Rise of the Jumbies

by Tracey Baptiste

  The current changed slightly, the way it had when it brought her into the cave. It pulsed, like breathing. She pulled Laurent back onto her shoulder and waited for the next breath. Then she kicked out of the cave and to the surface.

  Corinne dragged Laurent to the bank and tried to wake him up. His eyes flew open and he gasped again for air. At the same time, Corinne felt as if she was going to choke. She pulled out her mother’s stone, snapping the cord as she did, but she was able to breathe again. She dropped the necklace and turned Laurent on his stomach. She thumped his back to dislodge the stone shard from his throat, but Laurent was struggling. He was going to drown in air, like a fish.

  36

  Familiar Ground

  Allan returned to his village, walking on the smooth, uneven pitch where he used to shoot marbles with his friends. He passed familiar houses and approached one with no paint on the outside. He moved past the sleeping chickens and goats and scratched at the bottom of the Dutch door. He heard the tiptoe of a small pair of feet on the bare floor. A board creaked, and the feet moved more slowly.

  Allan sank into the shadows and waited.

  Dru opened the top of the door. She held a rolling pin in both hands. Moonlight fell across her face, highlighting her determined eyes and casting shadows beneath the jagged crops of black hair that fell against her cheeks.

  Allan stepped into the light. “I know where the children are.”

  Dru lowered the rolling pin and opened the door wide. “Show me.”

  37

  A Call for Help

  Pierre stood next to his yellow boat and refused to leave the beach until Corinne returned.

  “She’s strong, Pierre,” the white witch said. “Don’t worry.”

  Still, Pierre would not budge. Hugo and the boys stayed with him long after everyone else had left. Bouki itched to do something, but he wasn’t sure what would have helped. Besides, he didn’t want to upset Hugo any more. The food and clean clothes and soft beds were nice for Malik. He didn’t want to ruin it.

  “So, what now?” the witch asked no one in particular.

  Bouki turned and found Malik walking into the water. “What are you doing, brother?” he asked.

  Malik touched his lips to the top of a wave and whispered, “Help.”

  38

  Friend or Foe?

  Dru shivered against the night as Allan tugged her along. Behind them the sound of voices was low at first, and then louder. Lamplight flickered through the charred trees like darting fireflies.

  Torches blossomed in the dark, illuminating the angry faces of people picking their way through the forest, along with their pitchforks, fishing hooks, iron pots, and cricket bats.

  “They are looking for us,” Dru said.

  Allan shook his head. “They are looking for you.”

  Allan stopped suddenly. Behind them, the douens had formed a half-circle, forcing the search party to stop.

  “We have to help them,” Dru said. “Or it will be just like the night we lost you.”

  A tiny whimper escaped from Allan’s throat. Dru scanned the crowd, spotting her parents and then Mrs. Ramdeen.

  “She will be happy to see you, Allan.”

  Allan chewed his lips. Finally, he stepped out, pulling Dru with him between the douens and the people from the village. On his backward feet, his toes dug hard into the ash-covered dirt.

  “Dru,” Mrs. Rootsingh said. “Careful!”

  Allan faced the douens. “They want their children back.”

  One of the larger jumbies stepped forward. “Oh?” it asked. Its brothers took another step toward the crowd.

  Mrs. Ramdeen moved to the front and held her arms open. “Allan?” she said.

  “Dru, come,” Mrs. Rootsingh said slowly.

  The tall douen held out its hands to Dru and Allan.

  “Please, no, doux doux,” Mrs. Ramdeen cried.

  The burned leaves under Allan’s bare, backward feet crunched loudly in the silent forest. Dru held her breath. Allan lowered his head so only the top of his peaked hat could be seen above his shoulders, and he reached for the douen’s hand. Mrs. Ramdeen dropped to her knees and wailed. The douens’ mouths widened in satisfied smiles. They chanted, “Oh oh oh!” joyfully.

  The sound made Dru feel light-headed. She rounded her lips to sing, too, but Allan pushed her toward her parents, snapping her out of her trance. “Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!” the douens cried out.

  “Go!” Allan yelled at Dru.

  “The children are this way!” Dru said. She led her neighbors to the line of trees before the lagoon, but she didn’t follow them through. Mrs. Ramdeen and Allan were still facing the douens.

  “Keep going!” Mrs. Ramdeen shouted. “The children will want their mothers.”

  Dru thought of Laurent’s mother waiting by the sea. She pulled her parents in that direction as Mrs. Ramdeen turned to face the douens with her son.

  39

  How to Breathe

  If Laurent did not get air soon, he would die on the bank of the lagoon. As he gasped for breath, the shard in his throat glowed brighter and brighter. Corinne tried to pull him back into the water. He kicked and clawed at her, his eyes huge and fearful.

  “I’m trying to help, Laurent!” Corinne said. But he kept pushing her away.

  “Stop!” Miss Evelyn ran out of the forest toward them. “What are you doing?”

  Laurent stopped kicking to look back at the people emerging from the trees. Corinne made one final pull and took him down into the water. There wasn’t time to explain. Miss Evelyn and a man from Dru’s village dove in after them. Corinne tried to pull the shard out of Laurent’s throat with her fingers. He bit down hard. She hit him in the chest with her other hand, and he coughed the shard out. Almost immediately, he started gasping again, but a pair of hands pulled him out of the water. Corinne watched him rise as the current pulled her back in.

  She collected Gabrielle and Marlene. She had left her mama’s stone on the shore, so she had to work fast. At the opening of the cave, she thumped the girls on the back and they coughed up the stone pieces. Then Corinne pushed them up into the hands of the adults, too.

  She surfaced a few seconds later and took a deep breath.

  Laurent was already on land. Marlene and Gabrielle were being carefully towed to shore. She had done it.

  “There she is!” Miss Evelyn screamed. “Grab her! She tried to drown Laurent!”

  The man turned back. His face was contorted with effort. Corinne took a large gulp of air and dove under. Her head buzzed, both with worry and from the effort of holding her breath. She searched desperately for one of the shards that could help her breathe. In spite of everything Corinne had done, Severine had returned, and she would be angry when she saw the children gone. Then there was Mama D’Leau. Corinne had made an enemy of her, too. Even the orange trees she had planted had trapped animals in the fire. Everything she had tried to do had harmed someone. None of her plans had worked. Memories are painful, Mama D’Leau had said. It was true. Corinne felt each remembered failure as if it was marked in her skin.

  Maybe there was some kindness in what Mama D’Leau had done when she helped the mermaids to forget. A pair of hands grabbed Corinne and pulled her away from the cave and out of the water. Her first breath calmed her burning lungs, and with her second, she opened her eyes to the angry faces that awaited her on shore.

  40

  A Promise to Keep

  Bouki tried to pull Malik out of the waves. “Hugo will be upset,” he said.

  Malik put a finger to his lips and looked behind his brother to the beach.

  Victor moved right up to Pierre’s face. “I told you that you should not have taken their side. Now you’ve helped them, and Corinne is gone again. We still don’t know where the other children are.”

 
“Step back, Victor,” said the witch.

  Victor pushed her away. “All of these jumbies need to go,” he said. “This is our island. We have to get rid of them.”

  Pierre lifted his head. His eyes were like daggers. “Get rid of who? My child? The white witch?”

  Victor squared his shoulders.

  Malik pinched Bouki’s arm and pointed at a long green tail fin in the water.

  “Don’t,” Bouki said.

  But Malik waded out, and Bouki followed, sighing.

  “Didn’t we do enough for you the last time?” Noyi asked. She sucked her teeth, chups.

  “Corinne needs your help,” Bouki said to Sisi. “Didn’t you promise her grand-père to keep her out of trouble?”

  “Mama D’Leau will not harm her,” Sisi said.

  “But she might leave her somewhere and she will get hurt,” Bouki whispered. “And then you would not have kept your promise.”

  Sisi looked around as if someone under the water might hear them.

  “If you’re worried about Mama D’Leau, don’t,” Bouki said. “Parents always forgive, even when their children make them angry.”

  “She is not really our mother,” Addie said.

  “She chose you.” Bouki glanced at Hugo. “It’s the same thing. So, will you help us?”

  41

  Which Jumbie?

  Dru arrived at Corinne’s hill just as Pierre and Victor were about to face off. Her parents were just behind her. “We found them,” she called. Her voice rang out over the beach and echoed off the cliff.

  Laurent’s mother, Mrs. Duval, darted from her house, calling, “Where is he? Where is he?”

  The crowd hurried up the hill.

  “They’re at the lagoon,” Dru said. “It’s far. But if we run . . .”

  “Why do we have to run?” Bouki asked.

  “The lagoon is dangerous,” Hugo said. “We have lost many children there.” Then he looked around at the faces on the hill. “Where is Malik?”

  “With the mermaids,” Bouki said. Before Hugo could protest or get angry again, Bouki put his hand on Hugo’s large arm. “He will be fine. They like him.”

  Hugo looked confused.

  “They’re taking him to Corinne, and they move fast, so he will probably be there long before us.”

  “If Corinne found them, why didn’t she come to tell us?” Mrs. Duval asked.

  “She’s probably in trouble again,” said the white witch.

  “How, when she is one of them,” Victor spat.

  “One who risked herself again and again to help her friends?” the witch asked. “Yes, she is one of them.”

  They moved quickly up the road past the dry well, but when they reached the full one, Bouki paused. “Do you hear that?”

  “What? I don’t hear anything,” the witch said.

  “You wouldn’t,” he said. He rolled his eyes when Hugo shot him an angry look. “There’s someone singing in the water down there.”

  Hugo moved closer. “I don’t hear anything.”

  “I do,” Dru said. “Corinne heard a song in the water from this well, and here it is again.”

  “La sirène?” Hugo asked, looking worried.

  Bouki shook his head. “No, the mermaids helped us.”

  “If it’s not the mermaids, then who could be singing to children from under the water?” Hugo asked.

  Bouki snapped his fingers. “Which jumbie likes to pretend to be things she is not?”

  Pierre winced. “Severine.”

  “You and your child said she was gone,” Mrs. Duval said. “You told us the whole cliff fell on top of her.”

  “And what,” the witch asked, “made any of you think a whole cliff would be enough to kill Severine?”

  42

  Two Things

  Corinne lay on the muddy bank of the lagoon, trying to catch her breath.

  “You tried to drown me!” Laurent cried between fits of coughing. “Why, Corinne?”

  Corinne wanted to explain. She pushed herself up, but Laurent cowered while Marlene and Gabrielle looked at her with wide, frightened eyes.

  “Let’s get the children home,” Miss Evelyn said. She helped Laurent to his feet as two others picked up Marlene and Gabrielle.

  “What about Corinne?” Marlene asked in her small voice.

  “She doesn’t care about you,” Laurent said. “She doesn’t care about any of us.”

  Marlene furrowed her brow. “But she wasn’t with me at the well. It couldn’t have been her.”

  “I didn’t see anyone,” Gabrielle said. “The water was singing to me.”

  “She was on the beach when I was taken,” Laurent said. “I remember.” His face twisted with disgust. Marlene slipped away and knelt in front of Corinne.

  “Are you really a jumbie, Corinne? My mama said you were, but she also said you were my friend.”

  “I am a jumbie, and I am your friend, Marlene,” Corinne said.

  Corinne wasn’t sure what she was, really. She had saved the children, but no one believed her. She was only a jumbie to them, as though there was no girl left in her. They looked at her with faces filled with anger, and fear, and loathing. The girl in her had made her want to help. But it was the jumbie in her that had saved the children.

  Suddenly, a thick cloud covered the forest and the lagoon, plunging everything into deep darkness. To Corinne’s right, a dim orange glow appeared beneath the mud. She dug until she turned up her mama’s stone, still wrapped in leather. She pressed the mud-caked stone to her heart then took it to the water to wash it off.

  “Look out, Corinne!” Marlene yelled.

  Two long, splintery arms grabbed hold of Corinne and pulled her down. “Foolish child!” Severine said. “I know what you did!”

  “You’re too late,” Corinne said. “I got them back to their parents.”

  Severine’s eyes flashed. She let go of Corinne and made a swipe for Marlene. Miss Evelyn pulled the girl back as the other adults splashed into the water to fight off Severine. Severine swung her arms and knocked them over, then she caught Corinne’s ankle and dragged her out. “You promised to keep them for me. So, who is the liar?”

  “I’m sorry, Tante—”

  “Do not call me that!” Severine screamed. Her eyes were wide and wild. “What kind of family is it that lies and deceives?”

  “Ours,” Corinne said. “You lied to me and Papa about who you were. Before that, Mama lied to him.”

  Severine dove on Corinne, pinning her under the water. Corinne kicked and scratched at Severine with her fingers, but her aunt was much too strong. The people in the crowd moved in, trying to pry Corinne from Severine’s grip, but the jumbie held them off. She pulled Corinne deeper into the water.

  Corinne put her mama’s stone in her mouth. There was no way to fight Severine and win. She put her hands up to surrender. They both surfaced in the middle of the lagoon, far from the watching crowd. Corinne tied her mama’s stone around her neck. Severine eyed it carefully.

  “I have not figured out how the stone affects me so much more than it does you,” Severine said. “Another thing my sister hid from me.”

  “We shouldn’t fight,” Corinne said. “We are family.” Her fingers closed around the stone.

  Severine backed off. “We are only family when you want to trick me.”

  “We are family whether either of us likes it or not,” Corinne said. “We didn’t get to choose that. But we can choose what kind of family we are together.”

  “You don’t want what I want,” the jumbie said. “You would use the gifts your mother gave you against jumbies—against your own kind.”

  In the water behind Severine, Malik’s small brown face surfaced with the three mermaids. Her friends had come. Weren’t they her kind, too? All of
them?

  “I don’t have one kind,” Corinne said. “I am my mother’s child. I am my father’s child, too. I don’t have to choose.”

  “You do,” Severine said. “Stupid girl, you always have to choose.” Severine lunged forward but Sisi, Noyi, and Addie grabbed her.

  Severine was surrounded.

  43

  The Water Jumbies

  Severine twisted one way and then another, and all four of them spiraled down. The mermaids’ flesh tore on Severine’s hard skin as they struggled. Corinne grabbed Malik and tried to pull him away, but the undercurrent had caught him. Corinne took a deep breath and sank with him. She motioned for him to open his mouth, and she put her mama’s stone inside it. The mermaids’ thrashing churned the water, so Corinne could not feel the pulse of the current. Malik passed the stone back to her. She caught her breath and returned it. Corinne kept kicking for the surface, but the current sucked at them like a hungry mouth.

  There was only one person who could help, but she would not come for Corinne and Malik. Maybe she would come for her children.

  The mermaids are in trouble! Corinne called out.

  A long tail undulated in and out of the water, slowly and gracefully. Mama D’Leau could not have been far. She stopped and cocked her head, watching Corinne and Malik struggle.

  They cannot fight her, Corinne said. They will not survive.

  I can’t interfere with another jumbie business, Mama D’Leau said.

  But they are jumbies, too, Corinne said.

  They already paying for getting involved, Mama D’Leau said. And that is your fault too, eh.

  Soil whipped up from the bottom of the lagoon. Corinne tasted scum. There was a pause in the fighting, and Corinne pushed Malik up to the surface and toward the shore. She stayed behind, treading water, with Severine beneath her, and Mama D’Leau between her and land.

  “There is no way to stop her, then,” Corinne said to Mama D’Leau.