June Dey remembered the stories Darlene once told him of the boys who killed giants, defeated lions for their people; the story of his namesake, who led slaves through water with mere words; the story of the man who found himself in the stomach of a beast, and still survived and fulfilled his destiny; the story of Dey the slave, who came and went from Emerson without ever saying a word, but left his legacy on all of their lips—the possibility of rebellion and true freedom in all their hearts. All were mere men. All were powerless but died with raised fists.
