Chapter 1
Susan couldn't help it, she screamed.
This startled Willy, who's eyes were still shut. He quickly opened them and said, "Hush, Miss Green, someone will think that I'm hurtin' you. What's wrong?"
"Someone thinkin' that you're hurtin' me is the least of our problems," Susan said referring to the direction where the plantation was.
Willy looked, but he didn't see anything. His eyesight wasn't too good. "What are you talking about, Miss Green?" he asked.
"Willy, the whole plantation is gone!" she said.
Willy looked, sure enough it seemed like in front of him was just a large field. "Where did it go?" he asked.
"Where did we go?" Susan responded.
Willy looked at her and nodded, not that she could see it. "Let's take a look around," Susan said. The two of them stood up and started walking forwards. Susan led the way.
Suddenly her foot hit a solid surface, it wasn't grass, she could tell that. Not worried about this, she kept on walking. Suddenly she saw two bright lights heading straight towards her. Susan stared in awe. The lights suddenly screeched to a stop right in front of her and she could see the faint outline of something.
"What is that, Miss Green?" Willy asked.
"I don't know, Willy. I don't know," she said and she grabbed his hand and started to run.
They ran for a while until they saw a house. Susan smiled and said, "I bet they can help us." She walked up to the door and briskly knocked.
"Yes?" said the man who answered the door. He was a tall, black man who was wearing a pair of spectacles.
Susan stood there for a few seconds not exactly sure how to address him. Her fear got the most of her and she said, "We're terribly lost, we're not sure where we are, or how we got here. Please help us. We don't know what to do."
"Do you know what time it is? Who do you think you are interrupting us at four in the morning?" a white lady said coming from behind.
"Well, I'm Susan Green. My father, Rodger Green, is a wealthy plantation owner. But I can't seem to find the plantation anywhere. How does a entire plantation disappear?!" she exclaimed.
"What?" the woman asked.
"Your lantern was lit. We took it as a sign of hospitality," Willy said.
"Theo, you left the light on," the woman said.
"I was planning on turning it off when I was done with my work," he said. Then he turned to Willy and Susan. "Why don't you kids come inside?"
"Don't let them inside," the woman said.
"Listen, sweetheart, I can handle myself," he said.
"Sweetheart?" Susan asked.
"Yes, sweetheart. This is my wife, Virginia, and I'm Theo," he said.
"Married? Is that even legal?" Susan asked with hope.
Virginia just glared at her. And Theo ignored her. "Now, explain what happened to you kids slowly," he said.
"Well, I was on my father's plantation-" Susan started.
"I'm going to stop you right there," Theo said, "When you say plantation do you mean . . ."
"My father's plantation. Rodger Green. Have you heard of him?"
"Can't say I have," he said.
"Okay, well, I was on my father's plantation then I went to go make a wish on the star watching wall an I brought Willy with me to make a wish too. And when I opened my eyes the plantation was gone. And there were these two bright lights heading straight for us. And I'm terribly lost and afraid," Susan said.
"Why are wearing such weird clothes?" Virginia asked.
"I beg your pardon, my clothes are a lot more appropriate then your clothes. I've never seen such a pattern. And on slacks too," Susan said referring to Virginia's purple slacks with what seemed to be owls on them. Virginia was just wearing a white shirt above that.
"What year is it?" Theo asked.
"Why it's 1860," Susan said.
Both Virginia and Theo's jaw dropped. They stared at Susan for a couple of seconds. And then Virginia said, "1860? Try 2010. You're 150 years off."
"Oh, I get it. You guys are one of those acting groups. You guys are acting," Theo said.
"I reckon I don't what you mean," Susan said.
“You can cut out the act. Are you kids from the high school drama department? Are they doing a play about the civil war. Oh, I know you're doing “The Miracle Worker.” I love that play,” he said.
“What war?” Susan asked.
“The Civil War. You know between the North and the South. North won. Abolished slavery. Oh, gosh, hun, are you acting or not?” Virginia said.
“There's going to be a war between the North and the South? But we're the same country. We have some differences, but surely the North wouldn't attack us,” Susan said.
“Abolished slavery?” Willy asked with hope in his voice.
“I think they're serious, Theo, I really think they think they're from the year 1860 and they have no clue what the Civil War is,” Virginia said.
“Gin, be serious,” Theo said. “What did you say your name was, young lady?”
“Susan Green,” she said.
“Come with me,” he said. And he led them into the house where more lanterns seemed to be lit. But these were strange lanterns. The candles seemed to be hanging upside down. He then led them through the hall and into the parlor which was decorated in such an odd way. He led them to a box in the corner that was sitting on a table. It was very thin, no more then an inch thick, though it was very wide. It was gray on top and black on the bottom. Two letters a lower-case D and a lower-case Y sat in the circle inside a box. He pressed on a latch and opened it. And Susan found out it wasn't a box at all. Instead on the top there appeared to be black glass and on the bottom was an assortment of strange words and letter in a random order.
“What thing is this?” Susan asked.
“It's a computer,” he said as he placed his finger on a pad towards the front. Suddenly the black glass lit up and there was a portrait of Virginia, Theo, and three black kids. He moved his finger and a little white arrow on the portrait moved with it. There were strange symbols on the side. He moved the white arrow towards on of them and made a clicking sound twice. Suddenly the portrait and the symbols disappeared and white took their place. Susan was fascinated by the lights, the movements, and the colors. She had never seen anything like it.
Theo typed “Susan Green 1860” into the google search bar. There was a wikipedia entry with the title Rodger Green. “Rodger Green?” he said to Susan.
“That's my father,” Susan said.
“Hmm. Let's see,” he said, “Rodger Green was an adamant Confederate General in the civil war. General Green admits that he was actually planning on voting for President Lincoln before one of the slaves kidnapped his only daughter, Susan Green, in 1860. After the war he became so furious he ended up killing all of his slaves before they could escape. You could of just got that from here.”
“I don't understand. He's not like that. He wouldn't . . .”
“What evidence do you have that you're the Susan Green from the article?” Virginia asked.
“He's not a killer!” Susan exclaimed.
“Calm down, Miss Green,” Willy said, “She's not that Susan Green. She can't be. She wasn't kidnapped. I know all of the other slaves and I know they wouldn't do anything to hurt Miss Green or Mr. Green.”
“Willy, I'm not at the plantation right now. And people saw us go to the wall together. My daddy thinks you kidnapped me,” she said.
“Oh,” he said.
“Willy. I got to go back. I can't let my daddy kill those slaves.”
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