For the last day of Black History Month, I decided to share a story I wrote inspired by Faithful Johannes. In this story, Ladouleur is a place dealing with the subjugation of outside forces. This story takes place post-colonization and midst of the occupation of this magical land.
In the days of the occupation of Ladouleur by invaders, there was a man. He was a strong man. A very strong, very tall, very broad man. A very strong, very tall, very broad, silent man. His name was Abraham. Abraham was chosen by a family because of his height. He stood high above the others around him and looked down at those that had come to choose him. Aside from his strength, the people were enchanted with his eyes. They were warm rust-colored eyes that seemed to hold a wealth of intelligence that they could not fathom him having. Those same eyes tracked them to the bidding block. They watched as the patriarch pointed to the middle and called out his name. Those same eyes were resigned to the fate he knew was coming. And he was aware of what he would need to do.
Abraham was put to work at a place named Laravanche. He had to endure grueling hours in the sun, his feet burning on the burning ground. He was given minimal food and even less water. It was obvious the family wanted to keep him alive. His skin grew ever darker under the bright days, and it became rougher through the tough nights. His hair, once so well taken care of, grew dry and fragile. Still, he worked on without complaint.
The family began to grow. Pale children would race through the land where Abraham worked. They chanted his name and begged for his attention. Abraham remained focused, though he did not bat the children away. The matriarch of the family would approach Abraham nightly. She would come in robes of silk and lined with gold. She would come bearing gifts. She would come in anger. She would promise that she only wanted his words, she would not tell. Abraham remained silent. And every night she would leave in a furious rush back to her home
One day in the field, Abraham heard a bird’s song. This would not have been strange had it not been the transition period between fall and winter. The birds should have all went south when Abraham was tidying up the harvest. Intrigued he followed the music past the fields and into the trees. The deeper he went into the wood, the more obvious that the sound he was hearing was no ordinary birdsong. No, it was a chorus—a choir of ravens singing in unison. And as Abraham drew nearer to the choir he began to make out their song.
Faithful Abraham stands broad and tall
Faithful Abraham will free them all
Faithfull Abraham with tough hair and skin
Faithful Abraham who has no Kin
When men come by horse to see his skill
The white mare he is destined to kill
And when gifts of white coats are gazed upon,
Abraham himself will avenge the swan.
A marriage bell will ring through town,
Abraham shall be the one to cut it down.
For if there is a road to freedom he must pave,
Abraham will remain faithful to his grave.
Abraham could not get his freedom if he did not remain faithful to the family. This is what the words of the raven said, and this is what he believed to be true. The raven was from nature and knew better than he. So, Abraham continued to toil. His work was so well received by the family that they released the other who worked alongside him. They said that they only needed him, their faithful Abraham. So, the others were freed, and he alone stayed behind to work the land.
When the patriarch of the family was soon to pass, he called Abraham to his bed side. He commanded everyone else to leave from the room and requested that Abraham listen to him. Abraham made silent eye contact with the dying man as he told him of his last request. The man was filled with regret caused by his people’s actions. He hoped that his death would be some form of penitence for the pain he knew he had caused. Thusly he commanded Abraham one last time. He wanted Abraham to take his son through the house and the land. He wanted him to be shown every corner of his inheritance, all but one area. He did not want the boy to look behind a curtain. Abraham agreed. And with a breath, the man passed away, pleased that Abraham would do as he requested.
Abraham carried the man from his bed and buried him in the yard as the rest of his family wailed in grief. He then turned to the eldest son and beckoned with his chin for the heir to follow him. He showed the young man around the house and the land. He also showed the man his own quarters. At the end of the tour, the young man questioned Abraham about the curtain. Abraham’s rust-colored eyes simply looked away. Enraged the young man ripped the curtain away from the wall. He was met with the picture of a young woman. She was beautiful, with skin as warm as freshly ground nutmeg and a body as thin as a fresh stalk of wheat. The young man demanded that he have the beautiful girl’s hand in marriage. She was named Eveline. He yelled that Abraham must bring the girl to him. He threatened bodily harm and danger. Abraham remained calm. He remained silent. And he turned and walked out of the room.
Sometime in the night, Abraham was awoken out of his sleep by the sound of horses neighing. The young heir had decided he would take matters into his own hands, he would steal the beautiful girl on his own. He was making plans to return on the eve of the next full moon and leave to retrieve the girl. He would take his pearl steed and be gone before anyone had the wherewithal to ask about his disappearance. Abraham, remembering what he had heard the ravens sing, knew that this could not be allowed to happen. The girl could not be allowed to come onto this land. So, he did what he must. Stealing his broad shoulders, he took a knife and slit the throat of the pristine mare. In remorse for having taken an innocent life, Abraham buried the horse next to the patriarch of the family. He said a prayer to the land, asking for forgiveness, and he returned to his sleep.
The rage of the heir was felt through the ground the next day. He lashed out at anyone within reach when he discovered that his horse had gone missing. No other horse would let him near enough to try to ride them. Abraham, once again in the field, smiled to himself. The girl was safe from this land for another day.
The heir called for Abraham to come to him again the next week. He told him that he would order freshly made coats as a gift for the girl. If she saw that he could provide for her she would have to come and marry him. He demanded that Abraham prepare crates for the jackets. The heir had commissioned them special for the girl and he wanted them to be in supreme conditions.
Recalling the words of the choir, Abraham simply nodded at the heir and began preparing the crates. He knew he had to do something to ensure that the gifts never made their way to the young girl. Within the bottom of the crates, he carves large holes, big enough for the coats to fall out on the bumpy terrain, but small enough that the heir would not notice the discrepancy at first glance. Once again Abraham prayed to the land for forgiveness for the senseless deaths of the swans. Their feathers were taken without purpose and would be destroyed, and for that he was sorry.
When the coats arrived, the heir was filled with glee. He simply knew that his plan would be successful. He had Abraham prepare the boxes. In his preparations, Abraham ensured that the gifts were tucked tight enough to make it out the valley but close enough that they would fall once departing from the valley. Abraham watched as the gifts went ahead of him, pleased that they would never meet their destination.
The young man waited for days. The more time without a response, the angrier he got. He took his anger out on Abraham. All night whips could be heard flying through the air. For his part, Abraham bore the brunt of the pain. He knew he was sparing the girl, and he knew he was saving his people. This made it all worth it. In his hours of rest, Abraham would thank the earth.
The heir began to grow suspicious. He suspected Abraham and decided he must go and get the girl by himself. He went to his mother for advice. His mother was sure to whisper the words into his ear lest she be overheard.
“Leave at dawn, my son, when that Abraham is distracted by the whips. Then you shall have your bride.”
The heir stole away during the day, while Abraham was receiving his daily lashings. It took him a day's time to reach the girl with rust shaded eyes. He crowed with delight when his eyes finally settled upon her. This was the prize his father had tried to keep from him. This was his inheritance. What he was owed. And he finally had her. Malice shined in his eyes, and he stole her away immediately. The girl's family was crushed as they watched their daughter be dragged off.
The man sent word ahead of himself to the property.” Let the church bells ring for there will be a wedding when I return”
The clanging of the first bell cut through the quiet of the evening.
The hair on the back of Abraham’s neck stood tall. He knew what that sound meant. Despite his efforts, the young heir had found the girl and was bringing her back to Laravanche. He did not know how much time he had before the man’s arrival, but he knew he must act soon. He crept from his sleeping area and headed towards the church as quickly as possible. Abraham stood before the house of worship. His options were limited. He was running out of time. He came armed only with his steel axe and the earth around him. He remembered the words of the crows: “Abraham shall be the one to cut it down”.
The bells clanged for a second time.
Abraham took his axe to the door of the church. He worked quickly, banging at the walls of the building and the pews inside. He flung his ax through the windows. The continued ringing of the bells seemed to mock him as he went. Still, he soldiered on. Shards of glass cut at his hands. Wooden splinters cut into his feet. He continued. Every holy book he found was ripped to shreds. He was a one-person wrecking machine.
Hoofbeats sounded out from the distance.
Abraham was running out of time. He could not go on with just the ax. He ran out of the church. The young heir was leading a group of men toward him. In the back was a young girl. Eveline. She was tied up. A gag was shoved in her mouth to keep her quiet and her hair appeared to be cut. As they drew closer to Abraham, he made eye contact with her. Familiar rust-colored eyes stared back into his own. They pleaded with him for help. He turned back to the church. Inside he found the rope that connected to the bell. With a mighty swing on his ax, he cut it down. The young heir arrived at the church steps enraged. He would not be hindered in his goal. The girl was for him. He yelled for his men to grab Abraham. He had to be punished for his insolence. For daring to prevent this union, he had to die.
The men dragged Abraham to the center of Laravanche. There was a strong oak tree planted there for occasions like this, though it had not been used for a long time. The heir called for a rope and for his whip. He also called for his mother to come out of their house. He roused his siblings from their sleep as well. All must bear witness to Abraham’s end. The heir made sure to tie the rope around Abraham’s neck himself. He instructed his men to tie Abraham to the tree and to place a stone underneath his legs. The heir wanted to draw this out. He then readied the whip in his hand to begin at Abraham’s feet.
The first strike ripped through the land like thunder.
The second-strike tore flesh of his calves.
The third strike slashed the tendons in his knees.
The fourth— shredded his thighs.
The fifth drew red from his stomach.
Through each hit Abraham was silent, even as his life essence watered the ground around him. He stood tall. He stood broad. He was sturdy and would not move. The heir continued to work his way up Abraham’s body. When the whip grazed his lips, he finally opened his mouth. The young man was exuberant. He thought perhaps he had finally broken this man. He held his arm in the air and waited to hear what would come next.
Abraham spoke three simple sentences. His voice came out gruff with disuse and shredded from his abuse.
“I am loyal to my people. I am loyal to my land. And to my land, I will return”
With these words, confusion descended among the heir’s family. Then screams came next. The smell of smoke filled the area. Then the sky turned red. The same shade of the blood that had just soaked into the ground at Abraham’s feet. The earth itself shook as if preparing to fight back.
And at once everything was on fire.
Flames ate through the property. They ran through the field. The flames dance across the bodies of the heir’s family, as if growing stronger with each life it stole. There was mass chaos. People were running to avoid the heat, to spare their own fate. The widowed mother attempted to take off on horseback, but she was thrown off and fed to the living flames. No one was spared. The house, once large and imposing, crumbled under the heat. Everything that the invaders had once touched was torn asunder and rebirthed in the flames. Only Eveline was left untouched atop her horse. The flames ate away at the ties that bound her wrist and the gag in her mouth, lovingly freeing her from the restraints. In the aftermath, the once regal and foreboding Laravanche was reduced to smoldering ash. All that was left untouched was nature itself. And there Abraham stood. He had been faithful, and he was rewarded.
A stone protector stood in the middle of the ruin.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! I hope everyone had an excellent Black History Month!
I love Abraham a lot and I love the idea of nature loving our people. The land gives to us and we give to the land.
And if that guy thinks death is penitence enough all I gotta say is he’s waking up in hell idk