Tales from the Caribbean Read online

  Sylvan, alone in the house, could hear the singing and she recognized Amos’s voice immediately. She ran to meet him. They were so pleased to see each other!

  ‘Quickly,’ she said, ‘let’s get away from this place before Karahu returns and finds you here.’ But Amos, remembering what the wise old woman had told him, carried on walking towards the house. ‘First we have to break the spell that Karahu has cast over you,’ he insisted. He asked his wife to blow a kiss in the living room, blow a kiss in the bedroom, blow kisses all around the house and blow a kiss outside in the kitchen, just as the wise old woman had told him. Then Amos put the piece of the colourful stone beside the sleeping child and took his wife and went away.

  Shortly afterwards Karahu returned carrying a string of fish as usual. He went straight to the kitchen and called Sylvan. ‘Yes, Karahu!’ Sylvan’s voice replied from the living room inside the house, but when Karahu followed the voice to where it was coming from, Sylvan was not there. Karahu called Sylvan again. ‘Yes, Karahu!’ Sylvan’s voice called back. This time Sylvan’s voice was coming from the bedroom. Karahu followed the sound of her voice to the bedroom, but when he got there Sylvan was not there. Karahu called and called and went from one room to the next, but Sylvan was not to be found anywhere. Finally he called again, ‘Sylvan! Wife, where are you?’ And from outside in the kitchen Sylvan’s voice answered, ‘Here I am, Karahu! Come!’ So he went out to the kitchen to find her, but Sylvan was not there. Karahu finally realized that he had been tricked. He was furious. He stamped his feet and made so much noise he woke up the baby.

  ‘Aha,’ Karahu said. ‘At least I still have my son!’ Karahu followed the sound of the baby’s voice to the child’s bed, but as he drew near to the child Karahu could see once again he had been tricked. Glowing on the child’s pillow was the piece of the colourful stone, and there where the baby should have been was a colourful bird.

  ‘What a life … what a life …’ Karahu sobbed and the bird flew up to him making the prettiest chirping sound Karahu had ever heard. ‘I am Kingfisher!’ sang the bird. ‘Let me stay with you …’ And from that day on, Karahu had the company he had longed for and he never went fishing alone again.

  Too Choosy-Choosy

  This story is based on a folk tale from Guyana

  There was once a king who had a daughter named Verona. Princess Verona was very beautiful. She would spend her days in front of the mirror admiring her beauty. Verona was a spoilt princess who always got everything she wanted, and everything she wanted had to be the best. If it wasn’t the best then she would moan and groan. That was how it had always been. Her father, the king, would try and get the best of anything she asked for but she was never satisfied.

  ‘You too choosy-choosy!’ her father, the king, would say. ‘One day you’ll choose and choose and you’ll lose.’ But Verona didn’t care what her father said. She just pleased herself and continued being choosy.

  When it was time for Verona to find a husband she decided that she would only accept the perfect husband and nothing less. Tired of his daughter’s constant moaning, the king took it upon himself to find the perfect husband for his daughter.

  ‘I am looking for a husband for my daughter, Verona,’ the king told his people, ‘and only the perfect suitor will do.’

  News travelled far and wide. Soon everyone knew that the king was looking for the perfect husband for his daughter and before long a line of well-to-do suitors presented themselves to the king and the princess but the princess was not interested in any of them.

  The first was too tall, the second too short, another too fat, another too thin. The princess wanted a man who was just the perfect size and with the perfect face, and when she found one who was the perfect size with the perfect face he was too boring or he talked too much or he spoke too little or he didn’t give her enough attention. Whatever excuse Verona could find, she did. The bottom line was that none of the suitors were perfect enough to be her husband and the king didn’t know what to do.

  ‘There must be somebody out there that’s perfect for you!’ he said, and Verona just smiled.

  ‘If I don’t find the perfect man, then I will just have to live with you forever,’ she said happily. This worried the king. This worried the king a lot. He could think of nothing worse than spending the rest of his days trying to please his daughter and he hoped beyond hope that one day someone perfect would come along and take her off his hands.

  Living in the village was a humble fisherman named Sam. Every morning Sam would deliver a load of fish to the palace and, every morning from her balcony, Verona would watch this fine figure of a man carry the boxes of fish across the courtyard to the palace kitchens, and she would admire his perfect dark brown skin and his perfect smile with perfect white teeth and she would listen to his perfect laugh and she would say, ‘Good morning, Sam.’

  When he answered ‘Good morning, Princess Verona!’ in his perfect deep voice, her heart would race. But before she could catch her breath and speak further he would be on his way. Although she liked the look of him, she knew that Sam was much too poor to be the perfect husband for a princess. Nevertheless, Princess Verona was curious about the fisherman and she wanted to know more about him. He looked like such a nice fellow.

  One morning Princess Verona was determined to speak to Sam so, instead of watching him from her balcony, she waited for Sam in the courtyard. As he came to deliver the fish as usual she jumped out and startled him.

  ‘Good morning, Sam,’ she said.

  Sam almost dropped his fish. ‘Oh … Good morning, Princess Verona,’ he said politely. ‘I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting to see you there!’

  ‘I know,’ said Princess Verona. ‘I came down here especially as you are always in so much of a hurry and I never get to speak to you.’

  Sam was taken aback by her interest in him.

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I have so much fish to deliver in the mornings. Please accept my apologies.’

  Princess Verona blushed. No one had ever made her blush before but there was something about this fisherman that made her giddy. That morning Princess Verona and Sam the fisherman spoke and laughed about all sorts of things and, the more Princess Verona spoke to him, the more she liked him. The more he spoke to her, the more he liked her too. From that day on, every morning Princess Verona waited in the courtyard for Sam to arrive with the fish and every morning they chatted about this and that and enjoyed each other’s company.

  The king was very glad to see his daughter having so much fun with the young fisherman and one day he called his daughter aside and said, ‘Verona, could this be him? Is Sam the fisherman the perfect man for you? Would he be the perfect husband?’

  Verona ummed and ahhed. ‘Well … umm … ahh … umm …’ and finally she said, ‘No. How can I marry a poor fisherman? I’m a princess! He’s not perfect enough for me.’

  ‘You too choosy-choosy!’ said the king. ‘One day you’ll choose and choose and you’ll lose.’ The king was angry. He wondered if he would ever get rid of his fussy daughter.

  Then one day, quite out of the blue, a handsome gentleman riding a strong black stallion arrived at the palace gates. The gentleman looked amazing, dressed in a crisp white suit and a fine cane hat. His height looked perfect. His face looked perfect. He was rich and charming too.

  ‘Good day!’ he said. ‘My name is Camo.’

  The princess immediately took a liking to him. He said all the right things and seemed to know exactly how to act to show the princess that he would make a perfect husband for her. He spoke of his wealth and his magnificent castle and he told her how he could lavish her with the most expensive jewellery. Princess Verona fell in love with him immediately.

  He came to visit every day and when he asked the king for Verona’s hand in marriage, the king turned to his daughter and said, ‘Verona, could this be him? Is this fine gentleman, Camo, the perfect man for you? Would he be the perfect husband?’

  Ve
rona ummed and ahhed.

  ‘Well … umm … ahh … umm …’ Finally she said: ‘Yes! This is the perfect man for me.’

  The king was overjoyed. He began to make plans for the wedding straight away and he asked the gentleman suitor to come back the following week to marry his daughter.

  When Sam the fisherman heard about the engagement of Princess Verona to a fine gentleman called Camo, he was very sad. He had known all along that, being a poor fisherman, he didn’t stand a chance of marrying Princess Verona, but deep down in his heart he had hoped that by some miracle his dream would come true. But, alas, it wasn’t to be.

  Sam was so distraught that he stayed in bed for three whole days and he was unable to get up and work. Sam was still in bed when one of the servants to the king arrived at his small fisherman’s hut asking for a special order of fish for the wedding banquet. Sam was about to turn the servant away when he had a thought. Maybe if he showed up at the palace with the order of fish and Princess Verona was to see him again she would come to her senses and call the wedding off! So he agreed to deliver the fish on the morning of the wedding, in the hope that seeing him might change Verona’s mind.

  The wedding morning arrived and Sam entered the palace through the courtyard. Up on the balcony Princess Verona saw him arrive. Her heart skipped a beat but she pretended that it did not bother her to see him – she was going to be married to the perfect man that afternoon after all.

  ‘Good morning,’ said Sam. Princess Verona did not answer. She could not. Seeing Sam had confused her. She just waved and went inside. Deep down in her heart she was afraid she might be still in love with him … but how could she be when she was about to marry the perfect man?

  Sam carried the boxes of fish to the palace kitchen. There was so much fish he had to cross the courtyard several times. Each time he crossed the courtyard Sam looked up on the balcony to see if Princess Verona was there but she was nowhere to be seen. After the last box had been delivered Sam left, convinced now that any dream of marrying Princess Verona was well and truly dashed. As he walked away Verona peeped from behind a pillar on the balcony and watched him go. But it was too late. Camo, her husband-to-be, would be arriving very soon to marry her.

  Sam could see a glittering horse-drawn carriage coming towards the palace. Inside it was the man Sam thought must be Verona’s fiancé, Camo. Sam decided to wait around to have a good look at the man Verona intended to marry. The man got out of the carriage and Sam bid him good day, wishing him well on his wedding day. None the wiser, Camo thanked him and entered the palace.

  Sam took a disliking to him straight away. Perhaps this was natural, since the man was about to marry the only girl he had ever truly loved. But looking into Camo’s piercing green eyes had sent a shiver down Sam’s spine. He decided he would hang around a little bit longer. He wanted to make sure that Verona really was going to marry the perfect man.

  Hiding behind a palace wall, Sam secretly watched all the guests arrive for the wedding. When the final guest had arrived and the wedding was about to begin, Sam slipped into the palace and mingled with the guests unnoticed. All the time his eyes were firmly fixed on Verona. It almost broke his heart to see the beautiful Verona exchange wedding vows with the strange man. Sam had hoped and dreamed that he would have been the one exchanging wedding vows with Verona on their special day and it hurt him deeply. When the ring was placed on Verona’s finger, it hurt him so much he thought he would never breathe again.

  When the service was over and the merriment began, Sam thought he would take a closer look at Verona’s new husband. He watched as others congratulated him with a handshake and he waited in line for his turn, and when he got up close he was disturbed by the green hue on the man’s skin. What was it? It reminded Sam of the colour of the deepest ocean. Why had nobody else noticed how odd the colour of his skin was? And when Sam shook his hand he was not ready for the rough leathery texture of it and it scared him. Unable to keep his concerns to himself any longer, Sam approached the king quietly.

  ‘Your Highness, please may I have a word?’

  ‘Sam … I wasn’t expecting to see you here! Is everything all right?’

  ‘No. You must get your daughter away from that man. He is not right for her!’ Sam said.

  Of course, the king thought that Sam’s jealousy was getting the better of him. He tried to calm Sam down.

  ‘Now don’t make a fool of yourself, young man! My daughter is happily married now, so off you go, be on your way …’ and he had his servants throw Sam out of the palace.

  Sam didn’t know what to do next. Suddenly he spotted the glittering carriage waiting outside ready to take Verona and her new husband to their new home. He decided to attach himself to the back of the carriage and hide there so he could go with them when they left.

  The time came for Verona and her new husband to leave. The king and all the guests waved them off and wished them well, and the glittering carriage set off. From inside Princess Verona blew a final kiss to her father and he wiped a tear from his eye. As much as he wanted to be rid of her because of her fussiness, he knew he would miss her, as he loved her very much. As they left, Verona’s eyes seemed to search the crowd for someone else. But she couldn’t see Sam anywhere.

  It was a long and uncomfortable ride to Camo’s home. Sam held on to the back of the glittering carriage for dear life and, inside, Verona grew tired and slept for part of the way. When she woke up, she expected to be at her new husband’s magnificent castle but instead the carriage pulled up at a miserable-looking shack surrounded by bushes and tangled vines. She thought they must have taken a wrong turning and become lost.

  ‘Home sweet home!’ said Camo, her husband.

  ‘Home?’ said Verona. ‘What do you mean? Where’s your castle?’

  ‘I don’t have one!’ laughed Camo. ‘I lied!’ At once he grabbed her with his rough scaly green hands and began to drag her out of the carriage. ‘I’m Camoudi Snake and I heard you were looking for the perfect husband, so I disguised myself and I fooled you into believing I was him!’

  ‘Ouch! You’re hurting me! Let me go!’ screamed Verona. But the horrible snake would not let her go.

  ‘You heard what she said!’ said Sam, jumping down from the back of the carriage. ‘Let her go!’

  Camoudi was taken entirely by surprise. Verona, too, was shocked but very pleased to see him. Sam immediately tried to break Verona free from the grip of Camoudi’s hand but the cunning snake held on tightly and would not let go.

  Camoudi opened up his big snake mouth and was about to gobble up Princess Verona when Sam got out his sharp fisherman’s knife and in one swift movement sliced off Camoudi’s head, setting Verona free.

  ‘Oh, Sam, I’m so sorry!’ cried Verona. ‘I was too choosy-choosy. If only I hadn’t been so foolish and I had followed my heart, none of this would have happened!’

  But Sam was so happy to have Verona back and away from the wicked grip of Camoudi that he forgave her and asked her to marry him, and Princess Verona didn’t umm or ahh, she said ‘Yes’ straight away.

  Two Dinners

  Based on an Ashanti story brought over to the Caribbean

  People say there was a time long ago when animals were different from how they are now. Many animals walked on two feet, as humans do, and they spoke with words.

  Brer Anansi, the mischievous spider, was one such creature and though he had eight legs he too spoke with words.

  Brer Anansi liked to go to parties. He liked to make sure, if there was something going on – a party or a feast or some celebration or other – that he would be in the midst of it, enjoying himself. Most of all, Brer Anansi liked to dance. He believed he was the best dancer out of all the animals, and loved to show off what he could do. This made him very popular, so he was always being invited to parties.

  Now Brer Dog and Brer Goat each decided to have a party. It just so happened that both parties were to happen on the same day.

  ‘My wif
e is going to be cooking up a fine feast!’ said Brer Dog.

  ‘Oh, what is she cooking?’ asked Brer Anansi.

  ‘Fried chicken with rice and peas and plantain, with coconut cake and custard for afters,’ said Brer Dog.

  Brer Anansi liked to eat. Some folks called him greedy but all Brer Anansi would say to them was that he simply liked to eat good food, and lots of it.

  ‘That sure sounds like a good dinner. I’ll come to your party!’ Brer Anansi told Brer Dog.

  ‘Good. My party is tomorrow and it starts at three o’clock. I live in the West Village,’ Brer Dog said, handing Brer Anansi a note with his address on it.

  ‘No problem,’ said Brer Anansi.

  Not long later, Brer Goat approached Brer Anansi and invited him to his party.

  Brer Anansi answered the same way. ‘What is your wife cooking?’

  ‘Callaloo, lobster and pepper soup with dumplings, and she’s even making some chocolate ice cream.’

  ‘That sure sounds like a good dinner. I’ll come to your party!’ Brer Anansi told Brer Goat.

  ‘Good. My party is tomorrow and it starts at three o’clock. I live in the East Village,’ Brer Goat said.

  ‘No problem,’ said Brer Anansi, although he knew there most definitely was one.

  Never before had Anansi been invited to two parties on the same day, at the same time. This was going to be difficult, especially considering the parties were at opposite ends of the island. Folks began to wonder how Brer Anansi was going to decide which party to go to.

  The next morning, Brer Anansi rose bright and early and put on his good suit. It so happened that some of Brer Anansi’s children had fallen sick so Brer Anansi’s wife had told him that she would not be joining him that day.

  ‘Can I come? Can I come?’ cried Kuma and Kwek, the two children that were well. They got dressed quickly and accompanied their father.

  ‘Don’t bother to cook any supper for us,’ Brer Anansi told his wife. ‘I am sure we’ll be full from eating two dinners when we come home this evening!’