Little girl concerned by Jumbies (ghosts) and wants them to stop killing her piglets. Achieved ‘Highly Commended’ in Elmbridge Literary Competition 2018
طفلة قلقة مما بفعله أولئك الضخام (جمبيز) وتعتقد بأنهم (الأشباح) الذين يقتلون خنازيرها الصغار الذين تربيهم. حصلت القصة على “الثناء السامي” في مسابقة ألمبردج الأدبية لعام ٢٠١٨
‘It dead?’ asked six year old Desree.
‘It dead, ’ her cousin, Landell, removed the lifeless piglet from its nursing mother.
Eleven other piglets scrambled over each other to access a teat and food.
‘She squash it?’ Desree took the limp grey body, she was being offered, and cradled it. It had been the smallest and weakest of the twelve piglets born two days earlier.
‘She not squash it. It jus die.’
Landell moved a couple of the scrambling piglets into a feeding position.
‘Why?
‘Why, what?
‘Why it jus dead?
Her cousin was twelve years old and, as far as Desree was concerned, he knew the answer to every thing.
‘The Jumbies come for it.’ he said.
Desree knew about Jumbies, well, she knew what they were. They were the flickering lights that floated about in the night sky. Not stars, not as high in the sky as stars. Lights that looked like candle flames dancing in a breeze.
‘Why? Why did the Jumbies come for it?
‘Because, that is what they do,’ he patted his chest ‘they sit here, and breath in and out with you.’ He demonstrated, breathing in and out slowly and loud. ‘Then they take hold of your out breath and pull on it, and pull on it, until there is no breath left inside you.’ He paused for dramatic effect. ‘Then, you dead.’ He fell to the ground feigning death.
Desree hugged the dead piglet,
‘Why they do that?’
Landell remained on the ground.
‘Jumbies are angry dead people and they float around Antigua sucking the life out of people.’
‘People?’
‘and animals.’
‘Why?’
Landell sat up. ‘Why what?’
His story wasn’t having the impact he was aiming for.
‘Why the dead people angry?’
‘Because they dead. Stupid.’
to read the rest of the story go to http://www.rachealjosephpoet.co.uk
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