LIAR! LIAR!
“Hold
she down dey!” her mother shouted. “Yuh is such a bad little girl, always lying
making up stories and now look what you do!”
Hold she down dey ah say, open she legs dey, let me pepper she!
Emma
twisted her little body in all forms while her brothers held her down. With all
her might she fights, to stop her mother’s action, bawling in pain like a wounded
animal. For seven years old she is amazingly strong. She struggles to break
free of her mothers’ suffocating grip; “She screams” I not lying, why all yuh
beating meh?”
Emma
tries to make sense of what was happening and she begins to plead and beg
“No
Mama no, oh God Mammieee..!” she screamed “I wouldn’t do it again! I wouldn’t
do it again…ah promise…! Oh gosh Mamie pleases!
As her Mama pressed her body against Emma’s
legs to keep them open while she held a hot Congo pepper in her hands, she
pushed it into Emma’s vagina rubbing it all over the area, angrily lamenting, “Liar
liar, you little liar!”
Emma
shrieked with numbing pain as her mother released her feeble little body. She just
lay there on the cold floor, confused, she whimpered between gasping breaths,
in a bid to help her manage the pain “I not lying ....., I not lying” she
repeated.
For
Emma this was far worse than the treatment meted out to her each night when Gumbo
Glisse came to visit her room. Nearing morning he would come, when he was sure
all were asleep, when he was sure no one could disturb him, she had learnt by
now to expect him so it had became natural for her to be awake at such an un
Godly hour; when all children should be happily tucked away in dreamland.
She
remembered the first time he came, her life was filled with innocence and
beauty then, even though Mama most of the time was always out working; the
little time they shared meant the world her. Poverty is always a recipe for
neglect and Mama had to work hard sometimes three ironing a day, sometimes
getting wet in sudden down pours and having to ride out many nights of roasting
fever. But now Mama has remarried after those long seasons of hardship after
Papa’s death. Now the boys could finally be boys and not have to be the little
men of the family.
She would often hear Mama saying to her
friends that Uncle Chard was a blessing to the family the boys loved him, Mama
was treated like a queen the envy of all the village women, “ after all he is
the most sort after bachelor in the village, a fine catch, a fine catch indeed.”
She beamed
No
one really knew why Uncle Chard came back from the States after all those years
and chose to live here. A man of his stature never married. And then why come
to settle in a place like this town with not much prospects. Whatever his
reasons, no one really cared, he had given the town a whole new opportunity for
the future. And everyone was glad; he was a saviour to the village with the
business he opened which provided work for most of the men in Faveanville. And
who didn’t get a job could always be sure of a hand out from Uncle Chard.
He
was so loved and respected by all in the community that when he asked Mama to
marry him she didn’t give it a second thought.
Mama, use to tell her friends that she had come from a well to do family.
And had to give up allot to be with Papa. So a after his death her struggle to
keep food on the table was more than any woman should have to bear. She use to
tell her friends
“You see how I bless, even though I have three
children and I ent as young and beautiful as allyuh,, this man chose me, tell me
if I ent bless nah!”
To
this all the women would smile, smiles that curled at the corners of their lips
but never reached their eyes to make them twinkle.
Mama
looked beautiful on that day, more beautiful than the pictures Emma use to gaze
at with Papa and her on their wedding day. She can’t remember much about Papa
he died a little over a year after she was born. He was a loving man to his
family, they would all say she was the splitting image of him, Mama always
would say She had his smile.
It
was the most beautiful wedding; the garden was filled with flower filled white
pillars. Mamas never look more pretty Emma thought. Everyone who was anyone was
invited even those well to do ladies who used to laugh at Mama and make fun of
her. But now they had to bend their head in shame, Mama was so happy, for her Uncle
Chard was a knight in shining armour, a dream come true.
“My
life is perfect now what more do I desire?” As she boasted her husband looked
at Emma and smiled, Emma felt a shiver run down her spine, the way he smiled
made her feel very uncomfortable.
It
was a Friday night; that Friday the first night when that strange creature
crawled into her room. She wasn’t sure
what his name was then, but it was raining very hard and like an old nursery rhythm
the clock struck one so loudly over the thunder that it startled her and woke
her out of her sleep.
It
seem as though the tempest outside was angry It screamed and beat against her
window like drums raising and falling in bid to warn her of the impending
danger. There was a creak from the door
and her eyes swerved towards it. She shivered in the twilight of the room,
trying desperately to control her breathing.
Emma quickly turned to her side in fight. She held the covers over her head, and she
peeped out at the shadowy figure on the wall which crept closer and closer to
her, her heart beating now like a wild drum. And before her lips could respond
to what her heart was feeling; the inhuman form on the wall stretch its long
arms and placed its thin palm over her little lips. It’s humped back and
deformed face bears down upon her. She
tried to scream but the pressure upon her mouth and body, prevented her. Its weight is too much for her to bear.
She struggles to move but could not. Tears
streamed down her face, as confusion tangles her mind. The creature begins to caress. It pulled the
sheet off her while still pinned her down. She shuts her eyes tightly so not to
face the horror that lay upon her. She tried hard to move but this creature has
such power, it has her locked in fear. It pushes her legs apart and forces his
manliness into her tiny body but it cannot go very far. Its painful groans like
stray dogs in mating season. Emma fights with all her might, and screams for her
Mama. Her cries are muffled by the loud sounds of the rain drops which beats
against the roof top
When
next she opened her eyes the glare of the sun shun on her tear stained face,
the rain had stopped, and shots of pain ran though her body like a thousand
needle pricks, her body stiffen by pain she yells for her Mama.
“Mama,
Mama… where are you Mama” “Oh mama please come Mama come! come!” her shouts raises
in panic with every call.
But
to her surprise Uncle Chard enters the room. “Where is mama?’ Emma cried searchingly
“Where Mama is?” I need Mama”. She yelled weeping
“Calm down, clam down Emma!” said Uncle Chard
“Don’t
you remember your Mama always goes shopping in the next village with your
brothers on a Saturday?” Tell me what is wrong.”
Tell
you what is wrong; can he not see the blood, Emma thought as she looked at him
with a blank confused look as her legs began to shake.
“Quite
down now and come on tell me what the problem is” Uncle Chard looks at her as an
overreacting child
Shaking
she relates to him her strange tale.
“There
was something in my room last night” she blurted out. She turned face turning
away from him in shame, and mumbles in a soft tone, “And it hurt me”.
He
stared at her a while, a controlled demeanour.
Then
the silence was broke.
“Get up!’ he said “and clean yourself up! It
was a Gumbo Glisse that entered your room.
“It is an ugly evil creature that loves to feed on bad little children
while they sleep” Uncle Chard explained. “You must never mention this to
anyone, for if you tell anyone especially Mama about this, no one will believe
you and Gumbo Glisse will kill us all.”
Terrified
and unable to bear the thought of anyone she loved dying. Emma dragged her tiny
pain filled body off her bed and went to the bath. There was so much blood, how
she wished Mama was here. Somehow she managed to clean up herself; while Uncle
Chard disposed of the sheets so that Mama wouldn’t ask questions. So now she would not have to lie to Mama.
“After
all Mama, has finally found some peace and happiness and we wouldn’t want to
take that away from her, would we? Uncle
Chard uttered.
In
the months that followed Mama and Uncle Chard became closer and closer but
Gumbo Glisse never stop coming to her room. It seemed to her that Mama’s
happiness was tired to Gumbo Glisse visits. Sometime Mama friends would ask her
why her daughter was so withdrawn of late to this Mama would say, “she’s’ just
adjusting to this new life. Emma tried
to spend her days with her friends as it was before, but now things were
different now she was different, she didn’t feel like a child anymore and she
didn’t feel like a woman, she just felt dirty all the time, with no one to make
her feel clean again.
Her
secrete swelled inside of her, she longed to tell someone, anyone, but most of
all she wanted to tell Mama. Mama would save me if she knew. But she could not risk Gumbo Glisse harming
Mama. So she began to make up stories to tell her friends about the creature
that enters her room each night, each tale more detailed than the last. Atlas
she found a door to freedom for her little mind and could speak freely without
anyone getting hurt. Her little friends were in awe of Emma tales, but some
found them to be most frightful. Others found her stories to be too much for them.
So they chose to avoid Emma, calling her a very fresh little girl who told very
dirty stories.
Soon
Emma’s tales reach the ears of parents, and her friend began to say that they
could not play with her anymore. Once again Emma found herself alone with no
one to play or talk with; her days were now empty again. Mama was wrapped up in
her new life and the boys had all what they wanted they were never home. Emma would
often try to interrupt her Mama when there was company around but Mama again
say Emma was simply not use to having a man in the home and all my attention
placed on someone else.
Ma
May sat in her usual place on her front poach watching and listening while the
children played. All the children loved playing
in Ma May’s yard. Emma sat on the poach steps playing with a doll in hand,
stroking its hair while she related her strange tales in such erotic details to her dolls that it draw
Ma May’s attention. “Hush child” Ma May said with a quite shout, “This kind of
stories isn’t fit for a little girls like yourself to be telling, come now tell
me where did you hear such tale” Emma
bent her head “Nowhere, I just know them, that all” as she
dashed from the poach gathering her dolly with her.
Later
that evening the doorbell rang, Emma sat at the top of the stairs playing with
her favourite doll. Mama rushed to open it. It was Ma May.
“What a pleasant surprise, come in” Mama said.
Mama
loved having company, it gave her a chance to show off her lovely new home and talk
about how happy she was and how good her husband was to her.
“So
Ma May tell me to what do I owe this unexpected visit?” smiled Mama,
“Well
its’ about Emma...” Ma May reported.
“Emma?”
Mama said.
“Yes
Emma,” repeated Ma May.
“She been telling these dreadfully horrible
stories, they are very disturbing for a child her age to tell and I thought you
should know.”
Emma
sat at top of the stairs peeped down at them at the call of her name. What they
are talking about, she thought. Emma watched as they spoke, pushed her ears
forward to hear what the faint voices were saying. But she could not hear, all
she saw was Mama’s face turned pale with a troubled look of trepidation upon it
as she lowered it; Emma could see dread plastered all over her pretty face. She
wasn’t smiling nor boasting anymore, Emma wondered, has she told Mama her the stories,
was she upset like the other Mamas? Surely Mama would understand, she loves me,
surly Mama will fix Gumbo Glisse now. She thought with a feeling of relief.
The
women said their goodbyes as Emma look at them from between the railings of the
staircase as Ma May stop and looked up at her with a sad longing in her eyes and
as her Mama softly closed the door. She look up and their eyes made four, her
mother turned and slowly walked into the sitting room, there was a deathly.
Emma slowly walked down the stairs timidly
making her way across to where her Mama stood holding her wedding picture as
she pass her hands over it, then looking around the room at all the beautiful
furnishing; she smiles as she closes her eyes and hugs the fame to her breast.
“Mama
swung around with a distraught look at the sight of Emma and without warning,
she began shriek at Emma.
“Go
to your room you dirty little liar, you are always lying and making up stories
to get your own way and now, you doing it again, trying break up my living, how
could yuh! She yelled.
“Now go to your room and don’t come out” Mama
screamed.
“You
have brought nothing but shame and bad luck to me since the day you were born,
first your father died and now you want to take the one man who loves me, away!”
Emma
is petrified, as she stood there unable to move she feels like her world is
falling apart, her mind unable to make sense of what Mama was saying, why Mama
is so angry she thought. She tries to hug her Mama but she is pushed away to
the floor. Emma looks up at Mama “whoa I do Mama, whoa I do?” she pleads.
“What
you do! What you do!”
“Why you such a wicked little girl, you is a bad
dirty little girl! You trying to break up my living well that not happening I
will deal with yuh because I not going back to that life again for you!” Mama
screamed as she shoots abuse after abuse at her.
Emma
trembles, her heart is broken, unable to feel anything not even the pain of the
fall... Her eye fills up with water. In
her mind a realty hit, I is a bad girl, a dirty wicked little girl... a refrain that she cannot seem to stop from
echoing in her mind. She runs franticly out of the room and up the stairs to
her room.
Emma
dashed herself on to her bed and as she lies there tears streaming down her cheeks
soaking her face and body. She weeps
bitterly as she clutches her pillow ever so tightly to her like a child would
hug her Mama to soothe her sorrows.
Outside her window the children are playing
while their singing echoes in the Evening air “Liar liar pants on fire”
