Dark Fall: The Gift

by KD Knight

  "The fish is fine, thank you," I said, following her lead.

  "Why? You don't like oxtail?" she asked.

  "I've never had it." And I don’t want to. Eating a ‘tail ‘ doesn’t sound appetizing.

  "Mercy! What do you eat? Ackee and salt fish? Roast breadfruit? Curry goat? Stew chicken?"

  I looked at her blankly. Frankly, I had not heard of any of the foods she mentioned.

  She let out a dramatic sigh. "A Jamaican who doesn't eat Jamaican food!"

  "Do beef patties count?" I asked.

  She scowled loudly with her eyes. "It's really a good thing you’re home. I can just look at you and tell you're not eating good food." She held up my wrist, which fit neatly in the circle her thumb and ring finger made. "If there was a high wind, you would blow away."

  I didn't think I looked that bad. Yes, my five foot tall frame was on the thin side. I didn’t have the curvy hips or busty chest that some other sixteen year old had. But I always thought I had a decent body. I had just enough curve to prove I was a teenage, but not too much to draw attention. I liked it this way.

  "I'm going to heat up the fish I have in the fridge and fry some fresh festival."

  "You don't have to do all that for me. Just the fish is fine."

  Aunt Dar ignored me and pulled a mixing bowl down from the shelf. "Pass me the cornmeal under the last cupboard on the left," she said, pouring some flour into a large bowl. “You're going to eat some food tonight.”

  ~Jane~

  Chapter two: Stush {Snobbish or Uppity}

  Kevin was scheduled to leave for college in two weeks. He took that time to show me some of what Jamaica had to offer. We went to the tourist hot spots like Dunn’s River Falls, where I climbed the stones to the top of the falls. Then we went to some of Kevin’s preferred spots, like St. Thomas Mineral Bath. The locals said that the mineral waters from this bath cured all sorts of illnesses. Although I didn’t wholeheartedly believe the folklore, I was slightly hopeful that an hour in the “miracle” water would cure my lifelong struggle with Asthma.

  Our last stop on the tour was Kevin’s favourite spot, Hellshire Beach. On our way there, Kevin went on and on about good food and the warm ocean water. When we arrived, I heard the base of the music booming as a string of dried grass and bamboo roofs came into view.

  “Loud music at a beach?” I said to myself.

  Kevin let out a muffled laugh. “That’s how we do it here. Sunday beach party! It gets really nice at night.”

  “Really?” It sounded exciting.

  “You’ll be at home and in your bed by that time,” he said, wagging his finger. “Tomorrow is your first day at Kingston Academy.”

  “You’re going away to college tomorrow and you’re not packed.”

  He raised his brows.

  We pulled to a stop under a poorly nourished tree. “You don’t seem excited about starting school,” I said, unbuckling my seat belt.

  He gave a casual shrug as he turned off the engine.

  “Aunt Dar’s not here.” I reminded him as I exited the car. There was saltiness to the air that tickled my nose. I was fighting off a sneeze as Kevin turned, rested his forearms against the roof of the car and looked carefully at me.

  “I’m excited about going to Montego Bay College. Parties. Girls. I’m not so sure about Accounting. I don’t know.” He released a sigh.

  “Why did you pick it?”

  “It’s the responsible choice.” He opened the trunk and tossed me my backpack.

  I did a quick survey of its contents—a beach towel, bottle of water, and Asthma inhaler. “So what’s the issue with Port Royal?”

  “Huh?”

  “The place you wanted to do your internship. It’s just that it seemed to hit a nerve with your mom.”

  “Do you ask your mother this many questions?” He leaned on the side of the car and squinted in the midday sun.

  “I would if I thought that she would tell me the truth.”

  We walked towards the cluster of buildings that lined the beach front. People were perched wherever they could find a seat—on the wooden railing, on the steps, on an old tree stump. They were too preoccupied with their food to notice me, well all except for one. A slender boy with eyes so brown they looked almost red. He watched me as I mounted the steps into Freddie’s Seafood Shop.

  “Do you always do the responsible thing?” I said, breaking the boy’s gaze.

  “It’s just me and mom. I can’t mess around with my life, ‘cause when she’s grey, it’s me who’ll be taking care of her.”

  The crowd in Freddie’s was thick. Kevin held me by my wrist and led me through the crowd of people. The slender boy followed me into the restaurant. I drew closer to Kevin as the slender boy inched towards me. Suddenly, a hand reached through the crowd and grabbed my shoulder. There was a burning sensation where one of his fingers made contact with the bare skin at the base of my neck. I swatted his arm away and stumbled closer Kevin.

  “You okay?” Kevin said looking back curiously. He surveyed the crowd before bringing his attention back to me. “Jane, are you okay?”

  I looked back. The slender boy was nowhere in sight. I let out a deep breath. “I’m probably overreacting, but I thought someone was following me.”

  Kevin clenched his jaw tightly as he pulled me closer. “What did this person look like?”

  “Uh, tall, skinny guy…”

  “What colour were his eyes?”

  Kevin’s voice carried a tone that sent a wave of fear down my spine. “Brown.”

  Immediately, the muscles in his face relaxed and his grip softened. “Keep close. People here are a little more forward than you’re probably used to.”

  I didn’t allow myself to fully relax until we emerged from the restaurant and stepped onto the beach.

  “Can I ask you a question?” I asked as I spread my towel on the khaki-coloured sand.

  “You haven’t asked permission before.” Kevin noted as he pulled his t-shirt over his head.

  “Why was Aunt Dar upset with you for wanting to intern at Port Royal?”

  He gave a one-sided smile. He grabbed his heel and pulled off his sock and shoe in one fluid movement. “She was upset with me because I opened my big mouth. I was curious to see how much you knew.”

  “Knew about what?”

  “History.”

  “Well, that would be nothing. I don’t know anything about Jamaican history.”

  “That’s unfortunate.”

  Speaker boxes stacked twelve feet in the air began to belt out a reggae love ballad that made the sand vibrate. The crowd erupted into song and dance. Despite the party-like atmosphere, the beach was littered with families playing in the water with their children and groups of youth kicking around soccer balls. As I scanned the crowd, my eye rested on a girl who, it seemed, was watching me. She was a young girl about my age. She was clearly an “it” girl. Her brown hair was highlighted with blond streaks and, even from the twenty-foot distance that separated us, it was clear that she was heavily made-up. She whispered to the girl standing next to her who looked like her twin. They both looked at me and giggled. I turned my attention back to Kevin who was now stripped down to his swimming shorts.

  “Can you swim?” He asked as he pulled me to my feet.

  “I took lessons.”

  “So you’re a professional.”

  “No. Only a lesson here and there, in between moves.”

  “Excuses, excuses…”

  “Plus, the ocean’s different. There are a lot of unknowns and a lot of things that can’t be predicted— the depth, the pull of the current, the wildlife lurking at the bottom.”

  “You sound like your mother.”

  That shut me up.

  Kevin ran into the water, his body roughly cutting through the tide. I stood by the edge of the water fingering the hem of the Care Bear t-shirt I wore over my one piece bathing suit. The tide rolled in slowly, touching my toes and peaking at my ankles, t
hen rolling back again. Kevin was already waist deep. He motioned for me to join him before he dove under the water.

  “Come on, Jane,” he yelled. “Take a chance!”

  Kevin was right. I looked forward to this trip because it gave me the chance to live paranoia-free. The best way to not be bound by fear is to ignore the wailing sirens in my head and just go for it. I exhaled and made my way into the water to join him. Waist high in the warm, gentle currents, I looked down to my feet and admired the water’s clarity. This wasn’t as bad as I thought. The warmth of the ocean was soothing.

  I smiled and waved to Kevin as he beckoned for me to come out further. I took one step towards him when something prickly brushed against my skin. I looked down. The once clear water had become murky, as if a current carrying mud had suddenly rolled in.

  Whatever this prickly thing was, it wound itself tightly around my ankle and began pulling me downward. It tugged gently at first, like a child pulling on his parent’s hem. Then suddenly, like a rug pulled out from under me, I slipped backward and became totally submerged under the water.

  Time seemed to slow down as I was pulled along the ocean floor. The salt water stung my eyes as I stared desperately at the light above the water. I tried to get to the surface, which should only be a matter of me standing to my feet. But I couldn’t move. Both my legs were bound tightly by what looked like seaweed.

  The bright sun that I once saw above now appeared a distant glimmer. I twisted my legs back and forth attempting in vain to free them. I struggled until my lungs burned with emptiness. Out of breath, I lay motionless on the ocean floor and watched my gran’s necklace rise from beneath my t-shirt and hover above my body.

  A single stream of light broke through the murky water and struck my gran’s pendant. A renewed strength began to pulse through my limbs. With my trembling fingers, I tore at the weeds that bound my legs. The weeds were relentless. Every weed I tore off was replaced by another.

  Suddenly, the weeds loosened. I kicked free. I burst through the water’s surface with the force of an erupting volcano. I gasped wildly and my lungs burned as they took in my first fresh breath.

  “Jane!” Kevin yelled, running through the water towards me. “Jane, what happened?”

  I continued to gasp wildly for air. “I d… I d… I don’t know!” My voice shook with every syllable. “I don’t know what happened. I slipped… Aagh, my chest...”

  “Are you okay?”

  “My inhaler,” I said in between coughs. “My chest…I have Asthma. I need my inhaler.”

  Kevin wrapped his arms around my shoulders and hurried me towards the shore. My weak legs trembled with every step. I got to my inhaler and took two deep pulls of its cool mist. Within a few moments, my lungs no longer burned for air.

  Sitting back on my heels I realized that at least a dozen people were standing motionless, staring at me with startled and slightly fearful expressions. One person, the same girl who earlier stood giggling with her friend, now looked like she would kill me if given the chance. Her two-toned dyed hair was drenched in some places but bone dry and perfectly coiffed in others. Her black mascara was smudged around her eyes like a raccoon.

  “My hair is wet!” The girl shouted angrily. “That foreigna can’t swim.”

  “Please tell me I’m daydreaming,” I said looking to Kevin. “How did I wet her? She’s standing at least ten feet from where I was.”

  “Jane, yuh bus out a dat wata like duppy a ride yuh.”

  “I don’t understand what you are saying.”

  “You busted out of the water like a ghost was chasing you. Everyone within twenty feet of you got wet.” Kevin smiled brightly. “How did you do that?”

  “I don’t know.” I couldn’t explain any of what just happened.

  He wrapped me in a beach towel. I wished the towel were big enough to hide me from the now forty or so people pointing and whispering to one another. We walked back through the crowded restaurant towards our car. This time, we didn’t have to force our way through. The crowd silently parted giving us clear passage. I looked back over my shoulder at the girl. She was drying off with a towel and continuing to yell to anyone who would listen, which in her case was a lot of people.

  When we got to the car, I took one more pull of the inhaler. “I can’t believe that just happened. And that girl…”

  “Don’t you waste any time thinking about that stush girl Nadya McPherson. She thinks she’s high and mighty because her father owns a couple restaurants. She comes to the beach every weekend ordering people around like personal servants. If you ask me, she needed to be kicked off of her high horse.” He jerked the car off the gravel lot and pulled onto the paved road.

  So far, my attempt at normal has been a baffling disaster.

  ~Jane~

  Chapter three: Kingston Academy

  I have always discounted my mother's warnings about unforeseen danger as unfounded paranoia, but I can't discount what happened yesterday. I spent most of last night mulling over the event, searching for a reasonable explanation for what happened. When nothing reasonable came to mind, I started to consider the existence of killer seaweed acting on the orders from microscopic plankton. By 2:00a.m., sleep stung my eyes and I finally let go and drifted into slumber.

  "Jane! Jane!" A voice broke through my sleep. I slowly opened my eyes. They throbbed as if they had their own pulse.

  "Jane!" The voice sounded closer.

  Then it clicked and I shot straight up in the bed. "Yes, Aunt Dar."

  "Are you ready?"

  "Um..." I leapt out of bed. "I'll be right there." My voice was hoarse. I must have swallowed a lot more salt water than I thought.

  I have to think of a way to thank Kevin for not telling Aunt Dar about Hellshire Beach. If she knew what happened yesterday I would be packing my bags instead of getting dressed for school.

  I looked in the mirror and reviewed my school mandated uniform one last time—navy blue pleated, knee-length skirt and a white polo with the school logo K.A. embroidered in the top right corner.

  I’ve had many first days at many schools. For some reason I felt more anxious today than I had on any other first day. Maybe it was the fact that I was in a different country. Whatever the reason, my stomach was in knots.

  "It's stupid to get this worked up!" I said to myself, tucking my gran's necklace under my shirt.

  "Pardon?" Aunt Dar suddenly appeared in the doorway. She was dressed for work, wearing a navy suit and red patent leather pumps.

  "I was talking to myself."

  "Talking to oneself is the first sign of madness."

  "Sad to admit, but it's not the first sign for me." I grabbed my backpack and followed her lead towards the car.

  Thanks to Aunt Dar, I was registered in one of the island’s most prestigious private schools— Kingston Academy. This school was based on the American school system, complete with SAT testing. Aunt Dar worked at the school's head office and somehow managed to squeeze me in during the middle of the second semester. This may have been the miracle she performed that convinced my mother to let me come to Jamaica.

  The car slowed to a crawl as we approached the congested junction of Half Way Tree. I watched people of all ages as they scurried, waving down taxis and buses, and yelling to one another. According to Aunt Dar, this was a typical morning. I have never seen anything so chaotic and refreshing.

  "This is going to sound like a stupid question…"I started hesitantly.

  "Jane, the only thing stupid about a question is not asking it," she responded.

  "Will the students at Kingston Academy speak the way you do? I mean, when you're speaking to me I can understand you, but when I talk to Kevin, sometimes I can't make out a word."

  Aunt Dar chuckled. I guess there was something odd about a born Jamaican being so, well, not Jamaican.

  "Officially, the school's code of conduct mandates that all students conduct themselves in a professional manner. The rule is that proper Engl
ish vernacular is to be used when on school property. Street lingo is not tolerated. The Kingston Academy has a strong international academic reputation that attracts foreign students and the children of diplomats. So I'd imagine that you're not going to hear much local twang."

  A large tree with bright orange flowers hunched over the metal gate that bore the school's blue and white emblem. We followed the tree-lined road until it emptied into a large parking lot. The Kingston Academy building stood in the middle of a well-manicured lot.

  I stared at the castle-like structure for a few moments before I turned to grab my lunch bag and met Aunt Dar's gaze. I quickly pulled my mouth into a smile. The last thing I wanted was for her to think that I did not appreciate this opportunity. I imagine that she had to pull more than a few strings to be able to get me into a school like this.

  "I can read you like I read your mother. Stop worrying. You'll get on just fine." She said.

  I gave a half smile and shut the car door behind me.

  "I'll pick you up around four," she called out from the open passenger window.

  "Oh, you don't have to do that," I said walking back to the car. "I spotted the bus stop when I was out with Kevin on the weekend and I picked up a schedule. I'll be able to find my way."

  Aunt Dar narrowed her eyes. I knew that look all too well. It was the same look my mother gave me the first time I asked her if I could stay over at Julie's house when I was eight, and when I asked if I could go on a three-day camping trip with my grade eight class.

  "There is no way you are taking the bus. What do you think your mother would say about that?"

  "She would say be here for four," I said, feeling the sting of defeat.

  "I thought so."

  I turned to face the grand stone staircase that led to the oversized double door entrance. The campus consisted of one grand building, a wide multi-winged structure with windows and mini-balconies dotting the parameter. The hallway was tiled in large white and black tiles laid out in a checkerboard pattern. It made me think of Castle Loma back in Toronto