Andy’s Chains

By Guy K. Henry

www.guyhenry.com

“Move it slave!” the bad-tempered master commanded.

Andy picked up his heavy chains and obediently crawled into the cart. About ten other slaves were already sitting in the cart, but none of them acknowledged eight year old Andy. He arranged his chains and sat down next to a sobbing woman who had her face buried in her hands. He thought to himself that she wore on the outside what he felt on the inside.

“This is not right!” He said loud enough so that his fellow passengers could hear, but hopefully not loud enough that the demonic driver could hear. Eyes glared at Andy. The tired, scared and furious eyes of his fellow slaves begged Andy to be silent. He considered their advice, but decided against it when he realized that there was nothing else that these slave drivers could take away from him.

Emboldened he gathered up his chains and stood up in the middle of the cart. “You can’t do this to me!” He shouted with his boyish voice. “I was put here on this earth for a greater purpose than to be your slave!”

Nobody looked at the boy except for the evil driver. He abruptly stopped the horses that were pulling the cart. Andy stumbled and tripped over his chains. He started to regain some balance when the red faced master yanked on his chain. Andy flew out of the cart like a child’s toy and landed in a heap in the middle of the dirt road. He lay there stunned for a moment.

Then the master kicked the boy to the side of the road. He hooked the heel of his heavy boot on Andy’s skinny neck. The master’s bloodshot eyes bulged as he spoke. “Listen now! ARE YOU LISTENING?!” He boomed. Andy couldn’t breath much less speak. He nodded his head feebly to indicate that he understood.

“I own you! You belong to me!” he shouted. “You exist to obey my commands,” He said with a growl. “You are mine to do with what I please.”

He paused and the let up on his boot. Andy struggled to catch his breath. The hateful master lifted up a large shovel and hurled it at the boy. “Now, dig me a ditch you useless slave.” The slave owner indicated with his hand the length of the ditch he was commanding the little boy to dig. “I will be back in three hours, and that ditch had better be to my liking.”

With that he turned his back and rode down the road with the rest of the slaves. Andy was scared, but he wasted no time working that shovel and starting work on the ditch.

The boy worked at a furious pace. There was no possibility that he could finish the ditch in time, but perhaps his punishment would be lessened if he could show three or more hours of work by the time the master returned.

He didn’t see the stranger approach him. Andy hadn’t heard him as he stood by the edge of the ditch. Andy was busy moving dirt. He nearly leaped out of the ditch with fear when he felt the man’s hand gently tap him on his shoulder.

“What do you want?” Andy asked.

“I’m here to give you what you want,” the man softly replied.

Andy paused for a moment, and then asked, “Where are your chains?” He had never met anyone besides the evil master and his people who weren’t bound in chains.

“I have no chains,” the man explained. Then he said, “And I can release you from yours.”

The boy stood speechless for a moment. His entire short life he had dreamed of being freed from his chains. He had all but given up on the idea until this man turned up.

“Are you crazy?” Andy asked. “Do you know how much trouble I’d be in if I was even caught talking with you?”

“Don’t be afraid Andy,” the man said.

“You know my name?” Andy asked.

“I know all about you Andy, now, may I take your chains off?” The mysterious man asked.

“These chains are too tight, and no one but the masters have keys,” Andy glumly explained.

“May I take your chains?” The man repeated.

“Yes, yes you can!” Andy said suddenly believing that this man was able to do what he said.

Wordlessly the man knelt down and thrust his hand into the pile of chains on the ground. Amazingly, as he touched each iron link, it vanished. The man quickened his pace, and the chain melted away. For the first time in his memory, Andy couldn’t feel the heavy chains on his shoulders. When he moved his arms and legs they seemed as light as air.

“Andy,” the man spoke.

“Yes”

“Andy, you are free now. You belong to me, and I have freed you!” the man explained. “I paid your price.”

Andy hardly understood these words. He understood the fact that the chains were gone, and this wonderful man was responsible for that. Suddenly Andy threw his arms around the man and hugged him tight. “Thank you! Thank you!” was all he could say.

Just then Andy heard a rumble. It was the master’s cart returning to take him back to the slave’s bunkhouse. He started to shake with fear.

The man was reassuring. “Don’t be afraid, they don’t have any power over you any more.” He continued, “You don’t belong to them any longer, you belong to me.”

Still Andy was afraid. He lifted up his shovel just as his old master’s cart skidded to a stop a few feet from him.

“I see I’ll have to deal with a lazy slave this evening,” he sneered. The he bellowed, “Get in the cart you worthless boy,”

 Andy looked towards the man who had banished his chains, who smiled at him lovingly.

“If I have to get out of this cart slave, I’ll beat you through the night!” barked the slave master.

Then the kind man spoke up. “Stay in your cart!” he commanded. “This boy belongs to me now. You have no power over him”

The old master started to rise up in his seat. He looked at the kind man who looked back with powerful eyes, and sunk back down. He whipped the horses and sped down the road shouting, “I’ll be back to get you boy!”