A Slave's Journey by Ariz

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Roughly, we were dragged onto the massive ship which dominated the harbour. My heart thumped as fear flooded my body. My freedom was restricted due to the shackles. The crew looked at us with a disgusted look and pointed their whips at us. Most of the slaves were sobbing because they had left their relatives and loved ones behind. Eventually, the command came to go below deck.

The scent of the salty sea air was suddenly overpowered by the stench of filth as we made our way below deck .The heat was unbearable and the air was thick with the smell of sweat and excrement. My stomach cramped and a feeling of nausea hit me like a wave. A terrible agony spread through my tired body as a whip cracked against my bare skin. The white man who whipped me, pushed me towards a pole. We were shackled to a post. More and more of us were lined up together. Wearily, I closed my eyes as the master extinguished the lamps for night time.

Sleep evaded me. Blisters formed on my wrists and ankles where the chains had rubbed. The sound of moans and cries flooded the hold and the stench of human waste filled the air. My body ached and blood still trickled down my back where the whip had struck me. Suddenly, I sobbed uncontrollably because of how brutally my people were being treated. Gradually, the cargo ship started moving away from its mooring and away from Africa. Tragically, it dawned on me that I would never return to Africa .This may have been only the beginning of my journey but it was not the end of the horrors I would witness.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Comments

  1. Mr BainbridgeOctober 23, 2020 at 12:13 PM

    An outstanding piece of writing Ariz. The journey sounds absolutely brutal. I can really imagine the horrific sounds and smells you described.

    ReplyDelete

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