Escaping Through The Night With Albia

Ancient Rome, 509 B.C.

Take it, run with it, and most definitely, don't look back.... Or so he thought.

At hora prima, Albia awakens in his attic. He sighs. He throws on thin rags from the damp minimal corner in the attic in his master's domus and dirty sandals.

He ruffs his dry, brown tinted hair with his crackling dark skin. Albia steps down on the creaking steps and enters his master, Hesterias' wheat field. As he walks out with a large bindle, the sun rises above the nearby mountain ranges and greets him with thin rays of sunshine. A fresh summer breeze then breathes onto Albia. He sighs once more.

fresh

summer breeze

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as he

gathers wheat, herbs,

"The world seems as if it is repeating itself over and over...". Albia lets out a heavy breath full of sorrow and pain as he gathers wheat, herbs, and olives for Hesterias' feast tonight. He beings to grin at the creation of his thought. "What if I gathered little to no crops and walked falsely around the field ay?"

and olives

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Help Albia Choose What To Do!

Gather Many and A Variety of Crops

Drawing By Andrew Huynh

Gather Little To No Crops

Drawing By Andrew Huynh

Albia begins to trot around the field gathering small stones

Albia begins to trot around the field gathering small stones to fill his bindle , and very few to no crops. Once during hora sexta hits, he drops it off at the kitchen where other slaves are preparing the feast for Hesterias and his peers tonight. Soon after, Hesterias is notified of Albia's poor work ethic...

fill his bindle

no crops

work ethic

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filthy

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Hesterias then confronts Albia. "You, filthy slave, come here this instant! One of the kitchen slaves has notified me of your horrible work ethic! You are no longer allowed to work in the field ever! You now serve me inside my domus where I can watch you slave!"

Albia is then thrown a slap onto the side of his face.

THE END

The Story Now Continues...

After making his choice, Albia fills his bindle with herbs, olives, and grains. He then makes his way towards the kitchen in Hesterias' domus. Once he drops off the crops, he makes his way back towards the endless grain field. Albia continues to gather more crops.

Once hora sexta arrives, Albia sits down and pulls out his daily prandium meal, a small piece of wheat bread and cheap wine from his bindle. "Wine and bread, great." While he sips his wine, he dreams of being an elected representative of Rome. "I wonder what it's like to live in fancy domuses and gobble down on wondrous foods."

herbs,

olives,

and grains.

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Drawing By Andrew Huynh

Once the hour passes, Albia dusts the bread crumbs off his rags and continues to bindle herbs and whole grains. As he continues, he turns and realizes a group of nearby slaves are waving towards him. Albia hesitates for a moment, he glances around to make sure no slave owners are nearby. He then dashes over to them.

Once Albia makes to them, they start discussing their plans and encourage him to take part in their escapement. "Uh, um, uh." Albia confusingly responds. He observes the slaves. All of them hold a collar around their necks. The slave to the right of him seems female and is wearing a messy apron and gloves.

"You, you work in the kitchen?" Albia quietly asks.

"Yeah, I do." She responds. "You should join us."

"Uh, um, i'm not sure but i'll take your offer into consideration."

i'm not sure but I'll

take your offer

into

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consideration

Help Albia Choose What To Do!

Take Part In Their Escapement

Completely Decline The Offer and Continue Gathering Crops

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Once Albia agrees to join their escapement they start discussing their plans. Soon Hesterias and other nearby slave owners catch their slaves not laboring. Albia is then thrown into the basement.

"If I see you talking to those or any slaves again you're getting your face branded!" Hesterias exclaims. SLASH! "AAAA!" Albia screams. CLIP! "AAAA". Albia continues to wail in pain of his master's whip. After, Albia is sent to gather his materials and use his own rags to clean the floors of the kitchen.

their