with the bright white trim that joined the steps to the wall. Magnificent marble pillars as big around as large trees held the ceiling in place along the side walls. Glass-topped tables under the balcony and along the stairs had a few vases full of fresh flowers, while a large golden-bordered mirror hung over the table on the wall on the side of the stairs.
“This is amazin’, suh!” Sefu said, awestruck. “But Ah don’ desuhv to live heah like you. You’s da massuh, not me. Dis heah mansion is fo’ you an’ yo’ fam’ly. Ah’ll jus’ live in mah shack down bah da fields.” Sefu looked at the Old Master and noticed a smile creeping into his eyes.
“But Sefu, don’t you realize? I want you to be my family now.” The Old Master stepped over to the slave and put his arm around the black man. “I want you to live here with me. While you are here, you will never be sad or sick or in pain again. I have a room prepared for you and all of your needs will be taken care of. My son even sacrificed himself so you could come live with us. Will you stay with me, Sefu?” The slave didn’t need any more request than that. He laughed joyfully and put his arm around the Old Master.
From the back room, a bell began to ring. “Oh, dinner’s ready!” the Old Master said, hobbling toward the back of the house and rubbing his hands together enthusiastically. “I hear we’re having liver and onions tonight. I can’t wait!” Sefu looked over to the Master, who silently made a face resembling someone vomiting behind his father’s back about the idea of eating liver and onions; Sefu stifled his laughter.
As they made their way to the back of the house, Sefu marveled at the abundance of golden and silver articles on tables, velvet curtains around the windows, marble and hard oak wood prevalent materials used throughout the mansion. Large, comfortable-looking couches and chairs filled every room, yet there were no people to be seen anywhere. He also walked through a room full of exotic plants, small trees and flowers, with beautiful butterflies and birds flying freely around the room. When Sefu mentioned to the Master that he had never seen so many candles giving light at one time, the Master replied that the candles were never extinguished, that unlike the slave camp, there was always light in the Big House.
The trio finally arrived at a pair of large, heavy wooden doors. “Sefu,” the Old Master said, grinning at the slave, “this is the Great Hall.” The Old Master pulled the door open, to reveal a large room, complete with a roaring fireplace at the opposite end of the room. The room was decorated in a similar way to the rest of the house, with long golden-edged mirrors spanning lengths of wall, a floral pattern carved in the wooden trim near the ceiling and a sculpted ornate lotus encircled by garlands ringed the candelabra chandelier hanging from the center of the room’s ceiling.
A fifty-foot long table with numerous comfortable-looking chairs surrounded the table. Numerous men, all of them dressed nicely, with very light hair and very handsome, were walking in and out of a pair of double doors along one of the walls, setting food on the table. The thing that confused Sefu the most about this picture was that all of the men setting the table were white. Sefu quickly hurried towards one of the men carrying the food into the Great Hall and tried to take it from him, to do his duty as a slave.
“I can do this, Mister Sefu,” the young man said kindly, as he smiled at the slave. Puzzled, Sefu walked across the room and started to open the double doors leading, presumably, to the kitchen. As he pushed the doors open, another very handsome young man with very light hair walked up to Sefu. “Mister Sefu, we would like to serve you. Why don’t you go have a seat and relax for awhile? You deserve it, sir.” Gently, the young man turned the slave around and guided him gently back into the Great Hall. He smiled at the black man and then walked back into the kitchen, shutting the doors behind him. The Master and Old Master had already sat down at the table. They were watching him with a hint of smile playing at their lips. Giving in, Sefu sat on the left side of the table near the end, opposite of the Master and Old Master, who sat across from each other, the chair at the very end of the table vacant.
Laughing could be heard from the other side of the entrance doors to the Great Hall. Suddenly, the doors burst open and dozens of people poured into the room, both black and white. A familiar voice was heard in the monotonous murmur of the crowd.
“Sefu!” a voice yelled. Sefu stood up and looked to the person whom he hadn’t seen for almost a week.
“Sokkwi?” His friend ran towards him and embraced him tightly. “Sokkwi, we thought you was dead,” Sefu said. The two let go and sat down in their chairs at the table.
“Naw, da Ole’ Massuh took me in like he’s took you in. An’ guess what? Mah name idn’t Sefu no mo’. Da Ole’ Massuh give me a new name! Mah name is Adeagbo now,” Sefu’s friend explained.
“A new name? Why would he give you a new name?” Sefu asked. He suddenly realized that he was the only one speaking. Everyone was looking at him. Looking down the length of the table, he realized that the Old Master and the Master were standing up, looking at him in a way that said they wanted to speak. “Erm..sorry, Massuhs,” he muttered.
“Sefu, may I ask why you’re just sitting there?” the Old Master asked. Sefu quickly stood up. Turning his attention to the rest of the table, the Old Master addressed the rest of those seated. “What do you all think, should Sefu just be sitting there? I do believe we have some things to take care of before the meal, anyways. My son, will you please get our friend, here, out of these dirty clothes?”
“I would love to, father,” the Master said, smiling at his father. He stood up and walked down the length of the table, and putting his arm around Sefu, led him to another door in the Great Hall. He opened it and led the black man down the hallway and into a small room; the only things in the room was a armoire, a curtain and a red washbasin filled with steaming water. The red color of the washbasin made the water appear red. The Master handed Sefu a pair of white undershorts and asked him to take off his clothes behind the curtain, followed by putting on the clean undershorts for privacy. Next, the Master had Sefu stand near the washbasin and dipped a white cloth in the water, which made the cloth look red. He spent the next half hour, gently washing away all the filth and dirt that had collected and stuck itself to Sefu’s body over the years. Sefu watched as the dirt turned to mud as the Master gently used the warm water to wipe the filth off his body and watched it run to the floor in dribbles down his legs. After the Master was done cleaning him, he gave Sefu a new pair of white undershorts, as well as a clean shirt and pair of slacks. Sefu went over to the curtain, and when he was done dressing, he realized that all the clothes fit him perfectly.
When Sefu and the Master reentered the Great Hall, everyone stopped talking and looked at Sefu with a smile on their face. He smiled back at them, feeling awkward, and slowly made his way back to his chair. As he was sitting down, however, the Old Master stood up next to his son and said loudly, “Sefu, I think you’re in the wrong spot. Will you please come up here and sit between my son and I at the seat of honor?” Flabbergasted, Sefu walked towards the head of the table, every eye on him. When he got to the head of the table, he sat down. “And now,” the Old Master said, “we shall eat.” He and his son sat down and the people gathered around the table began reaching for food and putting it on their plates, talking to each other as though nothing had happened.
“Sir, I don’t understand,” Sefu said to the Old Master.
“Don’t worry, my friend. You will understand, in time.” The old man smiled at Sefu and plopped a slab of liver onto his plate. Teasingly, the Master looked over at Sefu and made a gagging sound. A smile broke out on Sefu’s face.
“What? I can’t enjoy some liver and onions once in awhile? If you can enjoy that odd food, what is it called, ice cream, then I don’t see why I can’t enjoy something normal like liver and onions,” the Old Master lectured. Sefu had no idea what the Old Master was talking about, but whatever it was, the Master found it funny.
After the meal was done, the handsome men returned and cleared the remaining food and dishes away as one entered and placed a large book in front of the Old Master. The rest of the people sitting around the table were talking casually with an occasional laugh echoing through the room.
Suddenly, the doors to the rest of the room burst open and one of the handsome men entered. He walked over to the Old Master and stooped down, whispering something in his ear. Without missing a beat, the Old Master’s face went from excited to grave. “Bring him in,” he said. The talking died down as the atmosphere of the room changed.
The handsome young man exited the room and reentered a second later, a similar looking young man behind him, pulling a black man along. Upon arriving before the Old Master, the handsome young men let go of their captive and stepped away to the door through which they had entered. The black man, however, remained in front of the Old Master, his head lowered.
“Lucifer,” the Old Master said. Sefu gasped, the flames of hatred flaring up inside him. “What do you want?”
The old man smiled his toothless grin, winking at Sefu. “Suh, Ah’m cumin’ befo’ you on behalf of da lynch mob out yonduh,” the slave said.
“That’s alright, Lucifer. I’ve already met with Sheriff McCullough and everything has been worked out,” the Old Master said.
“Ah don’t think you know what dis’ere nigguh has done, suh,” Lucifer said. “He has cheated on his pickins in da field. He has plotted against yuh an’ yer son. He has stolen eggs from da henhouse on numerous occasions and has talked back to da overseers many tahms.” The old man crossed his arms and smiled smugly. Sefu sunk down in his chair. The Old Master looked at Sefu disapprovingly and then looked over at Lucifer.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Lucifer,” the Old Master said. The smug smile dropped off the old man’s face into a look of horror.
“Well, um, he tried to escape from dis’ere plantashun and he killed dat nigguh huntuh’s dawg and da othuh huntuh’s haws!” the old man accused, pointing his finger at Sefu.
“I took his punishment for that,” the Master said firmly, his eyes glued to Sefu’s accuser. Lucifer’s horror turned to anger.
“He stole a pisto’ from yo’ gun cabinet and he was gunna use it to kill y’all in yo’ sleep tonight! It’s in his shack right naw!” the old man yelled, specks of spittle flying from his lips.
The door opened that led to the rest of the house and Calloway entered. He nodded to Sefu and walked towards the Master and the Old Master.
“Actually, Lucifuh, Ah watched you take that gun out’uf the gun cabinet. Ah also saw yuh bring that gun to Sefu’s shack last night,” Calloway explained. He turned to Sefu. “Ah’ve been watchin’ over yuh, Sefu,” he explained. Sefu gasped as Calloway took off his cowboy hat, revealing very light hair. Sefu realized he was like the rest of the handsome, light-haired servants of the house.
“Get him out of my sight,” the Old Master said, scowling and shaking in fury. Calloway grabbed the old man by the arm and pulled him out of the room. Lucifer tried fighting back as he yelled.
“Y’all don’ deserve to be heah, Sefu! You ah a lyin’, cheatin’, low-down nigguh an’ dat’s all yu’ll evuh be! Yuh deserve to be flogged, hamstrung and hung! Ah’ll see to it dat yer lynched! If Ah was de massuh, you would nevuh set foot in mah house-”
“HOLD IT!” the Old Master bellowed. Calloway stopped pulling the old slave as the Old Master rushed towards him. The Old Master got in Lucifer’s face and began to explain to him in an enraged voice, “You always wanted to be Master. You weren’t content serving me. I offered you a spot as one of my most important servants and you weren’t content. You wanted to rule, to do things your own way. That is why you don’t have a place in my house! That is why you will never have a place in my house! You have no power here anymore. Now get him out of here!”
Calloway began to pull the old slave out of the room, but he began to struggle against him again. Tired of trying to fight the old man, the light-haired man lifted Lucifer up and threw him over his shoulder, carrying him out of the room as he screamed and yelled and fought. As the doors closed behind the pair, the Old Master took a deep breath and let it out. He turned to Sefu and smiled at him.
“Back to business,” the Old Master said. “I have had your name in my book, Sefu, since before you were born. This book has in it the name of every person that I want to live in my home with my son and I.” The Old Master opened the book to a page that had Sefu’s picture, as well as all of his personal information, such as his birthday, his likes and dislikes, and more. However, the name at the top of the page wasn’t Sefu’s name.
“ ‘Sceewz me, suh, but dat’ere isn’t mah name,” Sefu said, pointing at the name above his picture in the Old Master’s book.
“Let me explain something to you, Sefu,” the Old Master began. “I want you to have a new life, to be a part of my family. As a result, you need to put your old self, your old life behind you in order to embrace your new life with me here in my mansion. For example, your best friend, the old name of your friend, Sokkwi, meant ‘fool.’ However, his new name, Adeagbo, means ‘he brings honor.’ Your old name, Sefu, means ‘sword.’ You were a rebellious man before you came to live here. Lucifer was right. You did lie about your pickings, talk back to the overseer, destroy the slave hunters’ property by killing their horse and dog, and try to escape, leaving us behind. However, I loved you so much that I sent my son after you to save you because I wanted you to come live with me, ultimately causing him to sacrifice his body and life for you so you would live. As a result, I want you to forget your old life, to put it behind you, and to assume a new life and a new identity. As a result, your name shall no longer be Sefu, or ‘sword,’ but it shall now be Amadi, which means ‘free man.’”
The name that the Old Master had given him, which matched that shown in the book, seemed right to the man who had previously been known as Sefu. Amadi looked down the table at his new family and smiled. They all stood up and began to clap and cheer, as the Old Master embraced Amadi and whispered a few words in his ear: “Welcome to the family, my son. Welcome home.”
