Hudson's accident
One morning, while everyone was back to their jobs in the mine, Hudson came up to John and said to him wearily, "My friend John, you know I am a good worker and an ever faithful and serving slave to the masters. Dear John, I am not feeling fine today. I cannot keep working at the mine. I'm totally exhausted."
John looked closely at Hudson and said: "You don't look good my friend. Your face is white and you're covered in cold sweat. I think you've caught a virus or something." John pointed to a small alcove in the stone. "Sit down over there. Just for a few minutes until you feel a little better."
"I'll do that, John. Just for a few minutes. Thank you." Hudson thanked him, his movements slow and unsteady. He stumbled to the corner of the room and collapsed into a heap.
"I'll be right back checking on you Hudson" John said walking back to his group of slaves.
Just a few minutes later, John suddenly heard a loud scream coming from the corner where Hudson was resting. He ran over and saw a guard standing in front of Hudson.
Whip in his right hand, the guard leaned over Hudson, who was crouching in the corner, and yelled at Hudson.
"You are a worthless slave. Get back to work now, or you'll be punished worse than you've ever been punished before."
Hudson got up with great difficulty. "I'm sick, sir. Please let me rest. I'm not ready to go back to work yet."
The guard yelled at Hudson. "I do not care if you are sick. Get back to work now, or you'll be punished."
Hudson began to cry. "Please sir, I'm sick. I don't feel good enough to go back just yet. I'm begging you, please sir, let me rest a little."
The guard suddenly punched Hudson hard in the face. Hudson fell to the ground. Blood began to flow from his nose. The guard yelled at him. "You lazy sack, you will go back to work now." The guard grabbed Hudson's arm and dragged him away. "I'll kill you, you stupid piece of stone. You'll never rest again."
John stood in shock. Tears came to his eyes. His head began to spin. He could not believe his eyes. He could not believe what he was seeing. His mind was in turmoil. What had just happened? Why did the guard do that? Why was Hudson beaten so violently? John had never seen anything like that in his life. He could not understand how Hudson could be treated so poorly. He knew it was wrong. It had to be wrong.
John walked over to the slave guard and asked him: "Why did you beat Hudson so hard? What did he do wrong?"
The guard looked at John and said, "What does it matter? He is a worthless slave. He does not deserve to live. He does not deserve to be treated well. He is a slave. He does not deserve anything good. He does not deserve your sympathy." The guard walked away.
John was filled with anger and sadness. He could not understand why the slaves had to be treated so poorly. Why did they have no rights? Why were they beaten so brutally? He thought about Hudson, lying unconscious in a corner, blood pouring from his bruised and swollen face. John tried to help Hudson to his feet. Hudson, however, was no longer responsive. His wounds were severe and he had fallen into a coma.
John couldn't go back to do his job. He had to help Hudson not to die here and there. But what could John do? What could he do for Hudson?
John got a cart from the mine, put Hudson in it, left the mine and took him to his hut.
John had so many questions in his mind. He was trying to understand what had just happened. In Hudson's hut, John looked at Hudson's unconscious body, and he cried. He cried for his friend, for the slaves, for the injustice of the world. With some medicine that John found on a shelf, he tried to help Hudson. He handed Hudson the medicine with some water from his own tin bottle. But Hudson didn't move and remained in a coma.
Every day John checked on Hudson and worried about his friend. John tried to get medicine everywhere to get Hudson back to health. Hudson's daughter Amity, was also with Hudson every day and tried to help as much as possible. Things weren't looking good for him. Though he regained consciousness, it looked like he might never walk again.
Amity and John often spoke to each other as they sat on Hudson's straw bed and tended to him. Their conversations mostly concerned possible attempts to improve Hudson's health and the problems the masters caused the slaves.
Amity said "It's horrible how we're treated here. Slavery is a brutal, inhumane institution."
John could not disagree more. He had seen the cruelty of the masters firsthand and knew that they must be stopped. He wanted to help his friend Hudson and all of the other slaves. He could not sit idly by while.
John answered "I agree, Amity. This is a horrible situation. We need to do something to end slavery once and for all."
If I want to escape this cycle of violence, I must fight against the system that has destroyed everyone and everything, John thought to himself. And he knew that he had to use his own power to take a stand against the oppressive forces of slavery.
"I have enough of this life as a supervisor for the spaceship colony." John said. "I am no longer willing to do the dirty work for the masters; I am no longer willing to police the desperate rabble and make sure that they do not rise up against the nobility. I am done with being a pawn on the chess board, and I am ready to take destiny into my own hands. I will rebel against the system and fight for freedom for all of the slaves!" John shouted.
In this night, John and Amity agreed to work together to help the slaves. Both of them knew where they had to go. They decided that they would start with Hudson. They would find a way to get Hudson the medical care he needed, as well as making a plan to fight against the masters.
"We have to fight back. We have to stand up for ourselves and take control of our own fate. We could start a revolt. We could rise up and overthrow our masters." Amity said.
John nodded in agreement. They knew that the time had come to stand up against the terrible oppression that had been inflicted upon them.
"Everything changes tomorrow," John said. "We will join the movement for the freedom and equality of all people! We will rebel against this monstrous regime!"
That night, John and Amity hatched a plan. John was determined to make a stand and fight for justice, liberty, fairness, and the rights of all slaves, with Hudson and Amity in mind. John and Amity were both set on creating a better future for them all.