The other morning, I had a dream. I saw three Black children walking a highway in the American Midwest. I was floating above following. There was a young boy in a Yankee's cap, a little girl with a Hello Kitty backpack, and a toddler in an Amish bonnet. The boy pulled a red 1950's "American Flyer" wagon with white walls. In it sat the baby with some luggage.

The children were singing as they walked.
The boy sang a bright hymn the little girl gave old gospel response. The baby was waving a feather at the sky.

They was headed for Bison Kansas just across the next bridge. A peaceful late 21st century town. Traffic was passing. Some cars slowed their occupants staring in amazement. The kids took no mind they was used to gawkers.

Cars stopped. These children were the first African Americans they'd seen in decades. For some the first they'd seen in their lives. America 'least the United States part of it hadn't any Black folks since "The Day". A Labor Day just after the last Oil War.

All Negros had decided as one to leave. ...and did.
They left their houses cars lawn sprinklers everything. Almost everything. They took their pets yes they did. Every cat dog goldfish, and hamster. No snakes though. Colored folks don't like no snakes, and that's a fact.

400 years of being Slaves. Another 100, and more of violent freedom would piss anybody off. So away the Coloreds went. Nobody has seen any of 'em till today. Till these three children peacefully walking down the Interstate.

Ya know this sort'a thing has happened before or so I hear.
Over there in Russia where they treat the Jews bad. There's stories of whole villages vanishing. Them Cossacks would come for murder, and robbery. They find empty towns. No Jewish folks, not one. Later on, them Nazi's had the same problem.

This time some folks had decided to come back to visit the Earth. Some Coloreds have come back to America to find out if the folks here had learned anything while they was gone.

Just a few, just for now.
Years of Absence. Day of return.

To be continued.

Above is a story I wrote many years back. It's very loosely based on a play by Douglas Turner Ward "Day of Absence". An early 60's production about a southern town where all the Negros disappear for a day, and the chaos that results.