40th Installment of La Diablesse

I woke up in complete darkness, I tried to move but there was no room for me to do it, I attempted to sit up, but I bumped my head on a wooden surface. I laid down trying to figure out where I was, it was quiet I could not even hear the ocean, that is when I realized that I was buried deep under the earth. I began to scream, but the sound just bounced off the top of the coffin and came back to me, so I lay there accepting my fate. Time went by and I heard a noise above me, started screaming again and the noise grew closer and closer until I heard something hard hit the top of the coffin. The lid opened and standing above me were three women in white, they reached in and pulled me out and I found myself floating in the air out to sea and into the ocean. I remember hitting the water thinking that I would drown, but I was surprised that I was able to breathe under the sea. They took me to Larilokan where I met Erzulie Frieda and the other goddesses and that is how I ended up here. I was dead but because my soul was so tortured the goddesses gave me power to roam the earth helping other women like me who are shunned by the living. I thought maybe doing what I do would help them find some peace of mind in the after life. They come from all over, all periods of time trying to find a place they belong, virgins wanting to move on to the other side and I am here to help them.”

She got up and walked round the Alter she white dress pronounced in the darkness, the torches flickered and cracked as a mild wind swept through the cave. I watched she as she walked, she dress smoothed out the sand behind she feet tears rolling down she cheeks. She stopped in the far corner and turned back and glided up to the Alter.

“I don’t expect you to sympathize with us Mr. Dickens, but some things you have no control of and you must now accept your fate, look at it as if you are sacrificing yourself for others, you always wanted to help others, now this is your chance.” She looked down at me waiting to see if I would answer, bloody hell woman, I did not volunteer for this.

“I will not give my life for what you see as a noble cause. You have no right to decide when I should live or die. Doing this makes you no different from the slave masters that tortured you,” I retorted, she looked at me a little disappointed, Jesus; did she expect me to say I understood or something?

“Suit yourself Mr. Dickens. The warriors will love having you to themselves. You will be their best present yet.” Having said that she picked up the tray turned and walked out, I sat there not knowing if I should feel anger or pity towards she, I mean she story was the most horrid I had ever heard but because I was raised with the colonialists ideals does not make it logical for these women to kidnap me for they bloody ceremonies. I lay down on the alter but sat up when I heard a shuffling in the direction of the entrance, I squinted trying to see if anyone was there. A shadow shifted behind the light of the torches I kept looking expecting someone to come out of the darkness but no one did. I looked at the entrance for a few more minutes and finally decided that no one was there. I lay down on the rock facing the entrance I tell you what if any of them came in to attack me I would be ready for them but I soon fell asleep, the whole time I had images bout how I would escape.

Jumbies in the graveyard (From the novel Obeah)

Henry and his friends managed to make their way close to where the jungle began. Suddenly, the ground moved, like waves on a stormy day, and more Jab Jabs began to crawl out of the ground. One of the Jab Jabs sat waist deep into the ground. From his waist up he was flesh and bone, the rest of him blended with the mud. As he slowly moved to get up, his legs transform from mud to flesh and bone. He looked up at Henry, the young warrior kicked at the Jab Jab’s feet, and chunks of mud flew into the air, and the Jab Jab fell, he sat, half man half mud.  The Jab Jab flopped back to the ground the parts of his body that touched the ground, immediately turned into mud. He began to rise again and Henry kicked at him and his body exploded, and chunks of mud flew into the air, and then landed on the ground next to Henry. The chunks moved a little then dissolved into the ground. Henry got to the jungle just as a red Jab Jab came at him, he turned swinging his machete, the Jab Jab stopped, looked at him as the rest of his body was sucked into the wound.

Henry heard a scream and saw Donkor and some of his warriors being overwhelmed by the Jab Jabs, he ran back towards them swinging his machete. Mud flew everywhere, the drops sounded like large raindrops as they hit the ground. A rad Jab Jab jumped onto Donkor and he stumbled backwards and fell. Henry was surprised at how easily the giant went down. The Jab Jab jumped on him and sat on his chest. Henry ran as fast as he could to get to them. The Jab Jab was pushing down on Donkor, and slowly he sank. The half of him that touched the ground began to turn into mud. Henry got to them and swung his machete, the Jab Jab looked up at him, as if surprised, and then like the other Jab Jab he was sucked into his own body and disappeared. Henry stretched his hand down to Donkor. The giant reached up and Henry’s hand disappeared into his mitts, a mixture of flesh and mud fell off of him as he stood up, moved around on the ground for a second, and then blended with the earth. They heard a scream and turned around to see a Jab Jab standing on top of one of the Bokors. The Jab Jab stomped, and slowly the Bokor’s body sank, turning into mud, and both he and the Jab Jab disappeared into the ground. The surface moved a little as if they were still struggling under the surface, then it was still.

Henry turned around just as a mud Jab Jab came towards them. They swung their machetes at the same time, and the upper half of the Jab Jab fell to the ground and dissolved into the mud.

“Come on, lets get out of this field.” Donkor said. They headed to the jungle swinging their machete. Around them warriors were being dragged underground. They were almost to the jungle when the ground beneath Henry moved, and a Jab Jab grabbed Henry’s feet, and before he reacted, he was knee deep into the ground.

“What the devil,” he yelled. He swung his machete at the ground. The mud churned, like large rodents were running around just under the surface. He looked ahead; Donkor was in a fierce battle with two Jab Jabs. In an instant, he was waist deep into the ground. More hands grabbed his legs, and he clawed at the ground as he slowly descended. Then he was in darkness. His brains felt like an opened sore rubbing against the course material of a poor man’s knickers. He tried to scream, but the taste of mud overpowered him. Then eyes surrounded him, green, yellow, red and  purple. They chanted,

“Byenreni nam lakou an,” Henry tried to kick, but he had no legs. The eyes moved around him turning into a blaze of colours. He had almost lost consciousness when he was jerked out of the ground. Donkor stood next to him. He bent over and a projectile of small pebbles and mud exploded from his mouth.

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