I was only 6 years old when my mother told me we were moving away. I can remember that cold morning, the sun hadn't yet risen. She told me to grab only what I could carry in my little arms and led me down the dark alleyways of London. The smell of rotting flesh from the black plague was starting to swarm the city light. I was running as fast as my little feet could carry me, holding my nana's teddy in one hand and my mother's picture in the other.
Along the way, I bumped into a mister, dressed in a long black cloak, with a beak-like mask and goggles, covering his eyes. He reeked of death and, strangely, flowers.
"This way Sereen." My mother whispered. "Hurry, the ship to Iceland is about to disembark."
Once we arrived at the ship, my mother quickly peered around and found a wooden crate. "Get in here. Hurry!"
I jumped in the crate of potatoes and pulled the wooden lid shut. From outside the wooden crate my mother whispered to me, "Now be as quiet as a mouse. Remember, I will always be with you, my sweet love."
Soon afterwards, voices of two men bickering lifted the wooden crate I was hiding in, and brought me onto the ship. After much lifting, dropping, and rearranging, everything suddenly became quiet and I drifted away into a slumber.
I woke up to someone removing the wooden lid and screaming.
"Ahhh it's a child! Someone, quick, look…someone left their child in the potato crate!"
All around me, faces hovered over me. Everyone looked like cooks and they were all wearing aprons and ragged clothing.
Back and forth they talked about what to do with me.
"We should sell it."
"No, we should just throw it overboard…it's too much work to take care of a child!"
"We shall raise it and name it, Thelonious!"
Then a shout came from the back, "the most logical thing to do is to bring it to the Master!"
Immediately, everyone nodded in agreement.
"Yes, the master will know what to do with this little bugger."
One of the ladies hoisted me up and set me onto the floor. I still had my nana's teddy bear in my arms and I had tucked mother's picture into the inside of my shirt.
"It's such a skinny one and it stands."
"It's got trousers! Can it walk?" asked the fat one and they all stared at me.
I took a step forward and everyone cheered, "It can walk!"
The fat one asked again, "Can it talk?"
Everyone became quiet again.
I say nothing.
"It can't even talk! It is probably a mute!" one of the men yelled.
"It's defective!" Cried the fat lady.
"Shut your pie holes!" The voice from back yelled again. "I will take it to the Master. You are all too dumb to know nothin'!"
Squeezing through between the people in the front, popped out a skinny adolescent boy. He lifted me up off the ground and carried me away.
Still, I say nothing.
There were many staircases to climb and even a ladder. When we got to the deck of the ship, I felt the windy breeze blow across my face.
The sun was high up in the sky and all around me was blue. Blue skies and blue waters.
The boy carried me up to a door and he knocked loudly with the following shout, "Master, it's Jerell! I've come to bear eerie news about the findings from the kitchen!"
There was no answer from inside, just laughter from a man and a few different female voices giggling. So the boy knocked again, this time louder.
"MASTER, IT'S JERELL, YOUR THRALL! I'VE GOT NEWS TO GIVE YOU FROM THE KITCHEN!"
The door jerked open and a tall brute man with a mohawk stood in the doorway glaring at Jerell.
"What is SO important about the kitchen that you HAD to come all the way up here to disturb your master?!?" The man said sarcastically with anger spewing out of his voice.
"Master" Jerell coward, " this thing…" and he pointed to me, in his arms.
"What about that THING?"
"Well, they found it in the potato crate. What if it's infested?"
The master covered his face, " Why did you bring it to me?!?!?!" he shouted, " Get it away!" He backed up into the closest corner in the room and covered this mouth and nose. All of the women screamed and ran out of his bed half naked. Some with their pink nipples still sticking out and bouncing with their perky breasts, while others with their mane-like pubic bush barely covered, and buttocks exposed for all to see.
Jerell carried me into the Master's chamber, "Master, I don't think it's infested though. Look…" he pulled out my hands and feet for the master to see. "There is no blackening anywhere. It is clean and it is cute and small and…" Jerell and the Master are both observing me now. "Can we keep it?"
The master pauses for a brief moment and then says, "Keep it safe, Jerell. Once we reach Iceland, I'm going to sell it." Then he broke out in a low laughter, one that was haunting in a way where you just know there is no good to it.
He slowly showed Jerell the door and yelled out to the women, "Aw, my darling thing, please do come back. Everything is okay." All of the naked women ran back into his chambers and the master entered, slamming his door.
That night Jerell had me tucked to the floor below his bed. When he fell asleep, I cried. I gripped onto nana's teddy and then I hear mother's voice from the corner.
"Shhhh… now now… don't cry my sweet sweet love. I told you, I will always be with you." Mother came out of the corner and laid next to me. "Shh, not too loud or you'll wake the others." She smiled at me and started to sing a quiet lullaby. Not long afterwards, I fell asleep.
*
It took four years before the ship finally stopped at Iceland. There were many stops along the way. The people on this boat were traders of some sort and were traveling from England to Scotland and Norway, back and forth. I didn't mind this because every night, mother would sneak into Jerell's room, sing and cuddle with me until I fell asleep and when I woke, she would already be gone.
I knew she was hiding for my own good. If we were caught, we'd both be thrown overboard and fed to the sharks.
But here we are, in Iceland and I've been slaving away as a little boy for the ship.
Jerell was now a grown man at the age of twenty.
Jerell took me to the market. Never have I ever seen so much snow and ice everywhere. There were areas where mounds of salt were being shoveled and areas where big chunks of ice were being shaved.
When we finally reached what seemed to be a giant stage, Jerell walked me up to the middle of the stage. He crouched down to me, "Little one, you will be okay with a new master. Our fate ends here. Good luck to you and I bid you farewell." Jerell stood up and was about to walk away.
"It's not." I mumbled.
He turns back to look at me. "Did you say something? Oh my, little one, I didn't know you could speak."
"It's not." I said again.
"It's not, what?" Jerell asked while chuckling.
"It's not it. Our fate doesn't end here. I will see you again. When I'm bigger, smarter, and stronger. I will see you again and you will try to kill me." I cried.
Jerell looked at me in confusion, shook his head and slowly walked off the stage.
An announcer then started to say, " Little boy, about 10 years of age. Very quiet and keeps to himself. Easiest to teach when they are so young. ANYONE?? Do I hear a bid?"
Numbers started to roll in as slave owners shouted from all around.
"One shilling"
"5 shillings"
"10"
"12"
"15 and I will include my brown hen too."
"25 shillings"
"27"
"50 shillings" a man rose up from the crowd with his arms crossed. The crowds grow quiet and I stopped crying.
"50 shillings, sold to Yuqin, Thrall of Leifae Arkson!"
(Thrall is equivalent to servant/maid/or slave with a master to who they have to serve)
*
I was discovered and sold like a wild animal. I wondered about my mother. Has she been discovered? Where is she? Does she know where I'm going?
I haven't heard from her, so maybe she does see me. Maybe, she'll visit me in the night where no eyes can see her. I don't want her to get caught.
I was brought into a big ship that was three times bigger than the one before.
Yuqin was the thrall of Leifae Arkson, the mightest of the Vikings.
Yuqin brought me and a few others to the Master Leifae Arkson's chambers for inspection.
Once we were all inside we were forced to line up and look down at the floor. I was the littlest one, so they had me stand on a chair.
We were told not to look at Master Leifae Arkson's face and that we are NEVER allowed to talk.
One by one he would comment on each of the new thralls.
"This one is too skinny. Have her work in the kitchen."
"This one is too fat. Have him maintain the deck floors."
"Very beautiful. Have her join the artisans."
"Strong! He can learn to wield an ax. Bring him into the blacksmith."
Finally, it was my turn. I looked me up and down and I looked him straight in the eyes.
"What is this little thing, Yuqin? Is it a dwarf?"