About this story
Julius McAdoo was born enslaved on this land, and for every plan you announce he has a story — a goophered grapevine, a man conjured into a tree — each ending precisely where his interests lie. Chesnutt was the first Black writer the Atlantic published, and he built these tales to cut both ways. What Julius gets for each story is your choice.
Who you’ll meet
Uncle Julius telling the tale, and Annie listening.
How it opens
Sleet rasped across the orchard and sealed the last vines in clear ice.
Beyond the window, bare trellises clicked whenever the lake wind shifted.
DoctorThis climate has taken more from her with every winter.
Choose
Can another winter be managed here?
Is the lake wind truly the cause?
What improvement should we expect by spring?