Sally

Semi-Finalist in the 2018 William Faulkner – William Wisdom Writing Contest

It’s 1968. Alice, a white nurse at an old-folks’ home, makes friends with the establishment’s oldest and only African-American resident, Sally. Alice shares a special bond with Sally, a bond she only divulges to her husband. Alice gains Sally’s trust and records her life and all the struggles she faced as a black person born into slavery.

Decades later, Michelle moves into her grandmother’s house. She finds her grandmother’s journals stored away in the attic, where they have lain untouched for forty years. A picture falls out. It is of an African-American woman and her grandmother. It is inscribed: My ancestor, Sally Ann Barnes, 1858 to 1969.

Michelle devours the contents of the journals. They end abruptly. Michelle makes it her mission to find out more about Sally. The quest brings up more questions than answers. Just when she thinks she has come to a dead end, she uncovers the most startling fact of all.

Inspired by the life of Sally Ann Barnes 1858 to 1969