“Come on Paul!”  I said as we hurried into the woods. 
“Ok Jack, I’m coming.” 
Whenever Paul came over to my house, we went exploring in the woods and found something different every time.  
“Hey what is that?”  said Paul as he pointed to his right. 
It looked like an overhang just below a massive rock.  I had walked through these woods hundreds of times and had never noticed this.  “Lets go see what it is,” I said running towards it in excitement. 
We ran about a hundred yards to the entrance and looked inside.  “It is definitely a cave.  It’s getting so dark outside that I think we should come back tomorrow with flashlights and take a look around.” said Paul. 
“Ok.  We will come back first thing tomorrow morning,” I said anxiously.
I hardly got any sleep last night because I was thinking about what could be inside the cave.  I went over to Paul’s house to wake him up as soon as the sun rose.  We went out into the woods to explore the cave.
We walked for about an hour before we reached the cave entrance.  The inside was damp and dark.  We needed our flashlights to see what was ahead of us.  We descended into the depths of the cave listening and looking for anything new and exciting.  As we walked, we heard sounds of bats fluttering and water dripping from the walls.  “Come look at this writing on the wall!” yelled Paul from up ahead.  Written on the wall were the words “END CAVE SAFTE.” 
“Who do you think wrote that?” said Paul. 
I was dismayed and had no answer. 
“Let’s keep going,” I said to Paul. 
I was a little alarmed because we had been walking for over an hour and there seemed to be no end to the cave.  I was still curious and knew we had gone too far to stop now.  Off in the distance I saw a white object laying on the ground.  I rushed over and looked at what appeared to be a human bone.  “Paul, look at this!” 
“Woah, do you think the person who wrote on the wall died in this cave?” said Paul. 
“I’m not sure but it’s possible.” 
“That looks like a scrap of clothing laying underneath the bone,” said Paul. 
“It sure is.  Probably from someone’s shirt.  I don’t know when or why, but someone died in this cave,” I said. 
I was starting to get an eerie feeling.  First, the mysterious writing on the wall and now a bone!  “My dad is a high school biology teacher and might know what kind of bone this is.  I can take it home and show him.” 
As soon as I picked up the bone, everything went black.  It seemed as if I was flying through the air and everything was a blur.  I had no idea what was going on.  What was happening to me?  Was I going to die?  Where was I going?  Where was Paul?
I opened my eyes.  Paul was laying right next to me in the long and wispy grass.  “Where are we?” I asked in confusion. 
“I don’t know but we aren’t in the cave or at your house.” 
Down below us were little houses and shacks with hundreds of people crowded together.  “I’m sure someone down there will be able to help us,” I said to Paul. 
“Ok, lets hurry because I want to go home,” said Paul who seemed frightened. 
We ran down the hill in search of someone to talk to.  We saw a middle aged man standing outside the first house we passed.  He was formally dressed, wearing a tall top hat along with a suit and tie.  “Excuse me sir,” I said in a shaky voice “where are we?” 
“This is Arlington Plantation in Virginia,” said the man in a stern voice.  “Shouldn’t you kids be in school?” asked the man. 
“We are lost and just want to go back home,” replied Paul. 
“Come inside,” motioned the man. 
We followed him up the doorsteps and into the house.  The first thing I noticed about his house was that it didn’t seem to have electricity.  It was lit with candles and a lantern.  “What are all those people doing outside your home?  They look tired and hungry,” said Paul. 
“Those people are slaves.  They aren’t good for anything.  Might as well work them to death.” 
“Slaves?” I asked. 
“I’m guessing you boys aren’t from around here.  Slaves are my property.  Do you see all those people standing in front of my house?” said the man. 
“Yes,” we replied. 
“They’re mine.  I own them.  I tell them what to do, when to work, when to eat,  and how to live their life.”  
“But why?  I asked in confusion.  “Why do you treat them that way?” 
“Because they’re black,” he said. 
“Wait, let me get this straight.  Just because their skin color is black you mistreat and abuse them?” 
“Oh, it’s not just the color of their skin.  It’s how they act and what they look like.  They deserve to be punished,” said the slave owner angrily.
“What do you do to them?” I asked. 
“They work the fields and do what I tell them.  If they step out of line they will pay the price.” 
“What does that mean?” asked Paul. 
“Nothing too severe.  A few whip lashings, more work, no food.  It just depends on how nice I’m feeling that day,”  he said with a smile.  
I couldn’t believe what the man just said.  Didn’t he have feelings?  I couldn’t understand why he would act this way towards another human being. 
“There are no slaves where we live.  We’ve never seen anything like this.” I said. 
“Boys, this is the year 1850.  I don’t know where you come from but this is reality.” 
“Wait, did you say 1850?” I said astounded. 
“Yes, 1850.” 
“It can’t be 1850,” said Paul nervously.  “Just 10 minutes ago we were exploring a cave in the woods.  There were no slaves and it was the year 1987.  I am positive.”
The man was starting to get frustrated.  He opened the door and said “Look outside.  Those people working my fields and crowding in front of my house are slaves.  Come, I will show you what slavery is.” 
We followed him out the door and into the fields around his house.  All around me I saw slaves working.  They all looked tired and miserable.  I felt bad and wanted to say something.  The slave owner didn’t realize that he was doing something terribly wrong.  He seemed proud of what he was doing.  To my right one of the slaves said, “I’m too tired.  I can’t work any longer.” 
“Shut up!  Get back to work now or you shall be whipped!” said the man. 
Now I believed the man.  All the horrible things he had told me were true.  This was how slaves were treated.  If the slaves spoke up or tried to defend themselves they would be disciplined harshly. 
I just wanted to go home.  I hoped this was a nightmare and not reality.  But how could we go back?  We had been transported into the past and could be trapped there forever.  “Paul,” I asked “how do we find our way back home?” 
“When I touched the bone in the cave, we were transported into the past.  So if I can somehow find another bone maybe we can go back!” said Paul. 
“Where are we going to find another bone?” I asked. 
“Judging how badly these slaves are treated, there has to be one somewhere around here,” said Paul. 
“Let’s check behind his house.” 
We rushed behind the man’s house in search of a bone.  There was a small gap in the foundation of his house.  Only my hand was small enough to fit inside.  It was worth the chance.  We had to get home.  I reached my hand in nervously in hopes of finding a human bone.  I touched a hard, smooth object and immediately lost my surroundings.
We made it!  We were back in the cave!  The bone worked!  “Paul,” I said “that bone transported us into the past.  I bet that bone was from a slave.  The writing on the wall could have been from a slave hiding out and trying to help others to safety.  That means during the time of slavery this cave was used to hide and transport slaves to freedom.”
“Without this journey to the past, I wouldn't have had an understanding of what life was like for slaves and how they were mistreated.  Slavery was such a horrible thing and I’m thankful it doesn't exist today.”