Kunta's Revenge

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Kunta’s Revenge

The slap of the whip had become too painful to bear. I could feel the skin from my back being ripped away in jagged slabs. Blood and dirt mingled together to form chunks of mud that staggered down my back. I no longer had the strength to scream out my pain. The stench of my own urine made it difficult to breathe. Tears welled up inside my eyes and flowed freely down my face in spurts of intense rage.

The crackle of the whip sounded again. More flesh was snatched from my body. Rusty iron shackles plowed into my wrists and ankles each time I collapsed into silent spasms of pain. My consciousness weaved in and out like the shadow of a clever boxer.

I could hear the whip being whooshed in the air again, ready to lash out at me. I forced my head around and stared back at my captor. Our eyes grabbled for several stubborn seconds. It suddenly became apparent to me that I was about to be murdered.

This realization challenged my resolve. “Is this worth it?” I wondered. “Am I really prepared to die for this?”

A smile formed across my chocolate face. Without warning, my smile began to mutate into a hoarse chuckle that somehow transformed into a vigorous, almost hysterical laughter. Time stuttered clumsily in place as the sound of my laughter vandalized every ear in range. A deep sense of peace enveloped me. I would rather die than tell this inhuman monster that my name is "TOBY!"

I will be Kunta Kinte 'till death.