Dear Diary,

I haven't been able to write in this diary for awhile with all the chores I have to do now that I'm 15, but finally it's night and I'm writing what I can before I fall asleep. Today, I've decided this is not the place for me. Being whipped and working till I'm half dead is not what I, nor anyone else should put up with.

I was planning to run away tonight by following that bright light in the sky, but it's raining really hard and of course I can't see a single star in the sky. I guess I'll be running to the North tomorrow night.

Today, though, I found the old white lady, Bernadette, who tells runaway slaves where to go while venturing to the North.

"First," she said, "You have to go to a white woman's house which is as small as a slave's house. It's in Tennessee and very close to Missouri. The best part is that it's hidden in the woods. Follow the North Star until you find the enormous pine tree that's fallen over to make a bridge across a big ditch. Then, start off again in the direction the pine tree is pointing. After that, sneak into the forest with the tall thin trees everywhere. Then keep heading west. Look to the North Star if you're lost, or remember that moss always grows on the north side of a tree. Once you come to a group of big, old oak trees and maple trees, just pass those and you'll see a tiny cottage covered by trees and bushes."

All the information seemed pretty simple to follow. I hated it when she cautioned me about wolves and slave hunters though. I gave her my mother's pretty apron for the kindness she showed to me and all the other brave slaves who attempted to escape to the North.