The Jumbee by Pamela Keyes Page A

true, she thought firmly. There was no such thing as a ghost.
    “When people set dey foot to Manchineel Cay,” Ma Harris continued, “dey always meet dey maker. Is death, for true. Jumbee haunt dis cay, an’ some jumbee dem cause dey sour mischief on Cariba. Now . . .” Her eyes pierced Esti. “I know you does talk to a jumbee.”
    Esti felt her face heat up. “I don’t believe in jumbees,” she finally said.
    Ma Harris stared at her. “You don’ believe in zombie dem?”
    Zombies? Wide-eyed, Esti shook her head.
    “I tell you someting,” Ma Harris said softly. “ Zumbi fetish from old Congo is bad magic, use by vex slave. Yeah, I tell you someting about Cariba Island. Slave work to death by dey owner, cast many evil curse. De jumbee is powerful danger—angry dead spirit who haunt Manchineel Cay and suck away you soul with dey voice.” She narrowed her eyes. “Zombie dem.”
    Esti squirmed as Ma Harris’s expression grew even more solemn.
    “I ain’t tink you some bazadee child. You ain’t crazy. But you have de gift. We come to Manchineel Cay today, so you hear pain and understand you full danger. I tell you someting, and you mus’ believe what I say. Even a moko jumbee, he can hurt you also. He is powerful danger when he have power over you, child.”
    “Moko jumbee?” Esti asked weakly, unable to ignore the desperate moans drifting through the air.
    “A good jumbee does push away evil spirit them.” Lucia’s eyes flashed. “Moko jumbee he scare people who want to do bad. Like he scare Danielle on the stage, mon.”
    “You don’ know,” Ma Harris said. “Moko jumbee can protect you, but he fool you, also. De jumbee is always unpredictable, and can control you thought, if you let he. He does appear in many confusing shape and size and sometime he possess people, for true. If,” she added grimly, “he let you see he at all.”
    Ma Harris turned to her brother. “Domino, take we away from Manchineel Cay. Esti have see danger now, but I not gon have jumbee hear all my chat.”
    “You say jump, sister, I ask how high.” Domino’s face was impassive. “Where we go now?”
    “You gon catch tuna before de storm come, or what?”
    Domino grinned. He powered up the engine again, and Ma Harris returned to her seat near the front of the boat.
    Lucia nodded at Esti. “Don’ worry,” she yelled as they began speeding over the water. “Ma she teach you how to keep jumbee them out of you house. And I have like to rehearse the play with you some, if you want. The big Christmas show does come in just a few week, and Mr. Niles he put the pressure on we.” She lowered her voice and glanced at the front, making sure her mother wasn’t watching them. “I know you practice Shakespeare with you jumbee. Sighing every minute and groaning every hour. . . .”
    She grinned at Esti’s horrified expression. “You’s good, for true, and I like to see if you think I got talent.”

Act One. Scene Nine.
    “I caught fish for dinner,” Esti announced, closing the front door behind her.
    “I was hoping you would say that.” Aurora put aside her book as she looked up from the couch. “My mouth is watering.”
    “Blackfin tuna.” Esti took her plastic bag to the kitchen side of the little living room, barely keeping herself from slamming it into the sink. She didn’t want her mom to know how upset she was. “Lucia’s uncle cleaned it for me. He unloads cargo at the airport during the week, but on the weekends he catches fish and sells it to the restaurants.”
    “Did you have fun?”
    “Sure.” Esti forced herself to nod. “I’ll tell you about it while we eat, but I have to take a shower first. Have you seen the lightning? Apparently some hurricane east of here, which is unusual for November.” She hurried out of the room before Aurora could ask any more questions.
    Her mom hummed happily in the kitchen as Esti tried to wash away the reek of fish and sweat and gasoline fumes. The pleasant sound