A Fool's Knot by Philip Spires Page A

door, howling with laughter. Janet watched them go, trying to call them back, but no words came. Before she could think, the man took hold of her head and with some force rubbed her face into the folds of his raincoat. Janet screamed. She thought she felt the string around the back of her neck. He was trying to strangle her…
    She hit him as hard as she could. He staggered across the floor, collided with a table and fell heavily onto the concrete. Though stunned, Janet turned and watched, but still she could not move. The old man tried to get up, but fell back groaning. Everyone else laughed, including Kitheka and Mutuli, who peered through the open doorway to watch the show. She was too confused to react. Instinctively, she wiped her hair and touched a wet patch. He had spat on her hair. On the point of tears, she snatched up her haversack and ran. As she dashed outside, she caught a glimpse of the old man on the floor, propped on an elbow, watching her and smiling as he cast another incantation to the roof.
    She continued to run, but her progress was far from quick and far from straight as she slithered through the mud. Behind her, Mutuli tried to follow, shouting, “The man is very drunk, Miss Rowlandson. Do not be afraid.” Behind him was Kitheka, loping along, still laughing, but Janet did not look back and so neither saw nor heard her friends. She went on her way, her run soon slowing to a safer brisk walk. Kitheka and Mutuli returned to the restaurant to retrieve their boxes. The old man was still on the floor and was still laughing to himself. Everyone else still laughed as they recounted what they had just seen.
    It must have been a nightmare, she thought, as she ran the last few yards to the mission. She entered without knocking and called for Father Michael. As she rushed blindly through the door, Michael appeared in front of her from around the kitchen corner and she fell into his arms and cried, her head against his chest.
    â€œYou smell like a sewer,” he said. “Did you get wet?”
    When Janet answered only with sobs, Michael’s voice grew more serious. After trying to console her, he pulled up a chair and sat her on it. A minute later, Michael gently helped her hands from her eyes and offered her a glass.
    â€œDrink this, my love,” he said quietly. “It’ll warm you up a bit.”
    Janet drank, coughed, drank again and coughed again. The whiskey warmed her and quietened her as Michael crouched before her. His eyes silently asked what was wrong.
    Feeling better, Janet explained what had happened in the restaurant. Michael did not try to interrupt as the story flooded from Janet’s lips. Not until she had obviously finished did he speak. “This fellah, did he wear an army hat with a peak on it? And did he spit a lot?”
    â€œYes, that’s him,” she answered.
    â€œOh, don’t take any notice of him. That’s only old Munyasya. He’s a nutter, a real nutter. What he did to you was what he does to every European who visits Migwani. He probably got closer to you than to others though, by the sound of it. He cursed you to change into a snake, that’s all. That’s why he keeps pulling on that string,” said Michael, sounding flippant.
    Janet was suddenly very serious and looked pensive. Then, as Michael’s words grew clearer, she began to laugh. “I thought he was trying to strangle me.”
    â€œThe old fool was probably so drunk he could hardly even see you. Don’t worry. He won’t even recognize you. If he sees you again he’ll go through the routine again as if it was the first time. He didn’t try to touch you up?” asked Michael. “He has been known to try that one with a few of the girls.”
    â€œNo,” she answered. “But I don’t understand. Why do people just stand around and laugh at him? If everyone dislikes him so much, why don’t they just chuck him out of the