Herman Sligo was a bit actor who played Uncle Emil in three episodes of the popular television series The Five Sisters. The true story of Herman Sligo, the man I may never be able to avoid, is a story of vengeance, corruption, and greed.

Herman’s great grandmother, Anita was a slave to a wealthy plantation owner named Elizabeth Sweetpea. Elizabeth had always felt a special connection to Anita who during her tenure as a slave became Elizabeth’s personal assistant, even her friend. When the slaves were awarded their freedom Anita remained at the plantation to help care for Elizabeth who was all alone by the end of the Civil War. Five sisters who really had nowhere else to go since a slaves life was all they ever knew also remained at Sweetpea Plantation to help Elizabeth.

Elizabeth Sweetpea lived long enough to see her health and her wealth dwindle to nothing. Elizabeth had grown to love Anita as if Anita was her very own child. By the time Elizabeth died all she had left to her name was Sweetpea Plantation which she left to Anita.

Anita was so grief stricken she never mentioned to any of the five sisters that Elizabeth had given her Sweetpea Plantation. Within the next few months the five sisters wanted to discuss dividing the land evenly amongst them because a couple of the sisters wanted to look into selling their portion.

Sweetpea Plantation was all that was left of the legacy of Elizabeth Sweetpea. Anita could not fathom the thought of dividing the land never mind selling pieces. Out of pure rage towards the idea of dismantling Elizabeth’s legend Anita yelled, “I was given the land by Elizabeth and I will not allow any portion to be sold.”

The five sisters were very close in age and actually seemed to share a psychic and mental connection. Elizabeth Sweetpea always cared greatly for the five sisters. The sisters were originally two sets of triplets but their mother died along with the sixth sister during child birth. Elizabeth stood in the room and watched the horrific event as mother and daughter died as one. Elizabeth swore she would always care for and watch over the five sisters. It was a personal desire Elizabeth fulfilled until the day she died.

Anita could not understand why the five sisters were being so selfish after all Elizabeth had done for them. Anita had no intention of ever asking the five sisters to leave Sweetpea Plantation. There was just no possible way any portion of the land was going to be sold. Anita was sure when the five sisters thought it over they would agree with not selling.

When Anita was done stating her protest the sisters stood silent. The five sisters collectively became internally outraged and left the room one-by-one. The last sister turned with fire blazing from her eyes and spoke with a dark raspy demonic voice, “one day this plantation will burn to the ground.”

Anita spent the next few months depressed and extremely lonely. She became hopeful the sisters would return to live at Sweetpea Plantation forgetting about the argument. By the seventh month Anita had become so lonely she boarded up Sweetpea Plantation and moved to the city where she shared a two bedroom apartment with eight other people.

In the city Anita worked at a hotel cleaning rooms during the day, and worked at a meat packing plant during the night.

One day while Anita was cleaning a room a wealthy man that was the same age as her asked if she could sit and talk with him for a little while. Anita said she was too busy cleaning. The man offered to help clean the rooms with her if she would talk with him.

The following few days Anita learned that Oscar Sligo had been a widow for many years. He was a lonely man who had submersed himself into work. Oscar had made a substantial sum of money from selling commercial real estate but he did not know how to stop working and enjoy his fortunes.

During their conversation’s Oscar listened to Anita’s stories intrigued with what it must have been like growing up as a slave and what she was doing to try to acquire stability. Oscar had moved to the United States from Europe with the company he worked with several years after slavery had been abolished. Oscar knew black people were still treated poorly, but his job, which was his life, involved nothing but paperwork, typewriters, and office employees so he saw no racist behavior. The more Anita spoke the more enthralled Oscar became with how hard she was willing to work to allow herself the ability to rise from nothing in a non accommodating world.

After a few months Oscar asked Anita to quit her jobs so she could spend more time with him. Anita laughed because she knew she had to make a financial living. Oscar reached out and gently took Anita’s hand into his hand as he kneeled down before her.

“Anita you have made me feel alive inside from the moment I met you…Please agree to marry me…Anita will you marry me?” As Oscar spoke he slid a black velvet covered box out of his pocket and opened it revealing the largest diamond ring Anita had ever seen.

From that moment on Anita never had to work while her and her husband Oscar traveled the world as they raised a family and grew old together.   

Several generations later Anita’s great grandson Herman Sligo was a struggling actor who was only receiving roles as a minor supporting character. The fact that Herman did not make enough money at acting to support him in the way of food and living expenses did not stop him from pursuing his goal. Herman was perfectly willing to become a starving homeless actor in accordance to what was right for his life. Herman was always willing to admit that he did not know if his life choice was going to be as an actor but he knew he was heading in the right direction of achieving his goals whatever they would become. Herman truly believed only in following his true path in life would he lead himself to accomplishing his goals.   

Herman’s family stepped in and helped by suggesting he move to the old Sweetpea Plantation that had been handed down through the generations. The plantation had remained untouched since Anita left it to pursue her life.

Herman was completely broke and needed a place to live so he gladly moved to Tennessee where he cleaned and restored the plantation. He quickly brought the fields to life with fruits and vegetables. The land had also become overrun with deer, hogs, and turkey so Herman learned to live very efficiently from the land.

Herman was extremely talented at repairing the existing foundation, but he was not skilled enough to build anything new. Several months after Herman moved to the plantation he had completely restored Sweetpea Plantation to a better condition than when Anita had left.

I was working as a property appraiser when Herman contacted me. Herman told me he had a restored piece of property he wanted appraised. When I saw the property and the fact that it was a detailed fully restored slave plantation in modern day I looked at Herman and told him he should convert it into a bed and breakfast. Herman looked at me and asked if I would be his partner.

While working over the business details with Herman I had learned of the story about Elizabeth, Anita, and the five sisters. Herman and I decided to hire five girls who looked similar and dressed the same who acted as the sisters. We also hired two different girls to play the roll of Anita and Elizabeth.

The Sweetpea Plantation Bed and Breakfast quickly became a financial success. The concept was brilliant. We recycled all used water and waste and processed it into fertilizer. We grew, raised, and made all food that was consumed. The guests took part in history while relaxing completely removed from society. It was a retreat on the forefront of the conscious health movement. Within a year we were booked for the following two years.

We featured three different boarding packages. The first package allowed the guest to be left completely alone during their stay. The second package allowed the guest to choose what events to participate in. The third package was called shackled. The shackled package was ironically the most popular package. Guests who picked the shackled package were treated like slaves. They were not actually mistreated, instead they were woken up at the staffs choosing and forced to go on a nature walks, pick fruits, and vegetables, go fishing or hunting. Some people learned how to extract fragrance from the abundant colorful flowers that had been nicknamed Sweetpea and mixed it with various other scents such as lavender, vanilla, or sunflower and then made their own personalized soaps, lotions, and candles.

Everything at Sweetpea Plantation was a big show designed for the guest’s enjoyment and all the stories told found a way to intertwine. During the middle of the night there were giant bonfires and the women all told stories about what it was like to live during those times. The interesting thing was that Herman provided the stories that the girls told. Herman did not possess a strong sense of family heritage so he was constantly making up new stories. The crowds clung to the words like they were lined with gold. I once asked Herman what he would do when an educated person told him his history was inaccurate. Herman simply told me a person who knew that much would not stay at Sweetpea Plantation. Herman was right – no one ever questioned his stories. I often heard people say there should be a movie about the place. I guess deep down Herman was a writer and not an actor. At the time I thought he was content with being a business man.

One weekend the Sweetpea Plantation Bed and Breakfast was booked for a wedding. The father of the groom insisted that Herman along with all of the girls and me join them at the wedding. It was implied the contract would not be signed if we did not agree. A limo was sent to pick us up at the plantation and drive us to the wedding. The wedding ceremony was very small and there was no reception. After the wedding we were driven in the same limo back to Sweetpea Plantation.

Everyone sat frozen in the limo as we pulled up the Sweetpea Plantation which was blazing in the midnight darkness with out-of-control walls of fire. We saw lights approaching in the distance. I thought it was the wedding party who had reserved the plantation. I could not imagine how mad they were going to be. The approaching lights were really fire trucks who had been alerted to the fire by a plane that had flown over and seen the blaze.

The wedding party never returned to the plantation. I had thought they heard of the fire and stayed somewhere else. The fire marshal determined the fire was non-arson related caused by an undetermined source. I never understood what that meant, but the lawyer said it was good enough for the insurance company.

It was strange sifting through the ashes. The oddest things remained un-burnt. Herman and I found a small fireproof safe that neither of us had owned. The lock had been replaced with a latch. Herman unlatched the safe and inside was a note that read, “We told you that one day this plantation would burn to the ground.” – 5S

Herman grunted to himself and folded the note. He told me he had to go talk with the police. We agreed to meet in three days.

Three days later Herman never showed at the place we agreed to meet. I looked for him but was unable to find him. I went to the police and they had never seen him. I told the police about the safe and the note. I was told they would look into it, but my new information did not seem like a priority.

I later learned Herman collected the fire insurance money never reporting the arson note. I tried tracking down the wedding group who lured us away, but I was unsuccessful.

I had enough money from my portion of the profits from the Sweetpea Plantation Bed and Breakfast that I had invested wisely so if I lived carefully I would be able live comfortably the rest of my life.

I moved to a secluded area in Vermont where I planned to forget Herman ever existed. I knew Herman had made a substantial fortune from Sweetpea Plantation being burnt down due to the significance of what had been ruined. Herman was even reimbursed for the two years of un-earnable revenue. I didn’t care about any of that. To keep my sanity I could not allow myself to care about Herman any longer.

I learned no matter how removed from society I became I could not avoid the ever invasive reach of Herman Sligo. One weekend I was walking through a store when a distinctive scent I will never forget gripped my nose. I looked at a display stand and my mouth fell to the floor. Proudly displayed before me was a brand new line of candles, soaps, lotions, and shampoos labeled with the name Sweetpea Scents. I put my basket of food down on the floor and walked out of the store. Complete escape is always impossible.

Several years later I thought I was watching my life on television, but I had been erased out. It was yet another example of the impossibility of escaping the past and Herman Sligo. A new television show by an unknown writer had become an instant hit. The show was called The Five Sisters. The show was about five sisters who lived with two other women at a plantation during the end of the Civil War.

I knew exactly who wrote The Five Sisters the second I saw Herman Sligo make his appearance dressed as an old man playing the role of Uncle Emil. I changed the channel never once watching another episode of The Five Sisters.