Alfie Carter

by BJ Mayo

  He turned to the boys and proclaimed, “And now I am going to cut off this shit-for-brain’s head.” He turned around and brought the machete up slowly and deliberately.

  The bullets’ impact at close range killed Eduardo and Mariel instantly. Eduardo collapsed on top of Mingas and Mariel fell to the side. The younger boys stood in complete astonishment as the two older boys pulled their pistols and killed the two tormentors.

  And it was over. One of the older boys took the machete and whacked the snake’s head away from Mingas’s neck. “I will let the poison kill you. You are not worth a bullet, capitão.” He cut the cord holding the spyglass and pulled it away.

  “Put your guns on top of him,” the older boy demanded. “We are through killing. Now, I said.”

  Everyone pulled out their guns and put them on top of Mingas.

  “Now, all of your bullets, too. I want you to cut the roosters loose and their beaks and then go home to wherever you live.” With that, he turned and walked into the jungle. “Do not follow me. You do not live where I live.”

  The shift change guards ran back to their stations on the wall when the first shot rang out. They spotted the boys running back to the forest. They knew something did not go as planned when they saw the ladders. Taking out their binoculars, they saw the small group of boys standing at the edge of the clearing when they heard the two shots ring out nearly at the same time. One guard with the good binoculars saw two men fall.

  “I think the boys just killed the two men with them. I think they were going to attack the compound and something went wrong. They are throwing something on top of those men and now they are leaving. They look like little boys,” he said. “They all have on some type of little uniform.”

  Mingas’s rooster flew straight to the wall and over. He was followed by the other roosters the boys had released. The boys had removed their beak ties, but Mingas’s rooster remained tied shut.

  The hens began to cackle and cluck wildly at the sight of the crowd of roosters. The roosters began to flap their wings and crow loudly as they descended into the pen. Mingas’s rooster was quickly overwhelmed by the other roosters and dispatched with their talons, with relentless flogging. They pecked his eyes out and began pecking his body for a long while, seemingly in a fit of revenge. When they were satisfied, after careful looks that his body contained no life, they walked away and to the hens.

  The men of the compound carefully opened the two big doors and peeked outside in the direction of the gunfire, leaving one guard with binoculars on top of the wall to warn them if he saw anything. Carefully they made their way to the edge of the forest. They could see the crumpled bodies of the three men, pistols and bullets lain on top of them. Mingas stared with dead eyes and his ears sticking out of his mouth. They could smell the stench of Eduardo. They stared in amazement at the blown-out heads of Eduardo and Mariel.

  “What do you think happened here?” Gustoph Abernathy said. “It looks like this is a guerilla group and they had them boys working for them or something like that. Looks to me like the boys turned on them and killed them all. I don’t understand the first gunshot we heard and then the boys and two men running over here. Maybe the feller with the ears in his mouth saw some trouble and was signaling the others.”

  The others shrugged their shoulders and shook their heads in agreement.

  “Well, whatever happened, they are dead. Let’s get ready to bury these bodies. A couple of you need to go back to the compound and bring us six shovels. Even killers like these need to be buried.”

  When the two men arrived back at the compound, the women and children were all gathered in the lunchroom. Beth Goodchild saw them coming and raced out the door.

  “My gosh, what has happened? Is everyone all right?”

  Jackaleena was clutching Margaret’s hand and listening to Beth and the men talk as they described what had taken place and the ladders.

  “We need to get shovels,” one man said, “and get back. We got some burying to do. I think they are all gone for good. Looks like those boys left their guns and walked away. Got to go.”

  Beth stood watching them as Jackaleena appeared at the door. “Jackaleena, you must stay inside. It is not safe out here.” Jackaleena walked out the door with Margaret close behind. “Jackaleena, come back. Come back inside.”

  Jackaleena walked to the gates. She peered out and saw the men gathered at the edge of the forest in the clearing. Slowly she began to make her way the short distance. All of the Milano men watched her approach unafraid. When she was close enough to look at the dead men she stopped. She saw Mingas with his ears in his mouth and the two other dead men. She saw the pistols on top of the bodies.

  Jackaleena began to speak in a quiet voice, in English: “The man with his ears in his mouth is Mingas, their leader. The other two men are his followers. They guns belong to the boys. I have seen them before. They killed everyone in my village.” She saw the fang marks on Mingas’s neck. She knelt down to look closely before seeing the serpent head a few feet away. She slowly stood. “Mingas was bite there on his neck by this snake,” she said, pointing at the head. “The snake that moves faster than a man. When he bites, man does not have long to live. He got bite on neck. He shot his gun but it was too late. The others,” she said, pointing at the two men on top, and motioning to the forest for the boys, “must have ran back to see what why he shot his gun. He was not to live long. Then they killed him and the two men on top. I think they hurt all of the boys and they did not want to be with them anymore. They killed Joao, too. The boy that led me here. They had to do what Mingas and the other two men told them to do. But now they are all gone.”

  With that, she turned and walked to the compound. She passed the two men returning with the shovels as she remembered the dead men in her village with their heads stuck on sticks. The men stood in amazement, watching her walk back. They had never heard her speak.

  Gus watched her go. “She is probably right, you know,” he said, shaking his head. “That girl knew just by looking at what took place. I’ve never seen anything like that. Let’s start digging before they start swelling and stinking.”

  * * *

  All of the women were standing at the doors of the compound, not knowing what had taken place exactly. They watched Jackaleena make her way back to the compound.

  Margaret ran to her and scooped her up. “You scared me to death, dear. We were afraid for you. Were you not afraid?”

  Jackaleena looked back at the spot where the men lay. “Those are the men that helped the boys kill everyone in my village. One of the men there was their leader, Mingas. The boys that were with them are now gone and have left their guns. They are the ones that killed Joao when he led me here. The leader was bite by snake and shot his gun to try and kill the snake that chases men. All of the others ran away from the compound and ran to him. They cut off Mingas’s ears and put them in his mouth. I think the other two men killed Mingas before he died from the bite of the snake. Then the boys killed the other two men that that acted bad to them.”

  Margaret held her close, still trembling. Jackaleena remained calm.

  “Let us walk to the compound,” she said, grabbing Margaret’s hand.

  When they entered the gate, Beth hugged her. “Well, I do not know how it happened, but during all of this ruckus we have some new birds in our chicken flock. They are roosters. I think there are six of them. They flew over the wall. One is dead but the rest are alive and crowing. Hear them?”

  Jackaleena and Margaret ran to the chicken pen and spotted the roosters mingling with the chickens. Jackaleena looked at Margaret, not quite knowing what to say.

  “What does this mean, Margaret? You wanted chickens. Not roosters.”

  Margaret had to turn her head away to hide the tears. She finally turned back and looked at Jackaleena. She knelt down and held both of her hands and stared lovingly into her eyes.

  “Jackaleena, I believe that Jesus Man has answered your prayers.�
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  “I do not understand,” Jackaleena said.

  “Well, you see, chickens lay eggs. They must have a boy chicken, which is a rooster, for the eggs to produce baby chickens. If no boy chickens, just the egg we eat. With boy chickens, we will have all of the chickens we can handle. I do not know where the roosters came from. I just know they came over the wall. Jesus Man has answered your prayer, dear. You just cannot see him. He works in different ways we do not always understand,” and she began laughing. “Did you think he would send roosters to help make more chickens? Six of them? I did not.”

  “I did not either,” said Jackaleena. “I have been praying to Jesus Man and giving the chickens one finger’s worth of my bread every morning. I never believe this to happen. I cannot believe what he did for me.”

  “Well, dear, he did. He definitely did.”

  “I believe in him,” Jackaleena said. “He did what Toto never would. I think he likes me.”

  Margaret smiled and hugged her. “No dear, he loves you.”

  “Maybe he will tell me what my purpose is,” Jackaleena said. “This makes me know he is watching me and will give me a purpose. Do you think he will give me my purpose, Margaret?”

  “I am sure he will, dear. I really am sure he will. Remember, the Mercy Ship doctors are supposed to pay us a visit tomorrow, for a little while, we have been told. I want you to meet one of them.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  For the rest of the day, Jackaleena stayed close to Margaret. She looked to the gates and thought about all that had occurred. Even though she could not see Jesus Man, she could feel his presence. She knew that she was at a turning point in her young life. She was beginning to feel the weight of the world lifted off of her shoulders. If Jesus Man could do this after she prayed to him, he was the one who made the world and all things in it. Just like Margaret said to her and showed her in the Jesus Man Bible. She marveled at giving one finger’s worth of her daily biscuit to the chickens and her prayer that Jesus Man would bring more of the chickens she heard Margaret praying for. She began to feel that Jesus Man heard her own prayer and answered it. Even though it was answered in a way she did not expect, he answered it in a much bigger way. While the women were busy in the kitchen, she slipped to her room in the late evening.

  Jackaleena took off her shoes and knelt beside her bed. Her heart was light. Her feelings of joy and gratitude were immense. She felt like Jesus Man was the only one who had ever helped her, and besides Margaret she had no one in the world. She clasped her hands together and began to pray: “Jesus Man, this is Jackaleena. I know you know me, and I know you answered my prayers when I prayed for chickens. I think you helped with the men that were going to attack our compound. You are very powerful. I thank you for answering my prayers.

  “I now have another prayer. Margaret tells me that everyone has a purpose and we have to pray to ask you what that purpose will be. I think you have a purpose for me. Maybe it is in Amerika. Maybe the big white boat with the red mark on it is for me to go to Amerika for my purpose. If you did not want me to see it, I would not have been able to see it. So I will go to Amerika on the boat when the doctors come tomorrow. I am not afraid. You will take care of me. I am pray that Margaret will not be angry with me. She will not know I am leave. When I get to Amerika, I am pray that you will give me my purpose and I will go do my purpose. I learn many things while I am here that will help me in America.”

  Jackaleena finished her prayer and stood. She went to the porch and looked up into the sky at the big night moon. She could see all of the stars beyond stars. “Jesus Man, you are very powerful because you made all that I see. I cannot hardly believe what all you have made. It is so very pretty and makes me smile. I am so little and you are so big. When I think Amerika, my heart is happy.” She turned around and went back to her bed, unsure of what would happen the next day. She went to sleep thinking about the big white boat.

  Margaret noticed that Jackaleena was gone from the dining room. She, like the other women, were deep in discussions over what had taken place at the compound. Simply trying to take it all in, they were a beehive of vocal activity.

  It appeared God had spared them from a sure disaster, if the men and boys had actually gotten over the walls with all of their firearms. One thing all of the women were sure of, the men’s intentions were not good. They gave great sighs of relief each time one of them spoke about the possibilities that did not happen.

  Before the group broke up for the night, they joined hands, and Beth Goodchild led them in a prayer of thanks and deliverance. Had God not intervened, they might have all been killed. And the children! She thanked God for protecting the children they were entrusted to take care of, who had no one but them.

  When the prayer was over, all of the women hugged each other. They wiped their tear-filled eyes with their aprons.

  Margaret left the group and walked to Jackaleena’s room. She peered through the screen, and because of the bright moon she could make out the form of Jackaleena, fast asleep on her bed. She watched her for a few minutes before walking out onto the wooden porch. She stood in amazement at the full moon and the stars. Her heart was full.

  “God, you have blessed me greatly with this child. She is going to be something great one day. She is making me a better person. Thank you for putting her in my life. She is like a daughter to me. Her young life has seen many hardships. She is very smart and very strong minded and makes me smile. I will do my best to watch after her.”

  Margaret made her way from the porch to the chicken pen. Careful not to rouse them, she quietly listened to the clucks of the hens and roosters. What a pleasing thing to hear. It was nearly as if the hens were happy to have protectors. She walked slowly to her room, thinking how lucky she was to be here.

  The next morning, everyone in the compound heard the horn of the Mercy Ship. Three loud blasts in succession signaled the imminent arrival of the doctors and nurses on a smaller boat. One of the guards had his binoculars focused on the ship. Yep, they are lowering the shore boat down now. I can’t see how many people are in it. All of the adults were abuzz, waiting to hear news from the ship from America. The short time they were at the compound, the doctors would deliver ample supplies of bandages, antibiotics, and pain medicines. They would inspect all of the children and most of the adults. If someone was in need of x-rays, they would be shuttled back to the main ship. The ship even had a dentistry, for cavities or teeth-pulling if necessary. The women at the compound always gave each child a toothbrush and taught them how to brush their teeth twice a day.

  Due to their schedule, they did not dally when they arrived. They would cast off to the bigger ship at sundown. Benguela by the Sea was usually their last stop before their return voyage to America. The crew generally made thirty or so stops on their month-long tour of the African coastline and saw as many villages as possible. Most of the staff volunteered their services free of charge, and had regular jobs and practices to get back to.

  Questions were asked and answered while they went about their tasks. Jackaleena stood in line with the others with wide eyes. She watched as the children received vaccinations, teeth inspections, and inspections for lice and ticks. They rarely ever saw any lice or ticks. They knew that the women of the compound took exceptional care of these orphans, and made sure they bathed daily. The children were all taught personal hygiene. Most had never seen a toothbrush nor a nail clipper before they came into the compound. Some of their fingernails and toenails looked much like claws on an animal when they arrived.

  Jackaleena did not flinch when she received her vaccinations and inspection. She looked at each of the four doctors that had arrived and the four nurses that helped them. She counted each on her fingers. With the one man that was the small boat captain, that meant there were nine people on the small boat. She would have to be quiet and careful not to be seen. It was a long day, with only a short stop for lunch that the ladies at the compound provided for the doctors and their staf
f. It only lasted about thirty minutes.

  Jackaleena watched carefully from the courtyard as the doctors completed the last of their tasks. Everyone’s attention was on them as they prepared to leave.

  Jackaleena stopped briefly by the kitchen and poked her head in. Margaret was washing dishes when she approached.

  “Everything okay, dear? You did very well today.”

  Jackaleena hoped Jesus Man would not be mad at her for what she was about to say.

  “I am going to my room to sleep. The shots make me feel a little bad, I think.”

  Margaret felt her head. “You do not have fever. Sometimes they do that to people. You go ahead and go to bed. I will check on you in the morning. If you need me, come to my room.” She held Jackaleena in a warm hug and kissed her on the forehead. “I love you, Jackaleena.”

  “I love you, too, Margaret.”

  “Maybe you will feel better in the morning.”

  Jackaleena paused at the door and looked back at Margaret, who had resumed her dishwashing. She looked at her for a while. The woman had become her mother and father and taught her so much. She taught her about Jesus Man, which was the most important thing. She did not know if she would ever see her again, but she knew that Margaret was the one who told her about praying and said she would have a big purpose. Surely she would not be angry at her for going to find her purpose.

  Jackaleena quietly left the entranceway and made her way across the squeaky porch boards, across the pathway, and to her room. Pausing at her doorway, she glanced across the way with her hand shielding the sun. Slowing, she canvassed the enclosure that had become home. A source for food, shelter, clothing, and most of all companionship with Margaret. And that food was not frogs or grasshoppers like she had on her journey. It was real food.