My legs burned, and my lungs ached for air as I ran through the bright forest. As I ran I could see blurs of red leaves and brown bark fly past as I ran as fast as I could. I could feel the cool earth beneath my feet, and I could hear the crunching of leaves in every rushed step. I yearned to stop running and to finally rest. Every cell in my body screamed to stop running and enjoy the beautiful place that I had found myself, but I couldn’t. No matter how much I wanted to stop, I couldn’t let them catch me. The only thing going through my head was: keep running, keep running, keep running!

My bare foot caught on a root causing me to fall down to the earth with a loud thud. My limbs finally got a break, and I couldn’t get them to start again. My vision dimmed as exhaustion and starvation finally took over my body, and I blacked out on the fall leaves.

I slowly gained consciousness, and all I could feel was a sense of safety and warmth that I never felt before. As I became more awake, I could smell a stew on a fire somewhere in the home and I could hear a woman humming a soft tune. I opened my eyes to see a yellow and blue quilt wrapped around me while I laid on a warm, soft bed.

I slowly sat up and looked around the small home. It was a nice little cottage that had simple brown walls and roof. I looked towards the door where the humming was coming from. I hesitantly moved my legs to the edge of the bed and stood up. I slowly moved towards the door and looked through. I saw a nice looking lady bending over a pot of stew. She had long blond hair that was in a messy bun, and she was wearing a simple black dress with a white apron. She must have heard me and looked over in my direction. Her sparkling green eyes met my soft brown ones, and she smiled warmly and beckoned me to walk towards her.

She couldn’t have been older than mid 20’s, yet you could see silver streaks in her golden curls. I slowly walked towards her, the floorboards creaking under my movement. When I was close enough, she held out her hand, and I hesitantly took it in my own; her palm was soft and milky white. I only came up to her waist, and her small hand still encased mine fully in soft warmth. She gingerly walked me over to the small red chair and sat me down.

“What’s your name young one”, she asked with a honey sweet voice, it too was warm as a fire’s glow.  

“My name is Alice. What should I call you”, she asked again when I didn’t answer for a few minutes.

I didn’t have a name, everyone called me 16B, so that is what I told her. She smiled and said that she would call me Rose. I liked that name.

“How old are you, Rose?”

“I don’t know, old enough to work I guess.” Her face was covered in shock and she shook her head in disbelief. She gently grabbed my bony wrists and slowly lifted my arms to see what condition I was in. I’m small and skinny, the byproduct of being starved from a young age. My ribs pressed against my skin and my eyes were deeply sunken into my face with hollow cheeks.

“Where are your parents, young one?” I had a thousand thoughts running in my head all at once. Should I tell her the truth? She’ll just take me back, and I don’t want to go back! I’ve been hurt too many times. I can’t stand one more day in that awful place. She sees how skinny I am, but what she doesn't see is the multitude of pink scars on my back. I can’t go back to their cruelty after tasting such sweet generosity. But she has been so kind to me, I have to tell her.

“I never met my parents, I was sold when I was a baby,” I said in a quiet voice, not wanting her to hear me.

She smiled at me sadly and walked towards the stew. She took a small bowl from the cupboard and filled it up to the brim. Next she grabbed a wooden spoon and slowly gave it to me. I smelled at the lumpy stew and the smell of deer and potatoes filled my nose and made my mouth water. I lifted the spoon to my lips and put the warm food into my hungry mouth. It was warm and fresh, something I never had before. I could taste the salty meat and the earthy potatoes and it was heavenly. She went to the room that I woke up in and came back with a blue hairbrush. After I finished my food she picked me up and sat me in her lap. She brushed my long knotted black hair much like a mother would, all the while, she was humming the soft melody from before.

When she was finished I grabbed her hand and pushed my palm against her own. Her pale skin practically glowed under my dark skin. Why was she being so kind to me? I never met someone with milk skin that was nice to one of chocolate skin before. As she held me in her arms she whispered a question that could get us both in trouble. She asked me if I have ever been up North. Of course not, we aren't even allowed to talk about it at home, and I told her as such. She told me that we’ll leave tomorrow morning, she knows people who will help us. The next morning we had set out and walked all day. Eventually we had came across a house with a quilt over it with a log cabin pattern on it. I knew what this was, it was a safe house. The older ones would talk about it and would tell the younger ones about the underground railroad after a hard day at work. But They overheard them. They had killed them. But They couldn’t kill me. I got away. And after that day, I had lived a new life, a better life, a free life.