fiction- story -LIAR LIAR!

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”