Midnight Robber

by Nalo Hopkinson

  The sound came closer, moved past her. Tan-Tan poked her head out of the well. Janisette had found her. Her stepmother was alone. She was driving a jeep this time, obviously made of parts that Gladys and Michael had stripped from the autocar. The jeep was heavier, rode smoother. There was no bleating from its engine.

  There came a screech of brakes, the sound of Janisette cursing. Then to Tan-Tan’s dismay, she heard the jeep returning. Biceps burning, she lowered herself into the well to the extent of her arms. The weight of the baby pulled at her, made the tendons in her groin cramp. Her feet paddled in the ice-cold water. The jeep stopped. Tan-Tan could feel the rough brick of the well’s edge scraping the pads of her fingers. Her boots were filling with frigid water, making her shiver. How deep was the well? Her arms screamed for her to let go, just let go. She could swim, ain’t? She would be all right? But she held on. She could see the muscles of her arms twitching involuntarily. Her feet were blessedly numb now, but the weight of the water in her boots was an extra drag. Her fingers were beginning to slip. The babyweight was dragging her down. Soon only her fingertips held her.

  Janisette made an impatient noise. “Cho. After is here them tell me I could find she.” The jeep started up again, phut-phut-phutted its way away.

  Gasping with the pain in her abused arms, Tan-Tan scrabbled with her feet against the sides of the well until she found purchase on its uneven bricks. She worked her thighs apart to make room for her bellybulge, braced her feet and her back against the sides of the well. Slowly, by pushing with her thighs and arching her back, she levered herself up. Eventually she was able to roll out onto the ground, much to the shock of two little girls who had come with their bucket for water. They stood wide-eyed and watched her. “Careful there,” she told them. “Mind you fall in.”

  Her arms wouldn’t work to push her upright. They trembled and ached. Tan-Tan rocked to her knees, then her feet, wept with the effort of tossing the remaining blanket over her shoulders. She smiled her brightest smile at the little girls. They stared solemnly. She hiked back to Abitefa and the safety of the bush. She couldn’t make a home in tallpeople lands. Janisette would follow the trail that gossip about her laid, hunt her out wherever she was. She should stay away from settlements altogether, but sometimes she just longed for tallpeople faces.

  In Poor Man Pork she had the remaining blanket made into a cape to hide her seven-month belly. Hard living in the bush had made her so lean, the bulge didn’t show if she wore bulky clothes. But it was getting bigger.

  The seamstress tried to substitute a cheaper fabric for the one Tan-Tan had given her. So Tan-Tan stood over her while she sewed. She pilfered every single candle the woman had in the place, tucked them into her carry pouch. When her cape was done she paid for it and took it away. She had supper in a rum shop, etched “Tan-Tan the Robber Queen” with her knife point into the longest candle. She made sure to leave just as the sun was beginning to think about going down. She meandered through town until she found a house that was in darkness. She put the candles down on the front step, rapped smartly on the door, and ran away, cape flaring behind her.

  She began to notice little girls playing at Robber Queen in the settlements.

  • • •

  You feeling pressure, eh doux-doux? Don’t worry, that normal. Not too much longer, promise you. Then a whole new life going to start for you.

  No, don’t fight it so, relax. Or it does hurt more. Yes, relax. And make I continue, the story will take your mind off it.

  So. Little time after she start up she escapades regular in the New Half-Way Tree settlements, Tan-Tan start to hear back the first anansi stories ’bout sheself. I think you going to like this one, sweetness. Is the only one Tan-Tan would sometimes repeat sheself:

  Tan-Tan and the Rolling Calf

  One time, Tan-Tan was on the run again, oui, barely ahead of the bounty hunters. She did just done kill a man; a pimp who used to specialize in young young girls, and a pusher too besides. Truth to tell, nobody on New Half-Way Tree was sorry he dead, but murder was murder, and Tan-Tan had to pay. So she run. She bind up she locks so nobody could recognise she, and she head for the bush, like always when she in trouble. She hike for hours, until she was far, far from home, and tired. Night was coming on, but Resurrection Town was just over the next mountain. It had a woman there named Pearl who would feed she and hide she for the night. So Tan-Tan head up the mountain path, dragging she feet with tiredness, but keeping she eyes open for trouble.

  It had a nice evening breeze blowing soft through the trees beside the path. Is the same song the breeze used to sing in the trees on Toussaint planet, when Tan-Tan was a little gal pickney. Walking along, she almost forget she was a exile on New Half-Way Tree with a curse on she head from the douens-them: every time she take from somebody, she had was to give back twice as much to a next somebody. But she couldn’t really forget the curse, nuh? All like how she just take a life, she was going to have to save two more, just to even up. Tan-Tan could hear the whispering of the douens starting up in she head again:

  It ain’t have no magic in do-for-do,

  If you take one, you must give back two.

  Tan-Tan sigh and keep walking. Up ahead, she spy a form in the dark, someone hurrying to get home; a woman in long skirts. The woman was walking fast-fast, she shoulders all scrunch up together. She looking from side to side into the bush every minute, as though she could see trouble before it reach, oui? A tree frog shout “Breck-eck!” into the night, and the woman jump like jumbie on she tail, and start to make haste even faster. Tan-Tan see a chance to do somebody good, and quiet down some of the whispering in she head. She shout:

  “Evening, sister: is home you going?” The woman cry out, “Lawd ha’ mercy!” and whip round to see who coming up behind she.

  Tan-Tan say, “Don’t frighten, lady, don’t frighten. I just going over the mountain, past Resurrection Town to Juncanoo. I going to spend some time with my old grannie; she ain’t too strong any more, oui.”

  As Tan-Tan get closer, she could see the woman shoulders relax, but she voice still tremble when she reply, “Thanks God, you is a honest woman. Bounty hunters tell we Tan-Tan round the place, and I frighten to walk this lonely road by myself so late at night. I stay too late in the market. I ’fraid Tan-Tan hold me and cut me throat like hog!”

  Tan-Tan smile to hear somebody call she a honest woman. “Is alright, lady, I could walk a little way with you to keep you company. Is where you going?”

  Sadie was going to Basse-Terre, a village beside Resurrection Town. Tan-Tan agree to walk with she until the path fork at the bottom of the hill. As they walk, they talk about things: how ackee dear in the market now with the drought; and what a sad thing it was for a woman to turn outlaw and have she heart so hard like the Robber Queen Tan-Tan; and what a way pickney-child wouldn’t mind their elders nowadays. Little-little, Sadie start to laugh and joke with she like them was old friend. It was hard work for Tan-Tan; long time since she just make old-talk. Sadie almost catch she out when she ask, “And what about you, my dear? You think your nen-nen going to get well again?”

  Which nen-nen? Tan-Tan almost answer, but she remember she story in time: “I ain’t know. She old now, you see. Every time she get sick like this, she never come back as strong as before.” Tan-Tan bow she head to shake it in pretend sadness over she pretend nen-nen. That is when she see a shadow shifting right where Sadie was about to step. Tan-Tan yell out, “Mind you foot!” but too late: Sadie step down hard; the shadow yelp; Sadie scream “Oh God oh God!” and jump back behind Tan-Tan. Tan-Tan make haste and pull out she machète, but when she look good at the shadow, she only start one set of laughing. It ain’t nothing but a small beast, cringing on the ground in front of the two women, growling a baby growl and waving a tiny tail back and forth in the dust on the path. Tan-Tan re-sheathe she machète and bend down to pick up the beast. She show it to Sadie:

  “Don’t ’fraid, Sadie; is just a rolling calf baby. Se
e, the tail spikes too small to have any poison yet. It can’t hurt you.”

  “Jeezam,” Sadie say, coming closer to get a better look, “you ain’t frighten it bite you?”

  “Nah, man. Is only the big ones you have to watch out for. Them miserable, will mash you just for so. This one going to be big like a bull calf for true, and the four legs going to have some wicked claws. And you see these tiny scales all over the body? They going to get thick and hard, like leather armour. Let we leave it right here. It will find itself back home when it ready.” She put the baby back down on the path, and the two women start to walk again.

  Well, doux-doux, Sadie couldn’t get over what just happen; she start to chat like she mouth is a pot with no kibber. “Lord, anybody see my crosses? I just walking down the road, minding my own business, when one wild beast nuh try to bite off my foot? I tell you, missis, I don’t know what I woulda do if you wasn’t here to help me! Jeezam!” Tan-Tan try to tell she rolling calf does only eat bush, but Sadie carry on so till Tan-Tan couldn’t take the noise no more. She start to walk a little ahead, trying to leave some of the jibber-jabber. And Sadie scream again. Tan-Tan turn round, just in time to see one big mako something rush at Sadie and slam she to the ground. Rolling calf! Big one this time! The mother come to protect she baby, Tan-Tan think as she fetch out she machète again and run to help Sadie. The rattle of the rolling calf tail remind she that she shouldn’t get too close; the spikes in the tail could kill she easy. Tan-Tan jump back; the massive tail just miss she. In the dark, she could barely make out Sadie, twisting round under the beast, trying to get away from the snapping jaws.

  “Sadie! I coming, gal!” Tan-Tan fetch one blow to the rolling calf tail with she machète. The spikes went flying off. The beast scream and left Sadie to come after Tan-Tan. She couldn’t see it good in the night, but she could smell it. Yeasty breath, like bread dough a-spoil. Rolling calf-them does have they snout full of grinding plates, and sharp eyes, for the half-way tree jungle dark like the Blackheart man soul. Them have hard scales all over the body. When them move fast, the scales and the tail spikes does rattle. That is why the first colonists did name the animal “rolling calf”; the rattling noise remind them of the scary anansi stories they grannies tell about the Rolling Calf, a jumbie bull calf all wrap up in chains, with eyes of fire, that does chase people travelling alone at night.

  The rolling calf lunge and snap at Tan-Tan. It catch she by she sleeve, and she had was to tear it free. “Ai!” She leave some of the flesh of she arm in the rolling calf jaws. Tan-Tan could hear Sadie sobbing on the ground, and praying steady steady, but she couldn’t mind that; the beast swipe she with it injured tail and send she slamming down. The fall knock out all she wind. She try to roll away, but the rolling calf grab she foot. She feel the bite of it grinding plates scraping down she leg nearly to the bone. She scream and she jerk the foot away, but she shoe leave behind in the rolling calf mouth. Don’t tell me I go dead right here tonight, Tan-Tan think. She had was to move fast; the way to kill a rolling calf was to stab up through the brain, but she only had one chance. If she miss and it trample she, she would dead anyway. The rolling calf haul back to lunge again; Tan-Tan roll to she knees under the snapping jaws. With two hands, she drive the machète upwards, praying she hit brain. She feel the machète shudder. Rolling calf blood start to spray from the wound, all over she hands, and the beast crash down right on top of she. The blow almost knock she senseless. She couldn’t move. She hear Sadie cry out, “Lady, you alright? Oh God, lady, don’t dead!”

  “I ain’t dead, Sadie. Help me, nuh?”

  Sadie limp over and drag Tan-Tan out, crying the whole time, and calling on God to save they life. Tan-Tan didn’t mind. She let Sadie rip up she kerchief to wipe off the rolling calf blood and bind up she foot. It feel nice to have somebody fretting over she. Sadie had was to help Tan-Tan stand up, for she still bassourdie from the blows she catch, but they couldn’t stay there. Tan-Tan drag she machète out of the carcass, and use it to pry out she shoe from the jaws. The shoe was slimy when she put it back on. Tan-Tan give Sadie a shaky smile:

  “But look at the two of we, eh? My foot chew up, your bodice rip, both of we cover in bruises, and is where the hell your market basket gone to?” They find where the basket did drop when the rolling calf attack. Most of the goods was still inside, though all but three of the eggs break. They start walking again, with Tan-Tan leaning on Sadie shoulder to ease the pain in she foot (when was the last time she trust anybody so?) Sadie only carrying on about how they almost dead, but Tan-Tan let she talk; it was the voice of a friend.

  By now, they was heading downhill, and them reach a fork in the path. On the right hand was the lights of Resurrection Town. On the left hand, Tan-Tan could see Basse-Terre. Tan-Tan stop and stand up by sheself, but Sadie didn’t want she to go.

  “Lady,” she say, “words alone can’t thank you; you save my life this night! My home not far; you want to come? You could spend tonight with we.”

  Tan-Tan was dog-tired. She couldn’t make Sadie know who she was. All she want was to be in Resurrection Town, where she could speak she name and be welcome, and rest she head for one night. “No, thank you, darling. My grannie waiting in Juncanoo, and I don’t want to leave she alone tonight.”

  “Alright, I understand, but I will come and visit you while you there. Lemme give you a little something to go with, nuh? I still have some nice naseberry from the market.” Sadie reach into she basket to give Tan-Tan the fruit, but Tan-Tan decide to end the masquerade right there. She couldn’t make Sadie come looking for she. She reach up and dash she scarf from she head, and the dreadlocks tumble down she shoulders, black like eels in river water. Sadie gasp and drop the two naseberry-them. Them split open on the path. The black seeds remind Tan-Tan of the eyes of the douens; all dark with no centre. She say to Sadie:

  “You could stop calling me ‘lady’: I name Tan-Tan! Go your ways in peace, darling, and let me go mine. Tell the people in Basse-Terre that is Tan-Tan save your life this night.”

  “Oh, God, oh God: I going! Don’t hurt me, nice lady, Devil Lady, do . . .” Sadie turn and run off down the hill, looking back every minute to make sure Tan-Tan wasn’t following. Tan-Tan watch she run. She feel a sadness weighing she down; she alone in the night again. She turn down the fork towards Resurrection Town, but before she get far, the whispering start in she head again:

  No obeah there in do-for-do,

  If you take one, you must give back two.

  “Oh, God, oonuh leave me alone, nuh? I already save one life tonight, and I tired! Let me rest a little? Please?” But the voices in she head only saying, not one, but two . . . Tan-Tan drop to she knees on the path, sobbing with fatigue. Two . . . two . . . two . . . Finally, she get up again, and limp back along the path. As she reach the carcass of the dead rolling calf, she hear something whimpering in the dark. The rolling calf baby was huddling against the mother dead body, crying for she. When it see Tan-Tan, it start to hiss and snarl.

  “Oho,” Tan-Tan say to the baby, “if I leave you here, mongoose bound to eat you before morning come.” She pick up the baby. It try to snap at she, and the tail swipe she in she face.

  “You little bit, but you tallawah,” Tan-Tan say with a smile. She tuck the baby under she arm, where the tail couldn’t do no harm, and start off again, humming a tune to calm the rolling calf baby. It kick and fight and scratch up Tan-Tan two arms-them, but it was company. Finally, it get tired and fall asleep, just as they reach Resurrection Town. It was almost ’fore-day morning. Tan-Tan was the only one out on the streets. She make she way towards Pearl house, with the rolling calf baby getting heavy in she tired arms. The douen voices in she head was quiet for now, but how the ass to convince Pearl to let she keep a wild animal in she clean house for the night?

  • • •

  A rumbling noise woke Tan-Tan. Exhausted, she peeked out from sleep, blew one of Tefa’s breast feathers out of her face. The piteous rumbling came ag
ain. Tan-Tan struggled to her knees, leaned over the side of the nest. Yes, the rolling calf pup had overnight eaten every leaf in a six-metre circle round where her leash was tethered, and was demanding breakfast. In the weeks since Tan-Tan and Tefa had been looking after the pup, she had grown quickly, now stood nearly as high as Tan-Tan’s hip. The chain that held her was stretched taut. She was leaning towards a patch of shoots that was just out of reach, mouthing her flexible beak at it and crying for help.

  * Time to let she go soon.*

  “You think so?”

  *She nearly big enough to fend for sheself now.*

  Tefa distrusted the rolling calf pup, had tried to convince Tan-Tan to release her into the bush as soon as her teeth plates had come in. But she cost them nothing to keep, beyond the initial cost of her chain. Is only leaves she wanted. They had plenty of those, oui. Hard to believe that something that looked so able to hunt and kill for its supper was a folivore, harmful only if you frightened it or threatened it. Or got in its unmindful way. Tan-Tan’s foot was still sore from where the beast had stepped on it yesterday.

  The pup grumbled again.

  “Yes, I coming just now, hold your horses, nuh?” She clambered awkwardly out of the nest, sat straddling the branch while she got her breath. Her centre of gravity shifted almost daily as her belly grew. She’d lost track, was it seven months? Seven and a half? More, maybe? Her back hurt all the time, she couldn’t get a restful sleep. Damned baby. And like it had heard her, it kicked. Ai. Vicious brute’s legs were getting stronger. She swung heavily out of the tree, wincing as the impact of landing made her belly pull at her crotch tendons. The rolling calf pup hurried over to her, making a noise like three grown men with bellyaches. It tried to lean against her leg; she stepped away. “No, you too big, you have to stop that now!” Its armour-plate skin had hardened as it had grown. It could scrape her skin raw. It swiped its spiked tail back and forth, making a thumb-deep groove in the dirt. She slid the choke chain loose from its neck. It shook its blocky tricorned head and lumbered off in search of greenery. One day she knew it wouldn’t come back. Tefa was right, it was old enough. She no longer needed to keep it near so she could watch over it at night. But she didn’t want to set it free. It was the first thing whose life she’d really managed to save so far, the first step in lifting the douen curse from her head. If she let it go and it died, would she have to start all over again?