The Soucouyant - Chapter 3
Matthew braced his back against the wall, biting his trembling lower lip in an irrational attempt at bravado. Sinclair was not swayed by this meager show. He simply stood, arms crossed and legs spread. One eyebrow raised, waiting with feigned patience for Matthew to start talking. Finally, after much foot shuffling, hemming and hawing Matthew stammered; “Now, Sinclair, look here…I can’t tell you the thing from start to finish, ‘cause I only know a little bit from the in-between.” At this, Sinclair’s eyebrow rose a little higher on his brow. He remained still, refusing to respond. This escalated Matthew’s nervousness. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other and back again, he decided to just go with the flow and see how much he could say without saying too much.
“Well see, I hear from Miss Bella, who get it from Freddy from up under the well who say he see it with his own two eyes this foreday morning before the cock even had a chance to wipe the yamp from his eye. He say he see somebody on Timo back porch. He say that he couldn’t see the person clear, since Timo does sleep with he outside lights off. But it had look like a man, only not so much like a man. Anyway, Timo house was in darkness and he know that Timo didn’t leave the man come inside because he didn’t see no door open. But all of a sudden the man wasn’t on the porch no more, and he say he one hundred percent sure that whoever it was didn’t come back out the gate, so he must have get inside somehow…” Sinclair’s silence encouraged Matthew to go on with his discourse.
“Freddy say he wait about fifteen minutes or so, but he didn’t see no light come on inside the house and he didn’t hear nobody bawl out, so everything must have been on the up-and-up, so he went back under his lean-to to get his kerosene pan to fill from the well when he hear a loud BOOM!, and when he turn back around Timo’s house was a ball of fire. He tell Miss Bella how he wanted to help, but all he had was his kerosene pan, and anyhow if anybody was inside the house, they was done dead already. He say the fella who went inside for sure wasn’t Timo. Miss Bella say how he swear on he mother grave.”
“And…?” was Sinclair’s sole observation. “I don’t know nothing else Sinclair, I swear!” “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” growled Sinclair. “I see your lips moving but I ain’t hearing nothing worth believing coming out. What foolishness you telling me boy? I know you too good, something you holding back. Spit it out.” Matthew started to sweat. “Lawd, why you can’t just leave me alone? I tell you everything I know.” wailed Matthew.
“Because I know you is a out and out liar. Where Tantie come in? I know she got something to do with this. What you ain’t telling me? I want to know right now!” roared Sinclair. “T-t-tantie?” stammered Matthew. “But who say anything bout Tantie?” Matthew’s trembling grew visibly pronounced. Now yes I in the frying pan, he thought to himself. “MATTHEW! You tell me right now before I get my machete!”
“Well,” he managed, “I hear that they find a bottle in the yard…
Chapter 4 tomorrow....
