A Ghost Story or Imagined?
Do you believe in Ghosts?
Picture this....
Am about twelve years old. Rural Jamaica, about 12 noon, hot bright sunshine, a slight breeze, green lush trees of all varieties everywhere, bare exposed hard packed red dirt road, and here I am, on lunch break from school, in my blue and plaid uniform, white socks and black shoes. Excited that its vegetable planting season on my family's farm. So excited I didn't pause to change my clothes. I grabbed a basket of freshly cut sweet potato stems, stems that still had the sap dripping, maybe 6 to 8 inches in length and all together weighing about 6 to 8 lbs., I placed the basket on my head and headed off to meet my Grandparents and other workers at the planting fields. The distance is about a10 minute walk.
I set off cheerily, attempting to whistle, then decided to hum because I couldn't purse my lips in the accurate form to produce a whistle. Daydreaming of what dinner will be, Red Peas soup with dumplings, steamed fish and steamed rice, brown stewed pork and steamed rice,,,, when suddenly I became aware of a hush, a quiet, nothing moving. My heart started thumping, boom boom, I started walking faster, I started sweating profusely between my almost breasts, I looked left then right, just trees, casting shadows in the blazing and almost unbearable sun, I increased my pace, and that's when I felt a slight touch between my shoulder blades, am breathing hard and fast, no one around, what do I do what do I do. And then I swear I heard someone whispered my name, Sherrieee, Sherrieee, oh Jesus, I want to scream but no sound escaped my lips. I then started to jog, almost run, basket of potato stems still firmly planted on my head, then I felt the caress between my shoulders again. I soiled my undergarments, then I heard this blood curdling scream that I soon realized was coming from me, I was about to fling the basket away and run for my life, and as I reached up to grab the basket, I realized that it was the potato stems that were hanging low enough to brush against my shoulders when I walked.... Jesus christ.....
© 2022 C Marie Brown
