And Joshua Came Down to Jericho Ch. 01

"You would do me?"

"If we had to. But you know too little as it is, to be of any harm to us. You have three months. But watch them white women. Remember the story of Delilah. Don't be like Samson, be like Lot, let no woman make you look back."

After Josh left, the old professor sank back in his seat. Josh had just left with his entire savings. There was nothing called The Black Hand. There was no hope, the chances of success were too small to compute. There were only two things that solidly existed, an old friend in need, and a young man that he believed in. He felt guilty, sending Josh off into the Lions den, like Daniel. His only consolation was that 40 years earlier, when he was in his prime, he would have gone to Jericho, with no hesitation. And he would have done all he was asking Josh of.

Chapter 2: Dirty old town named Jericho

After his long, early morning flight across country, Josh climbed out of the plane onto a small dusty Airstrip. The few white workers around stared at him like it wasn't normal to see a black man come out of a plane.

It was six weeks after his conversation with the professor, six weeks he had spent mainly as an apprentice for a gardening and landscaping firm. He had worked hard to learn as much as he could, for the matter of the heart he was embarking on. Josh had no idea how things would proceed, but he was confident of success as he stepped onto the soil of Jericho.

He was immediately stopped by some deputy sheriff and whisked to the Jericho Sheriff's Department. A couple of deputies sat around a TV, watching a rerun of fake wrestling. Country music like playing, like some jukebox shit. They didn't ask him many questions, just forced him into a stool and handcuffed his hands behind his back.

They searched him for anything and everything and checked his ID through the computer. He tried to ask what he had done wrong and the smirking deputies smacked him up and chocked him, careful not to leave any marks.

Sheriff Gray was radioed. The fat, high (as in drunk) sheriff came in, walking with the arms spread like a champion, pushing his thick gut proudly in front of him. His big, fat face was all red. The forty something year old fat boy removed his huge cowboy hat and wiped his prematurely balding head. Then he hit Josh in the face with his hat.

"Who the hell are you boy?" he wheezed. "Flying in here on a damn plane? The hell you think you are?"

"I am Abe's nephew. Abe had a hip operation and I am here to cover for him until he gets fit again. He told me that he told you."

"Boy, who told you to talk?"

"You just asked me a question, didn't you?"

"Wrong answer boy!"

Smack! Smack! Smack!

"Yeah, choke him Marty, think he is something special. Think this is New York? Around here we Don't like Yanks, and we Don't like niggers! Introduce him to the club, James. Make him dance the jig.."

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Choke! Choke! Choke!

Josh couldn't believe it. He wailed with agony for their pleasure as he blanked out the pain and controlled his rage. His life could quickly become endangered, with these dumb, barely educated, white thugs, drunk on whiskey and power.

Any doubts he had at all about his prof's words disappeared. He adopted the tone of voice that appealed to them.

"I am sorry sir. I was out of line. I only want to help my uncle and I wont cause no trouble. I swear."

"You are twenty two, huh? The hell you were doing up to now? Loafing around? Doing drugs? Do you have drugs on you? Does he, Tim?"

"He is clean. But maybe I ought to make him strip and spread them. Search around his hole with the club a bit, who knows what might come out his dirty hole." They all laughed, like a bunch of sadists.

"I asked you a question, boy."

"I dropped out of school sir. Then I started gardening. I am a very good gardener sir. And I am a good boy. Yessa!"

"Do you like white women, huh? Wanna fuck a blond, or a brunette? Or is it what you prefer is a redhead? Huh? Catch the jungle fever, huh, you jungle bunny?"

"The Sheriff asked you a question boy!" Smack! Smack! "Do you find white women ugly, or do you find them purty?"

Josh didn't like the way all the white men were smirking. They looked like they wanted to put some work in.

If he said ugly, they would damn sure bash him. If he said pretty, they would thrash him for sure. He didn't answer. Wrong answer!

Smack! Smack! Smack! Choke hold! Knee to the head.

"Careful Marty. Remember what the mayor said, not to leave any marks."

"Sorry, I forgot," said young Marty and smacked Josh across the eyes, making him see stars. "You were asked a question, you stupid mutt!" And another one, and another one.

"No sir! This is kind of embarrassing for me, but I am impotent. Had a little accident back in 95. Since then, I cant get it up. Not even with Viagra."

"You wanna tell me you and your Uncle are both impotent?"

"Yeah. I have the medical records right there. Uncle Abe told me to bring them..."

Josh was glad Professor Michaels had gotten him some faked school as well as medical records. Though brutal, the Sheriff and his boys were effective. They checked him thoroughly. The Sheriff read, but he wasn't convinced.

"Get him a magazine and lets see him jerk off. If you get hard boy, you dead!"

One of the deputies took a porn mag from his desk. It was Black Tail, a porn rag with black women.

"Show him my favorite, Jacme! Lets see him jerk off to Jacme. Pull out the black snake boy!"

"Would be so kind as to release my hands for a second, Sir?" Josh asked very politely and they liked that.

A young woman walked in. She made for the Sheriff who immediately hid the porn rag.

"The hell you want Carrie?"

"Mr Ken is running wild again. They say he is trying to shoot his wife and kids, they holed up in the barn."

"Alright boys, Lets go and sort this out. Bring some tranquilizers and rubber bullets Marty, lets go knock his old, demented ass out," the Sheriff said, feeling excited, like a little boy.

"What shall we do about him?" Tim said, smacking the back of Josh's head.

"Let the impotent nigger go. But listen boy, we watching you. Mess around one time, and you are going down the fucking creek. Show him we mean business Tim, then let him go."

So it was said and so it was done. Josh was taken to a sound proofed room at the back by young Deputy James Hendrick and young Deputy Tim Alan and bashed, chocked and used to practice some wrestling moves. They beat him professionally, without leaving any marks, but it hurt, physically and mentally. Josh couldn't believe that the two deputies choked him with billy clubs, put him in double scissors headlocks, gave him a taste of the clothes line, double leg drop kicks, and even rubbed his face in their sweaty arm pits as they tried out some Chris Benoit choke holds. But seeing was believing.

Josh wanted to tell them about Martin Luther, Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela and make them realize that what they were doing was out and belonged to another era, long gone by. But he somehow sensed that this wasn't the right time to try and stand up for his rights, as a human being.

He shut his mouth, but shit still got worse. The deputies called in Carrie, the young lady who took care of the paper work, and told her to enjoy the show as they made him dance the jig, helping him with some lusty swings of the billy club at his legs. Carrie, enjoyed the show, laughing, and then she got bored and sneered, and called him an untalented jigabboo.

Tim, 22 year old white trash hill billy Deputy Sheriff looked at Carrie, and gave her his cum on smile. Josh could tell the dude had the hots for the girl. He looked Carrie over on the sly. She was a redhead, with long, curly locks that spilled over her shoulders. Her face was long and wide, and she had cold, intense eyes. Her nose was long and pointed and she had a wide, thin mouth. Her thin upper lip was constantly curled back, exposing her teeth in a permanent sneer. There was something humorless and almost sad about her. Josh knew she was not a nice, friendly person at all. She lloked like she had issues. And the way she smirked at him, he could tell she did not like his black ass at all.

Carrie was dressed in a white blouse, tucked into a pair of striped, grey pants. She had a very athletic, sturdy body, reminiscent of tennis player, Amelie Mauresmo. She had wide shoulders and hip bones, with a flat belly and slim waist. Her hips were flaring, her ass cheeks big and firm, and her thighs were big and muscular, her legs were athletic. She had a pair of fake tits you could have spotted a mile away. They looked like she had borrowed them from a chick in LA, yunno, some wanna be movie star turned gold digging bimbo and part time Stripper, named Cinderella with the Glass Slippers.

"Carrie, why don't you show us some of the moves you teach the girls at the self defense classes. Like, what would you do if such a nigger like this tried to jump you..."

"Oh, I'd beat that black ass to a crisp," Carrie snorted confidently. Josh didn't like the sadistic smile on her face one bit.

"Show us, go on girl," Deputy James Hendrick encouraged. "Here," he pushed Josh at Carrie. "And if you try anything funny, you gonna get it boy!" he warned Josh, emphasizing his point with a billy club crack at his black ass.

Carrie stepped up to with two feet of Josh, shaking her arms and kicking her legs as if warming up for a prize fight. Josh could tell she was gonna put some work in. Violence from the white men had made him mad, but he had expected it, from them, for they were barbarians. However, seeing a woman about to bash him sadistically, for no reason was just unfathomable. He fixed his eyes on hers, like,

"Mama, why? What have I done thee?"

Carrie seemed to falter, like she was coming to her senses for a second.

"What's the matter Carrie?" James teased. "Don't be scared. He is impotent, just like his Uncle."

"I think Carrie has just turned into a nigger lover. You want some black meat, huh?" Deputy Tim teased and laughed sardonically.

"Don't be stupid!" Carrie sneered.

Josh saw her attack coming a million miles away. But he was too numb to move. And he was scared the two deputies would punish him again, for ducking and making a white hand traveling at high velocity miss his black face.

She wasn't that fast, but she packed loads of power in her blows. She cracked him one to the jaw, another to the solar plexus, then moved in and kneed him hard to the groin, making him double up. Then she rammed her knee into his forehead and Josh let himself fall. The deputies applauded, even more so as she kicked him to the belly with her shiny, tailored leather boots.

They wanted to see some more, so they yanked Josh to his feet. He looked at Carrie, wiping her hair from her face, which was beaming, with pride and sadistic pleasure. Her big, fake tits were rising and falling rapidly to her hastened, excited breathing. She gathered herself for another attack.

Josh suddenly looked hard at her, letting his rage show for a second. She flinched.

"Woof!" he barked sharply and made as if to attack her.

"Ya-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-hhhhh!" Carrie screamed with mortal fear and tried to back pedal so fast that she tripped over her own two feet and fell crashing on her ass. Laughing hard, Josh threw himself to the ground and rolled himself into a ball, protecting his face and belly just as the boots and billy clubs started raining. The deputies couldn't quite hold back their laughter, even as they beat Josh the fuck up. He was glad that at least they avoided wrists, knees, elbows and his head and face. But his back and ass took a licking.

"Let me at him. Let me at the bastard, Carrie snarled.

Josh's last memory was of the two deputies pulling his legs apart and Carrie swinging her boot down at his genitals. He just managed to raise his hips so he took the brunt of the blow on the small of his back. Then a searing pain forced him to black out.

Chapter 3: Hell on Earth

They doused a bucket of cold water over him and threw him out, accompanied by a final boot to the ass from Carrie who still was mad. She called him a bastard jungle bunny and a son of bitch!

"Some bitches just cant take a joke," Josh laughed to himself dryly. His body was feeling sore, like he had never experienced. He now knew the true meaning of catching a bad ass kicking. He had bumps, bruises, sores, wounds, whatever, and he wasn't even four hours in Jericho.

The black side of the tracks was filled with mostly derelict bungalows, like something from some western propaganda media report on a poor, third world country. Abe, the black gardener with whom he would be staying seemed to be doing quite well. The whites thought he was a good boy. His spacious house was like an oases of affluence in a desert of abject poverty.

As Josh stumbled, groaned and winced into his house, Abe looked critically at him, like "boy you ain't shit." He was an old, but big, fit guy of sixty. He had just been operated on his hip and received an artificial hip bone. Josh was so pissed from the sheriff's reception party, calling it an injustice and abomination, but Abe wasn't even impressed.

"That ain't nothing. When them deputy boys really work on you in earnest, boy you wont even say shit!"

He made Josh push him in a wheel chair to his large, beautiful, well tended garden. He then lectured to Josh for hours, on how to take care of lawns, flower beds, rose bushes, hedges... Then he sat back in his chair and inspected Josh trying things out. Josh had always liked gardening and had a fair amount of knowledge on plants.

"Josh, my clients are white folks. Now, this is the South. Them crackers still think we Negroes. This ain't like up East, you hear. I do my work, they pay me. I don't care if they call me a nigger behind my back, hell, I call them crackers behind they back. Is that clear?"

Josh nodded but his eyes blazed.

"Boy, you green behind the ears. I cant believe they sent you to do a real man's job. I know you cant do it. You don't have what it takes. Your a spoilt brat."

"Relax old man. Ain't nothing to tending no damn gardens..."

Josh snapped and pushed Abe back in doors.

The following day, Josh was broken into Abe's business. The old guy was all modernized, he kept a timetable in his laptop, which told him when to visit which garden, what to take with him and what to do. He told Josh not to say a word about the computer. He worked most of the gardens in the small town. Most were monthly or fortnightly, and only a few were weekly or even twice weekly. The work was light. Abe commissioned other people for heavier work, like planting lawns, cutting hedges and trees.

Josh was given a drab, over sized pair of overalls and he loaded up the truck under the old guy's watchful eyes. They drove to several homes together. Abe introduced Josh as his nephew to the white housewives who seemed to exclusive care for the garden. They were of varying ages. They were polite and familiar with Abe but hardly cast Josh a second glance. In fact, a couple of elder ones were cautious, like they thought they would have to lock up the jewels. Abe said to call him, if Josh messed up and he'd put his boot in his lazy ass, something that made the white women smile and nod.

For the rest of the week, Abe came along, watching over Josh. Josh did his best and worked very hard, in the burning sun, in the stifling overalls, which Abe forbade him to take off, saying he would be lynched. He did such a good job that the old guy was finally satisfied and did not bother coming along, although he called every customer and inquired if Josh had been up to shit.

Marcia, a pretty, petite neighbor's daughter came in to clean and cook for Abe. Josh caught a glance of her a couple of times. He tried to chat with the alluring young chocolate brown honey, but Abe said,

"Ah ah. Cant mess with her and spoil things for me," and he chased him away.

Josh came from work in the evenings, tired as hell, his muscles aching and killing him. He sat on the porch with Abe, drinking a beer and chatting. When the old guy, who was an early sleeper, turned in, he smoked a couple of blunts the old boy gave him, as a welcoming present, and listened to music on his mp3 player or watch TV.

In the first week, Abe took him all over town, to all the different places where they had work to do, allowing him to see much of Jericho and the surrounding areas.

Jericho was a wealthy, little place, with wide, tarred roads, huge houses, huge gardens, huge fences. Yeah, everything in the town was huge, and screamed, wealthy, filthy rich, affluent. There were all sorts of leisure amenities, like a small, affluent shopping district, a theater, movie house, golf courses, tennis courts, riding clubs and ranches, shooting range.. Jericho had a small, thriving tourist business, which catered to rich, invitation only guests. Bill Gates couldn't come there if they didn't want him.

Even though Josh had always suspected white people of being racists at heart, he had never imagined something as blatantly racist as Jericho still existed in the USA. He couldn't believe it. But seeing as believing.

The whites had it good. They lived in luxury, drove shiny SUV, lived in big houses, in comfort, with their families. They didn't have to do menial work at all, black maids and servants did it all. Most of the white men and kids were fat like ostriches.

The really rich white men looked at black men like they were just some big, brutish beasts who walked on two feet and could understand orders. The ones lower down the ladder however, like Sheriff Gray and his deputies, hated blacks and wanted to put them in their place and constantly remind them that they were nothing, much lower than them.

The blacks in Jericho didn't own shit and didn't have shit to say neither. To Josh they were a nice, friendly, well humored, country folk. But in Jericho, they were just cheap labor. They had them fully under control. They were prevented from acquiring advanced education. They cooked, cleaned, pumped gas, worked as nannies and basically did all the menial jobs in town. They were paid enough to keep them alive and fit for work. It was like the whites were pimping them and keeping them broke like whores, so they couldn't even run away. They were only allowed small backyard businesses.

Sheriff Gray and his men were an ever clear and present, violent threat, curbing any thoughts of protest. And the high sheriff had a network of spies in place, so nobody even dared to complain aloud, as subversive elements were dealt with real quick and violently.

Josh was constantly reminded of the brutality because all the Deputies seemed to love him like kids loved a new toy. Whenever Abe and he drove past a patrol car, they would be pulled over. Josh would be dragged out of sight and the deputies would rough him up and thrash him a little bit. Abe said not to take it personal, the novelty would wear off.

The oppressed, brutalized folk was very religious, and had a close feeling of community. They shared and bore their sorrows together. Yet the violence they were subjected to was very present in their society. Arguments were quick to erupt into vicious fights. A peaceful beer drink could quickly turn into swinging knives and flying bottles. Sheriff Gray and his boys didn't give a fuck about black on black violence. You would be arrested for sneering at a white man but not for killing a black man. Josh also noticed a prevalent low opinion of women amongst the men as well as a lack of respect for men amongst the women.

Josh felt so upset and disgusted. And he began to feel mad at the local blacks for not talking about the revolution like Tracy Chapman. When he complained to Abe about it, the old guy said not to dis brothers and sisters who were suffering under the evil Pharaoh, but to lend a hand.