Code Word used In A Fiction Story

This summer a pair of wild geese raised a family on the grassy shore outside our home. This was the first time a family stayed from gosling to raised geese. Recently, they flew away and didn't return.

I read North by Night this week as part of my research for the story I'm currently writing. The main character is Lucy, a teen girl living in small town, Ohio, who helps her family hide slaves fleeing north in the 1800's. The story is powerful and I highly recommend it.

In the days of the Underground Railroad, individuals fleeing slavery were called Wild Geese. It was a code word. Pictures and drawings of wild geese pointed the way north, because, as we know, geese go south for the summer, have their babies, then fly north.

It took courage to modify businesses or homes to harbor, feed, and cloth these individuals on the run. Families risked their lives to help men, women, and children find freedom. They often kept their secret from relatives who did not agree with the cause.

Finding medical assistance for the wounded, pregnant, or ill involved not only seeking a doctor who would keep the secret, but creatively constructing believable excuses as to why the physician had to visit when a watchful eye took notice.

One reason for using the code words Wild Geese was because many of the slaves could not read. It became an easy-to-recognize symbol to point the way. Women would make quilts with the birds flying in a specific direction, and hang them out on a clothes line, like a map.

A second reason for using the code words is it provided an easy way to pass messages. "A flock of geese ... one had an injured wing..." In a day when people didn't have phones for quick communication, handwritten letters served as the only way to get help, update, and share.

The story I am currently writing includes an underground--a web of volunteers who help abducted children find their way back home. The title is The Oliver Project, The Rescued One. Full of adventure and suspense, it is a page turner. Stay tuned.

This post has been brought to you by all the Wild Geese who found Freedom.

Link to Mary's books: https://amzn.to/2Fq4Jbm

Did you know wild geese was the code word for those who escaped to the north?

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