Tales from the Caribbean

by Trish Cooke

  Meanwhile, Amalie’s father was still away working hard to make money for his family and he knew nothing of his daughter’s suffering. But as he worked away his mind drifted and he starting thinking about his first wife. He missed her so very much. That night, when he went back to sleep in his lonely cabin, his first wife came to him in a dream.

  ‘You must go home quickly and look after Amalie!’ she said. ‘Our daughter needs you. Your new wife has sent an evil wizard to take her away!’

  Amalie’s father could not believe what he was hearing but he trusted his first wife and loved her very much. He believed that she would only come back from death to tell him something if it was true.

  ‘So what should I do?’ said Amalie’s father. ‘I am far away from Amalie in another country. How can I save her?’

  ‘She has a star of protection on her forehead that is knocking the wizard’s strength, but it will only last for a short time. You must wake up and take the first form of transport you see and go back home as fast as you can. When you reach home, run the wizard, your new wife and her children out of town!’

  Amalie’s father was overwhelmed by everything that he was hearing. Nevertheless he knew the time he had was short and so he got up straight away and did as his first wife told him. There were no planes in those days, so the man had no idea how he was going to get to his home in time to save his daughter. As he stepped out of his cabin the man saw a skinny donkey grazing. His dead wife had told him to take the first form of transport he saw. Surely she could not have meant this skinny donkey? But being an obedient man, Amalie’s father approached the donkey and got on its back. At once the donkey took off at great speed!

  Back at the house Amalie was outside on her knees. The wizard had continued to try to capture her and the star on her forehead had protected her and knocked him back five times in total.

  Amalie cried out to her stepmother, ‘Stepmother! Stepmother! I beg you to please open the door! I have only two chances left before the strength in my star runs out. The wizard will destroy me for sure!’

  ‘I don’t care!’ said the wicked stepmother. ‘Now go away and don’t disturb me again!’ and she went back to sleep.

  ‘Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo!’ the cockerel crowed. The wizard jumped out from the darkness and he reached out to grab Amalie for the sixth time. This time only a dim light came from the star on Amalie’s forehead and it managed only to push the wizard over a little. The star’s strength was waning and Amalie’s protection was fading away.

  ‘Ha-ha!’ laughed the wizard. ‘Is that the best you can do? Now you’re all mine!’

  And as the wizard grabbed for Amalie for the seventh time, a tiny light flashed from her forehead. The wizard lost his balance, but he shook himself and carried on reaching towards Amalie.

  Then suddenly there was a gust of wind – it was Amalie’s father on his donkey, just in time to rescue his daughter!

  ‘Get away!’ he shouted, and he grabbed hold of the evil wizard with all his strength.

  ‘Let me go!’ cried the wizard. ‘I’m going to destroy her and you too!’

  But Amalie’s father did not let him go. Instead, he dragged the evil wizard on to the donkey and they flew to the coast. There, he threw the wizard into the sea and he was never seen again.

  And as for the stepmother and stepsisters, Amalie’s father went back and woke them all up from their sleep only to throw them out of his house forever. And the old man and his daughter lived happily ever after.

  Why Cat Chases Rat

  This story is based on a folk tale from Antigua

  Once, very long ago, Cat and Rat were the best of friends, or so it seemed. They even lived together in the same house. Cat had allowed Rat to live with him when Rat’s house had been flooded. Even when Rat’s house had been restored, Rat had never gone back home.

  Cat would have done anything for Rat, but the truth was Rat didn’t care much for Cat. In front of Cat, Rat was always the perfect gentleman, kind and thoughtful, but behind Cat’s back Rat was always saying horrible things – that he smelled bad or that he talked too much or how foolish he was. Cat didn’t know this. He thought Rat was his best friend.

  That all changed the day Cat’s grandfather died. Now Cat was very upset, because he had loved his grandfather very much. Rat pretended that he was sad too, but he didn’t care at all. He fussed over Cat, pretending he was trying to make his friend feel better, but behind his back he just rolled his eyes and shook his head, muttering under his breath about how it was a waste of time crying over the dead. Rat was a heartless rodent.

  ‘It is such a sad thing that your grandfather has died,’ Rat said to Cat. ‘I think you should have a big party to celebrate his life.’

  ‘I’m too sad to think about it,’ Cat said.

  ‘Don’t you worry about a thing!’ Rat said slyly. ‘I’ll plan the wake for you.’

  It was the custom to have a wake when someone died. There would be a church service and people would say good things about them. After the church service, all the animals would come back to the house to show their respect to the family and they would eat and drink and dance. The animals would party all day and often all night. It was the way things were done.

  Now Cat felt grateful to have such a thoughtful friend to help him plan his grandfather’s wake and he thanked Rat for being so kind.

  ‘No problem,’ said Rat, who was already thinking of a way to get something out of it for himself. ‘We’ll make a big pot of rice for the guests and we’ll eat it at your home after the church service. I’ll play my fiddle, my tambourine and my triangle at the church service. Don’t worry yourself! Just leave it to me.’

  Cat was glad he didn’t have to think too much about the funeral festivities and he thanked Rat again for being such a good friend.

  On the day of the wake, Rat asked Cat to buy a big bag of rice. They put the rice in boiling water to cook on the stove and, when it was ready, they put on their fine suits and set off to the church for the service.

  At the church door, Cat greeted all the animals that had come to pay their respects to his grandfather. Rat watched on.

  Then suddenly, pretending he had just remembered something, Rat let out a shriek. ‘Oh my, oh my!’ he said. ‘I have forgotten to bring my triangle to play the music at the end of the church service. I’ll just go back home and get it!’ And with that, Rat rushed off, leaving Cat at the church with the rest of the guests. Once home, Rat immediately went to the big pot of rice and ate a little. It was delicious. Rat then went to the place where he kept his triangle, picked it up and went back to the church.

  When Rat arrived back at the church, Mr Frog was saying some nice words about Cat’s grandfather at the front of the church for everybody to hear.

  ‘Got it!’ Rat said quietly, as he sat down next to Cat. But before Cat could say anything Rat let out a shriek again. ‘Oh my, oh my!’ he said. ‘I have forgotten to bring my tambourine to play the music at the end of the service. I’ll just go back home and get it!’ And once again Rat rushed off, leaving Cat at the church with the rest of the guests. Once home, Rat immediately went to the big pot of rice and he ate a little more. It was so tasty. Rat then went to the place where he kept his tambourine, picked it up and went back to the church.

  When Rat arrived back at the church, Mrs Turtle was saying some nice words about Cat’s grandfather at the front of the church for everybody to hear.

  ‘Got it!’ Rat said quietly, as he sat down next to Cat. Cat whispered that many people had said such kind words about his grandfather while he had been away, but before Cat could finish speaking Rat let out another shriek. ‘Oh my, oh my!’ he said. ‘I have forgotten to bring my fiddle to play the music at the end of the service. I’ll just go back home and get it!’ And Rat rushed off again, leaving Cat at the church with the rest of the guests. At home, Rat jumped into the pot to eat the remainder of the rice.

  Meanwhile, back at the church, Cat was beginning to
think that his friend Rat was acting strangely. He decided to walk ahead of the others and check to see what Rat was up to. When Cat arrived at the house he called out, but there was no reply. Cat saw the fiddle in the cupboard where it was kept and started to worry about what could have happened. He called out again, ‘Rat! Rat! Where are you?’ Still there was no reply. Then Cat heard a strange chip chip chip sound. It was coming from the pot.

  ‘Chip chip chip chip chip chip.’

  When Cat looked inside the pot he saw all the rice had gone and the greedy Rat, having eaten all the rice, had started to eat the pot too! There he was, chipping away at the empty pot.

  ‘You sneak!’ shouted Cat. ‘You were coming back here all this time so you could eat up the rice! I’ll kill you!’

  And Cat reached out to catch Rat.

  ‘Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me! I beg you, don’t kill me!’ pleaded Rat.

  Now Cat felt sorry for Rat. After all, they had been friends for a long time. So he decided he wouldn’t kill him after all. ‘All right, all right, I promise I won’t kill you.’ But Cat was still angry with Rat, and he wanted him to pay.

  ‘You had better run, though,’ said Cat, ‘because if I catch you your life won’t be worth living!’ And with that Cat began to chase Rat around his house.

  Wherever Rat ran, Cat was hot on his tail. There was no hiding place, even when Rat ran out of the house. Rat ran into the smallest holes, and when Cat could not fit in after him he simply waited patiently until Rat came out again. Rat thought he could outrun Cat but, although he was faster and indeed more nimble, Cat never stopped chasing him.

  Eventually Rat grew tired of running. In fact Rat was exhausted. Unable to run any further, he rolled over, feet in the air, and died.

  And Cat had kept his promise. He hadn’t killed Rat. And that is why, to this day, you will always see Cat chasing Rat around and around and around.

  As for Cat’s grandfather’s wake, everyone felt sorry for Cat after seeing how Rat had eaten all the rice, and each of the guests decided to go home and pick up some food to take to Cat’s house. So there was plenty to eat at the wake – and greedy Rat missed out on a feast!

  Why Rabbit has a Short Tail

  This story is based on a folk tale from Antigua

  It was a particularly hot summer and Rabbit was feeling so warm he thought he would melt. Rabbit complained to everyone he met about how hot he was. Now this was back in the days when Rabbit’s tail was long and bushy. Barracuda heard Rabbit moaning about the heat and decided he would trick Rabbit.

  He watched Rabbit from the water for some time and then he called, ‘Rabbit! I can see you are hot. I can help. I can tell you how to get cool!’

  Rabbit wasn’t interested in anything Barracuda had to say, as he was sure the huge fish was trying to trick him and eat him up.

  ‘It’s all right, Barracuda, I’m fine!’ Rabbit called back.

  But Rabbit wasn’t fine. The fur on his back was much too thick and heavy for the heat, and he was feeling terrible.

  ‘I know what you’re thinking!’ said Barracuda. ‘You think I want to eat you. That’s not true. I only want to help a brother out. It’s mighty cool in this water,’ and Barracuda started to show off about how cool the water was by swimming around.

  Still Rabbit didn’t fall for his trick. ‘I am not coming into that water, Barracuda!’ said Rabbit. ‘If I get in there, you’re going to eat me for sure.’

  Well, they went on like that for some time, with Barracuda telling Rabbit how cool the water was, and Rabbit telling Barracuda that he wasn’t going to get in. Eventually Barracuda decided to try another way.

  ‘You don’t need to get into the water,’ he said. ‘Just dip the tip of your tail in, and when the water cools your tail down it will send the coolness up to the rest of your body. Then you will not be so hot.’

  Rabbit thought about what Barracuda had said. Perhaps if he put just the tip of his tail in the water, that would cool him down and he would still be safe.

  ‘Very well,’ said Rabbit, ‘I will just put the tip of my tail in the water. But you must move far away from the edge so I am sure to be safe!’

  ‘Very well,’ said Barracuda, and he swam further away from the edge so that Rabbit felt safe.

  So Rabbit came to the edge of the water while Barracuda looked on, waiting for his moment to pounce. When Rabbit had put the tip of his tail in the water Barracuda said, ‘How does that feel, Rabbit?’

  Rabbit was enjoying the little bit of coolness that the tip of his tail was feeling, but the rest of his body was still hot.

  ‘The tip of my tail is cool,’ he said, ‘but the rest of me is still hot.’

  ‘That’s strange,’ said Barracuda. ‘It’s common knowledge that if you put the tip of your tail in cool water the coolness from the water shoots up the tail to the rest of the body and cools you down. Maybe you need to put a little more of your tail in the water for you to feel the benefit.’

  Rabbit wasn’t sure if this was a good idea. Nevertheless, he was so hot he thought he would try it. After all, it wasn’t as if he was putting his whole body in the water. It was just his tail.

  Rabbit leaned back a little, so that more of his tail could get deeper into the water.

  ‘Any better?’ asked Barracuda.

  ‘Not really,’ said Rabbit.

  ‘Then put a little bit more of your tail in the water,’ said Barracuda.

  Rabbit thought about it. He knew Barracuda was up to something and he was determined not to get caught out.

  ‘I will put more of my tail in the water, but you must move even further away from the edge so I am sure to be safe!’

  ‘Very well,’ said Barracuda, and he swam further away from the edge so that Rabbit felt safe.

  Once he had done this, Rabbit edged back a little bit more until the whole of his tail was in the water.

  It felt so cool when he swished his long bushy tail in the water. As he did so, he was able to splash some of the cool water on to his hot furry back.

  ‘This feels much better,’ Rabbit said, enjoying the splashes on his body.

  As Rabbit got carried away with splashing his tail in the water, Barracuda began to inch closer and closer. Rabbit, so engrossed in sprinkling water on his back, didn’t even notice until it was too late! Barracuda opened his big mouth and bit off most of Rabbit’s tail. Rabbit pulled himself away immediately so that he wasn’t eaten all up, but that is why, to this day, Rabbit has a short tail.

  With Puffin Classics, the adventure isn’t over when you reach the final page.

  Want to discover more about the people and places that inspired these stories?

  Read on …

  CONTENTS

  CARIBBEAN PEOPLE

  TRICKSTER TALES

  WEST INDIAN FOOD

  CARIBBEAN FRUIT PUNCH

  SOME THINGS TO DO …

  SLAVERY

  GLOSSARY

  CARIBBEAN PEOPLE

  The Caribbean is an area of the Atlantic Ocean. On the west, the sea is bounded by the United States, Central and South America. On the east, there is a string of islands stretching for about 2,000 miles, known as the West Indies. Some islands are made of limestone or coral – but most are volcanic. Some of the volcanoes are still active!

  The islands have a tropical climate, and the warm weather and good rainfall, together with rich soil, means that plants grow very well. Originally the islands were inhabited by the Taino and Carib peoples. However, when European explorers arrived, many of the indigenous people died resisting the invasion. The Europeans also brought diseases such as smallpox. The island dwellers had no defence against such illnesses, and enormous numbers died.

  Some of the European explorers – most of them were British, Dutch, French, Portuguese and Spanish – decided to take over the islands, so they could benefit from farming them. Crops like sugar and tobacco were very profitable, but needed a great many labourers to work the land. For many years, they b
rought shiploads of black people from West Africa to work as slaves. The masters grew rich, but the slaves were treated badly and they got no payment for their labour.

  Britain abolished slavery in the countries it ruled in 1807, and other countries eventually did the same. The black slave Toussaint l’Ouverture started as a leader of a slave rebellion, fighting Spain and France, and ended as Governor-General of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti). These days, the islands of the West Indies are independent, though some still have connections with the European nations who used to rule them.

  Today, the majority of West Indians are descended from black Africans. There are also people of European descent – and some come from Asia! After slavery was abolished, Chinese and East Indian farm workers came to the West Indies, looking for work … and all these different people brought stories from their own countries, and told them in their own languages. So as well as Carib stories (there are a very few Caribs living in remote parts of Dominica), there are stories told in Spanish in Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, Dutch stories in Aruba and the Dutch Antilles, French stories in Haiti, Guadeloupe and Martinique, and English stories in most of the other islands. And that doesn’t include the African stories and the languages they were told in!

  TRICKSTER TALES

  All over the world, people tell stories. Some of these stories are very old, and were enjoyed long before tales were written down. They tell of such things as how the people thought the world was made, or of how good people or poor people did well.

  One of the most popular characters in these stories is the trickster. Tricksters are usually clever. They use their brains and not their strength. They can bring gifts or messages from the gods, or cause terrible trouble. They can be heroes – or villains. They can be nasty and greedy, or friendly and helpful. They don’t obey the rules. You just can’t tell with a trickster. And they always survive. Even the most dreadful punishments or accidents don’t squash them.