"Nalo Hopkinson - Midnight Robber" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hopkinson Nalo)

new-remembered rhythms. . . .
hear this long tongue!
fear this long tongue!
know this tall tale to be mine too, and IтАЩll live or die by it.
I stole the torturerтАЩs tongue!
┬й 1997 by David Findlay



Tan-Tan and the Rolling Calf
One time, Tan-Tan was on the run again, oui, barely ahead of the bounty hunters. She did just
done kill a man; a pimp who used to specialize in young young girls, and a pusher too besides.
Truth to tell, nobody on New Half-Way Tree was sorry he dead, but murder was murder, and
Tan-Tan had to pay. So she run. She bind up she locks so nobody could recognise she, and she
head for the bush, like always when she in trouble. She hike for hours, until she was far, far
from home, and tired. Night was coming on, but Resurrection Town was just over the next
mountain. It had a woman there named Pearl who would feed she and hide she for the night. So
Tan-Tan head up the mountain path, dragging she feet with tiredness, but keeping she eyes
open for trouble.
It had a nice evening breeze blowing soft through the trees beside the path. Is the same song
the breeze used to sing in the trees on Toussaint planet, when Tan-Tan was a little gal pickney.
Walking along, she almost forget she was a exile on New Half-Way Tree with a curse on she
head from the douens-them: every time she take from somebody, she had was to give back
twice as much to a next somebody. But she couldnтАЩt really forget the curse, nuh? All like how
she just take a life, she was going to have to save two more, just to even up. Tan-Tan could
hear the whispering of the douens starting up in she head again:
It ainтАЩt have no magic in do-for-do,
If you take one, you must give back two.
Tan-Tan sigh and keep walking. Up ahead, she spy a form in the dark, someone hurrying to get
home; a woman in long skirts. The woman was walking fast-fast, she shoulders all scrunch up
together. She looking from side to side into the bush every minute, as though she could see
trouble before it reach, oui? A tree frog shout тАЬBreck-eck!тАЭ into the night, and the woman jump
like jumbie on she tail, and start to make haste even faster. Tan-Tan see a chance to do
somebody good, and quiet down some of the whispering in she head. She shout:
тАЬEvening, sister: is home you going?тАЭ The woman cry out, тАЬLawd haтАЩ mercy!тАЭ and whip round
to see who coming up behind she.
Tan-Tan say, тАЬDonтАЩt frighten, lady, donтАЩt frighten. I just going over the mountain, past
Resurrection Town to Juncanoo. I going to spend some time with my old grannie; she ainтАЩt too
strong any more, oui.тАЭ
As Tan-Tan get closer, she could see the woman shoulders relax, but she voice still tremble
when she reply, тАЬThanks God, you is a honest woman. Bounty hunters tell we Tan-Tan round
the place, and I frighten to walk this lonely road by myself so late at night. I stay too late in the
market. I тАЩfraid Tan-Tan hold me and cut me throat like hog!тАЭ
Tan-Tan smile to hear somebody call she a honest woman. тАЬIs alright, lady, I could walk a little
way with you to keep you company. Is where you going?тАЭ
Sadie was going to Basse-Terre, a village beside Resurrection Town. Tan-Tan agree to walk
with she until the path fork at the bottom of the hill. As they walk, they talk about things: how
ackee dear in the market now with the drought; and what a sad thing it was for a woman to turn
outlaw and have she heart so hard like the Robber Queen Tan-Tan; and what a way
pickney-child wouldnтАЩt mind their elders nowadays. Little-little, Sadie start to laugh and joke