OL’ Higues are part of Guyanese folklore; part of our cultural traditions.
And it has to be admitted  that  the tales told by the older folks (true or not),  and the style of the telling can  be vastly entertaining,  even  for  those who are not superstitious. So, whether you believe in Ol’ Higues or  not, the tales will  persist.
Our senior citizen, Esther we turned to for help last week, is this week adding to the folklore by  telling us more about these mythical  and  terrifying  creatures.
A main thing to be noted, she said, is that Ol’ Higues are younger today than in the past,  because the older ones  have their own  devilish way of passing on the curse.
She says that the trick is in silver.
“This is the way Ol’ Higues pass on their curse,” she said.
She disclosed that if you go to someone’s house where there is a bedridden elderly person, and that persons asks you to handle anything made of silver, don’t do it.
“When they get old, they need to pass on the curse before they die. The curse is in the silver, whether it is a knife, spoon, fork or anything.  During dem lifetime, dem  will put this silver thing  high up on a shelf where dey cyant normally reach it. They can only die when somebody handle the silver. If you handle it, they die; then the curse pass on to you. You become Ol’ Higue. So, if you know dis and  you go to somebody  house who gat a sick elderly person and they tell you they got something fuh you, beware of it, especially if it mek  outta silver. When you know this, you don’t hold it. This way,  they can punish long  for their sins before dey dead.”
Esther said that this ‘passing on of the legacy’ would explain the persistence of Ol’ Higues from generation to generation.
She recalled one suspected Ol’ Higue in her village who, in her old age, was reduced to dragging on her bottom in order to move around before she died.
“She prapa punish before she dead,” Esther said, adding somewhat pensively:
“Don’t know who she pass it on to.”
But back when she was young, she said, Ol’ Higues were rampant.
“They had no lights then, and dark-night was truly dark. When you look up in the sky, you would see them flying like aeroplane.”
For the believers, she has one surefire way of helping them recognise an Ol’ Higue, and protect themselves against them.
“If somebody come to you and dem take dem chair and sit down so that they blocking you doorway, dat could be one.”
She said she had a relative who was an Ol’ Higue.
“She did live in a small ole house with a rotten roof, with the yard full ah weeds and the house itself had vines all over it except de door.
“The manicole broom…or a horse shoe … is a good thing to get and put in front de door. Or you can mek a  mark with de chalk.”
In her younger days, Esther said, people would also use tar to deter Ol’ Higues.
“If Ol’ Higue walk in de tar, dem does stick up in it, and they can’t get off of it no matter how dem fight up. Next morning, you ketch dem right dere, and the story come out in full.”
She conceded, though, that people don’t see Ol’ Higue as much as before.
“Long time, we no had electricity, and just as darkness fall, they start they movements.
“Me see one at  Friendship Village (East Coast Demerara); wan man name Green. Meh been there late one afternoon; dem gyal follow me ah road fuh ketch thing fuh get back home. Me look in de air;  me see wan fire. Me seh is airplane.  Dem gyal seh ‘No! Is  Green; wan man wha ah suck!
“Them gyal holler pon he. ‘Hey Green! You nah weary suck de people dem pickney?’
“Green suck he teeth. ‘Steuppps!’  One laang suck teeth.
“How dem ah fly? Me mehself want fuh know how dem ah fly; dem gyal nah know.”
That was when Esther was in her teens.
Now the times they are a-changing.
Esther said that some time ago, she bought some manicole brooms for protection.
“Now meh ent know where dem broom dem deh. Some one ah dem  (younger ones in the home) throw  away dem broom . Meh hear dem say  dem ain’t got time wid stupidness.”