Somehow I'm Alive (part 7)

Ok, this is my second favorite part of this story. My first favorite part will be in the next quiz. I love making these quizzes. :D Please enjoy this quiz.

Please leave some comments. If any of you have any suggestions on how to make these better, then I'll take your suggestions into consideration. It's nice to have feed back.

Created by: Topaz
  1. ***Five Weeks Later~Ryan's Point of View*** My family hasn't left the Akmal Plantation yet. Basically, we stay cramped up in the attic for most of the day. When the rare opportunites come when we do go outside it's normally after dark. If it's broad daylight then we stay with Akmal. Even then it's usually just to discuss slave hunting matters. Really I don't care how much Akmal wants to take me under his wing. I still have no respect for the man. In fact, my disrespect for the man has grown since I've started joining his family for dinner. He's treats both his wife and his daughters very coldly. His oldest sons' and I are the only people that he treats with the slightest ounce of kindness. To make it even worse he treats his slaves aweful. I've noticed it before, but lately it seems as if everything going on on this plantation has been magnified. For the first time ever it's like I'm seeing things as they really are around here. How did I never notice how badly he treats his wife? That's the first thing a good person would notice.
  2. ***Jaslina's Point of View***Now life is pretty much routine around here. Every morning we get up at the roosters first crow. Rayla, Tammy, and I get up and get dressed. I was introduced to Tammy five weeks ago. That was that day of my first encounter with Landon. Tammy is nothing like I thought she would be. She is very bold and unafraid to speak her mind. Because of that, she has been lashed the most out of all the female slaves here. She can be nice most of the time, but there are also days when she seems upset. She tries not to let it show, but I still see it. She is nothing like I thought she'd be looks wise either. Tammy's hair is cut short, and by that I mean guy short. She can pull off guy short and look good though. Her hair is also very, very red. It is the reddest hair I have ever seen. I thought that I'd have to put it out with our cooking water! Her eyes are a dark shade of green too. The next step of our routine is lighting our lanterns and sweeping our floor down. Even though there are a lot of trees around (which I still don't totally understand), a lot of sand comes in from the desert that we need to sweep out. Then we make a quick breakfast. Some days it's different than others. Most mornings we eat something that Rayla came up with. We mix together flour, dry rice and water and throw it into the kettle to bake it somehow. Unless there is salt, which we usually don't have, it tastes plain and disgusting. Other days we sometimes make our usual watery gross-out rice. After eating and doing the morning dishes, we go out to our work stations. Tammy goes out into the fields, Rayla to the mansion, and me to the garden where I have been put permanently. A lot of the time I am with the other garden slaves. The mistress's garden is so large and luxurious, that she needs five garden slaves working there regularly. So I can catch up to the present more quickly, I will just run through the rest of our daily agenda. We work from the rooster's second crow until the slave master tells us that it is time for our half-hour lunch break. Then after lunch we work from then until around seven. Then we go back to our quarters, eat dinner, bathe in our wooden washtubs, then go to bed with only our thin sleeping mats separating us from the dirt floor.
  3. Now I am in the second part of the garden watering these strange, magnificent flowers. The deeper you get into the garden, the more luxurious the flowers get. I love being able to water these flowers. It is a good privilege to have. There are so few slaves that work in the garden areas with fewer that do the watering. Only I and one other person do the watering. She is on the side of the garden opposite of me and admiring the flowers just as I am. Just as I set the bucket down to tie my hand-me-down kerchief tighter, the slave master comes back to tell us that it is time for our noon break. I leave the bucket of water sit there and head to my quarters. After I leave the shade of the garden, I realize how hot it is. How do Tammy and Landon bare working in the fields? I walk in and see that Tammy and Rayla aren't there yet. I start a kettle of rice and walk over to my sleeping mat and remove my bible. I haven't removed it from its place under my extra dress in four weeks. I forgot that I even had it with me. Not knowing what I want to read first, I decide to start from the very beginning in Genesis. I manage to get through chapter three while stirring the rice every few minutes. Right in the middle of the fourth chapter, I hear the door open and slam shut. Looking up from my reading I see Tammy and Rayla's dead, cold faces staring at the book in my hand. "Jaslina," says Tammy, "please tell me that that isn't what I think it is." I don't understand why reading my bible would upset them. Even if we are in Saudi Arabia, this place isn't on the map. No one but the slaves, the master's family, and the Caroga's know that this place is even real. So why would I get in trouble for this? "It is what you think it is." I say. "What's wrong with reading a bible here? No one except the people here knows that this place is even in existence. How will I get in trouble if no one knows this is here?" "You don't understand," says Rayla. "Master Akmal hates Christians. His wife and children are tolerant of them, but he himself isn't." "Where the heck did you get that thing, anyway?" asks Tammy. "It's a long story." I say. I turn back to Rayla in concern. "What will he do to me if he finds out?" "I don't know. The last time that he dealt with a Christian was five years ago. Of course if I could guess, I'd say that he'd most likely execute you. If I were you I'd dispose of that dangerous thing before I get hurt." This is unbelievable. I am expected to totally give up my religion? Sure Rayla, Landon, and Tammy are nice, but I will not trade my soul for my earthly life. "I'm sorry, Rayla, but I will not give up my religion. I love it too much to give up. If he executes me, by all means, let him execute me." Tammy shakes her head. "Girl, you are the most stubborn person I have ever met. I like that about you." "I'm glad that both of you are bonding," says Rayla "but what if we get caught hiding a Christian? We'll be executed alongside her." "Come on, Rayla, Jaslina's smart. No one will ever find out. Master Akmal will never suspect a thing." Rayla lets out a long sigh. "I sure hope you're right, Tammy."
  4. ***Ryan's point of View*** I can't take being inside any more this afternoon. Staying in this room is so boring! I guess I've been reading the bible I got to pass the time, but reading gets boring after a while too. I look out my window at the garden where I was previously watching Jaslina; she isn't there anymore. It must be time for them to eat lunch. Even from my bedroom window I can see her every movement perfectly clear right down to her face expressions. She really is very pretty. Maybe even beautiful. Not just with her looks but even with her attitude. Despite slavery she still finds reasons to smile. When the window is open I sometimes listen to her sing when she's alone. Because of how quiet she was at school I never knew what a beautiful voice she has. A lot of the songs she sings I don't recognize. By a lot of the lyrics I'm guessing that they're songs from a christian radio station. Well, I guess I did recognize one song. I heard the night I went to Jaslina's youth group. I think the title is "I Wanna Know You Like That: By Anthem Lights" I shake my head to bring myself back to reality. Hopefully Akmal doesn't catch her singing Christian music.
  5. At that thought I start to chuckle. I'm worried about Jaslina when I should be worried about myself. I own a bible and read it for hours everyday. Shouldn't I be just as worried about myself? To be totally honest, I did something that's more dangerous than reading a bible. I did something that could get me killed at the hand of Akmal. See, after all of that bible reading and after everything I found at Jaslina's youth group I decided to accept Christ as my Savior. The idea that someone would be willing to die on a cross and then go to hell for three days just to give me a second chance was unbelievable. I couldn't resist but to accept Christ's offer, and to get another chance. So now I'm a Christian. I just hope that this doesn't come back to bite me in the rear.
  6. ***Jaslina's Point of View*** I'm in the garden watering flowers once again. This afternoon after lunch Rayla was still very concerned about my religion. Now that I know what can happen to me because of my religion, I am kind of scared. But hey, who wouldn't be? I'm not even admiring the flowers as I usually do. I am too deep into my thoughts to pay attention to such things. Turning the corner, I water the hedges next to the fields. The hedges next to the fields are covered in purple, green, and light blue flowers; however, I ignore this and peak through the branches to see if I can catch sight of Tammy or Landon. This is always the time of day when one of them manages to sneak away. Usually it is Landon that comes. He works toward the front of the field and can slip away easier than Tammy. Of course there are days when neither of them can slip away, and I have to play it cool. I see Landon coming toward me. The other flower watering girl doesn't do the evening watering, so I am alone here. I move away from this area and go to the gap in between hedges. They are really tall so if anyone comes by it won't look obvious that I am talking to someone. "Hey, Jaslina," says Landon. "I only got a few minutes, so I can't talk long." "Okay," I say. "So is it almost harvesting season?" "Yes it is, but that's not what I wanted to talk about today." There is a long pause before anything else is said. "So," I say breaking the silence, "What is it? Is it bad news or good news?" "A little of both, actually. Anyway, here's the news. There's word that there is a Christian here." I gulp. Oh come on! Not him too! "Really, I heard the same thing." I'm not willing to say that I'm the Christian yet. Who knows who could be listening in out here? "Wow, the news must be spreading fast." I know asking this might give me away, but I ask anyway. "If this person gets caught what will happen?" "I'm not sure. They will probably get executed. If there is one thing that I know it's this. There is no such thing as a safe Christian in these parts." Tammy waves at him from the background. "Sorry, Jaslina, I'm being signaled. Gotta go." He gives me one last glance before he runs off into the evening to do more work. Just this morning I was telling you about my daily routine, and now I'm wondering how much longer it will be before I'm found out. As soon as he's gone, I nearly collapse onto the ground trembling. I can't believe it was only a little over a month ago that I was so naí¯ve about the dangers of Christianity.
  7. ***The Next Afternoon~Jaslina's Point of View*** "Come on, Jaslina. Lift with me now," says Rayla. It is one-hundred and ten degrees out today. Rayla, I and two others were called out here to dump water on the master's children. Mainly we dump water on the little ones. This is how a lot of people keep cool here. "You got it griped tight?" asks Rayla. "Yup." I reply tightening my grip. "Alright, One...two...three...dump!" The water comes spilling out over the sides like a water fall. Habibah bursts out laughing. For the master's little girl, she is very sweet. The buckets are very hard to lift, but on the bright side, dumping water on them gets us wet too. "How was that?" I ask Habibah trying to sound nice. She seems to be turning these words over in her head. She is just learning English. "Good! More!" she exclaims. "Sorry," I say, "It's your brother's turn." This time she takes less time to examine the words and answers quicker. "Which brother?" "Talal. It's his turn." "Okay." She runs off dripping wet to alert him. She mutters something to him in Arabic. "You did a good job with her," says Rayla, "You should get put back to working in the mansion. The children seem to like you." "Yeah, I guess they do." I never thought that I would say this, but I like spending time with Master Akmal's little ones. They seem so nice and innocent. The fact that I'm American doesn't mean a thing to them. A very sweaty Talal comes limping up to us. With our bucket once again full, we get near to him. He takes a seat on the grass and tips his head up. "Okay, girl, grip it tight," says Rayla, "One...two...three...dump!" The water once again spills out over the sides. Running his fingers through his hair, he runs off looking refreshed.
  8. "Do we gotta get Safiyyah or are we good for a few more minutes?" I ask. "We're good for a few more minutes. The other girls got her. We will probably get Safiyyah in forty minutes after we get Badi'a again. At least we're cool for today, right?" "Right," I say, "So what do you want to do with our extra forty minutes? " "I'll stay here," says Rayla, "You can go water the garden." "Okay. Come get me in twenty minutes or so." I walk several paces into the garden. We dump water on the children in the backyard. The garden is right next to the backyard so that works out well for me. There was something happy and relieved in Rayla's expression, probably because I just told her about my secret conversations with Tammy and Landon during the day. She already knows that I'm a Christian, what harm can this do? Ever since I told Rayla this, it has eased her worry about her and Tammy hiding a Christian. All of the gossip is in the fields. Sure, Tammy works there too, but Landon's position there is right next to Master Akmal's and the slave master's break area. Since they don't think any of us understand Arabic, they say everything they would normally shut up about in front of us. So, yeah, Landon keeps us well informed. I enter through the arch and pick up my watering bucket. From behind the bushes I hear I rustling sound and someone saying "Pssst!" "Pssst!" Looking around, I edge my way toward the bushes and pretend to be watering.
  9. "I'm here, Landon," I whisper. "It's about time," he says sticking his head up, "I've been waiting for five minutes." "Sorry. I got held up dumping water on children." "Okay, that's understandable. Guess what? I've got more news of the Christian. Man, you won't like this." I feel my pulse pick up. "What is it?" I say trying to hide my nervousness. "There really is a Christian here; they've narrowed it down too. They suspect either one of the girls in your cabin, or one of the girls in cabin three." He narrows his eyes at me. I think I've been found out. "You know what, I'm not gonna stall asking this. Jaslina, are you the Christian?" He doesn't sound mean when asking this. He seems like he honestly cares. "I'm not gonna lie to you. Yes I am the Christian." He lets out a long sigh. "Jaslina, do you know how dangerous this is? If they find this out they will have You, Tammy, Rayla, and I executed!" "I know how dangerous this is, but I won't trade my religion. As long as they don't find out and don't search my cabin I'll be fine." I cover my mouth. How did that manage to come out? "What's in your cabin that will give you away?" "Nothing. Is that Rayla calling? I gotta go!" He puts a hand on my shoulder to hold me back, but I shrug it off. "You can't hide forever, Jaslina! We need to do something!" I keep running. If I just ignore this, maybe it will go away. It's worth a try. I exit the garden and return to my spot next to Rayla. "Jaslina, just in time. We need to do Safiyyah next." "Alright," I say, "I'll help fill up the bucket."
  10. ***One Week Later~Ryan's Point of View*** I'm laying in my bed near tears. However, I can't cry or somebody might hear me. Akmal has found out about Jaslina. I'm scared to death. Within the next couple of days or so he's bound to murder her! It's just then that I decide to make another fatal decision. I've got to warn them. I have to. I can't let her and her new found friends die. I'll write a letter. Only, not to Jaslina this time. If I write another letter to her she might catch on that I'm doing it. I've seen her talk to Landon. I'll send it to him.
  11. ***Two Days Later~ Jaslina's Point of View*** Now it is pitch blackness, and the moon is raised. Everyone in the other cabins should be sleeping by now. This is perfect. Rayla is putting out our oil lamp. Tammy is packing food and water. I am packing all of our sleeping mats and one extra dress for each of us, oh, and I'm bringing my Bible too. Not just that, but black cloaks too. By now if you haven't guessed what we're doing you're insane. We've got to meet Landon by the well in the garden in five minutes. Master Akmal is planning our execution. That's right. Tonight, we're making a run for it.

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