travel around with Carnival; they bring the mask them. The black one is a true Cariba Island mask, without color. Cariba jumbee mask is always black, you know.”
Esti nodded uncomfortably.
“Lucia!”
A shout from the other room made Esti jump, but Lucia didn’t even blink.
“You ready or what, child?”
“We ready, Uncle Domino.”
A very dark man came into the room, wiping his mouth. He was followed by a woman Esti recognized from school.
“I is Ma Harris,” the woman said, “and dis my brudda, Domino.”
Esti smiled shyly. “I’m Esti.”
“I hear so much ting about you,” Ma Harris added with a significant look.
“Come,” Domino said. “Lucia promise she friend we go on de boat, and a storm gon come dis afternoon. It have plenty time for chit-chat while we catch fish dem.”
“We talk on de boat,” Ma Harris agreed.
Esti peered nervously over the edge of the boat, watching the coral reefs fly past them. She and Lucia sat at the rear, wedged between a smelly bait bucket and the noisy outboard engine. A ragged tarp provided some shade, and they moved over the turquoise water with exhilarating speed.
The faded old life vest she wore didn’t seem substantial enough to save her life in such a huge expanse of water, she suddenly thought. She should talk to Rodney pretty soon about learning to swim. Clutching the straps of her life vest, she impulsively leaned toward Lucia.
“Do you know Rafe Solomon?” she yelled.
With a startled look, Lucia nodded. “Yeah, mon. Everyone know Rafe.”
“Is he nice?”
Lucia shrugged. “Ma, she like Rafe, for true. He ain’t afraid of she.”
Esti pondered Lucia’s words, not sure if that really answered her question.
“He keep you sweet and warm.” Lucia grinned. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with a warm boyfriend, long as he know who is boss.”
“Have you dated him?” she asked before she could stop herself.
Lucia let out a burst of laughter. “Nah, mon. I already got a boy, he nice-nice. Quintin, he ain’t afraid of Ma, but he let me call the shot. ’Tis Manchineel Cay,” she added, pointing in front of them.
Esti straightened, forcing Rafe out of her mind as her eyes wandered over brilliant white sand. She couldn’t see this side of the cay from Cariba. Gorgeous beaches surrounded the island, broken only by the single rocky cliff plunging into the water on its northeast tip. Beyond the narrow strip of sand, heavily forested land rose in a gentle slope.
As they approached, the boat began slowing down. Although Domino had brought them the long way around, the cay sat very close to the west end of Cariba. Esti knew it was near enough to swim from Manchicay Beach, if a person knew how to swim, of course, and wasn’t afraid of the legends.
Now she could clearly see the police signs Steve had mentioned. Extreme Danger, they read. Private Property. Keep Off.
“Are we getting out of the boat?” she asked in surprise as Domino brought them closer and turned off the engine. Despite the danger signs, her feet longed to bury themselves in the silky white sand.
“No! ’Tis cursed.” Lucia’s voice seemed very loud in the sudden silence. She looked at Esti with a shocked expression. “The cay is cover with manchineel tree also.”
Esti studied the lush trees growing along the beach. They weren’t very tall, only about twenty feet high, with apple-like fruits hanging from their branches. She thought the trees looked pretty. “What’s wrong with manchineel trees?”
“Death,” Ma Harris said, sitting down in front of Esti. She spoke slowly, her voice solemn. “Taste dey fruit, you die from you stomach. Burn dey wood, dey smoke kill you lung. Sit under dey branch, dey sap eat you skin. Dey be poison, dem.”
Esti looked back at the cay with a startled shudder. Now that Domino had silenced the engine, she heard disturbing noises from the island, a faint drumming interspersed with eerie, whispery wails. The rumors couldn’t possibly be
Esti nodded uncomfortably.
“Lucia!”
A shout from the other room made Esti jump, but Lucia didn’t even blink.
“You ready or what, child?”
“We ready, Uncle Domino.”
A very dark man came into the room, wiping his mouth. He was followed by a woman Esti recognized from school.
“I is Ma Harris,” the woman said, “and dis my brudda, Domino.”
Esti smiled shyly. “I’m Esti.”
“I hear so much ting about you,” Ma Harris added with a significant look.
“Come,” Domino said. “Lucia promise she friend we go on de boat, and a storm gon come dis afternoon. It have plenty time for chit-chat while we catch fish dem.”
“We talk on de boat,” Ma Harris agreed.
Esti peered nervously over the edge of the boat, watching the coral reefs fly past them. She and Lucia sat at the rear, wedged between a smelly bait bucket and the noisy outboard engine. A ragged tarp provided some shade, and they moved over the turquoise water with exhilarating speed.
The faded old life vest she wore didn’t seem substantial enough to save her life in such a huge expanse of water, she suddenly thought. She should talk to Rodney pretty soon about learning to swim. Clutching the straps of her life vest, she impulsively leaned toward Lucia.
“Do you know Rafe Solomon?” she yelled.
With a startled look, Lucia nodded. “Yeah, mon. Everyone know Rafe.”
“Is he nice?”
Lucia shrugged. “Ma, she like Rafe, for true. He ain’t afraid of she.”
Esti pondered Lucia’s words, not sure if that really answered her question.
“He keep you sweet and warm.” Lucia grinned. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with a warm boyfriend, long as he know who is boss.”
“Have you dated him?” she asked before she could stop herself.
Lucia let out a burst of laughter. “Nah, mon. I already got a boy, he nice-nice. Quintin, he ain’t afraid of Ma, but he let me call the shot. ’Tis Manchineel Cay,” she added, pointing in front of them.
Esti straightened, forcing Rafe out of her mind as her eyes wandered over brilliant white sand. She couldn’t see this side of the cay from Cariba. Gorgeous beaches surrounded the island, broken only by the single rocky cliff plunging into the water on its northeast tip. Beyond the narrow strip of sand, heavily forested land rose in a gentle slope.
As they approached, the boat began slowing down. Although Domino had brought them the long way around, the cay sat very close to the west end of Cariba. Esti knew it was near enough to swim from Manchicay Beach, if a person knew how to swim, of course, and wasn’t afraid of the legends.
Now she could clearly see the police signs Steve had mentioned. Extreme Danger, they read. Private Property. Keep Off.
“Are we getting out of the boat?” she asked in surprise as Domino brought them closer and turned off the engine. Despite the danger signs, her feet longed to bury themselves in the silky white sand.
“No! ’Tis cursed.” Lucia’s voice seemed very loud in the sudden silence. She looked at Esti with a shocked expression. “The cay is cover with manchineel tree also.”
Esti studied the lush trees growing along the beach. They weren’t very tall, only about twenty feet high, with apple-like fruits hanging from their branches. She thought the trees looked pretty. “What’s wrong with manchineel trees?”
“Death,” Ma Harris said, sitting down in front of Esti. She spoke slowly, her voice solemn. “Taste dey fruit, you die from you stomach. Burn dey wood, dey smoke kill you lung. Sit under dey branch, dey sap eat you skin. Dey be poison, dem.”
Esti looked back at the cay with a startled shudder. Now that Domino had silenced the engine, she heard disturbing noises from the island, a faint drumming interspersed with eerie, whispery wails. The rumors couldn’t possibly be
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