If you ask old folks about Jumbie, spirits, Old Haigue and other supernatural beings, they would tell you that these things really do exist and it was up to you to avoid running into them. 

* Don’t walk late full moon nights.
* Don’t stop and talk to anyone unless you know them personally.
* Don’t pick up any animal or babies you may meet.
* Don’t follow anyone calling your name.
* Don’t go into burial grounds at night.
* When you get home late at night enter by your back.
There are so many precautions, if you tried to follow them all you would end up quite confused. Here is a story about someone who did not heed the warnings of the old folks.
Andrea and Christopher were newly-wed. They had been friends for more than three years before they decided to get married. They enjoyed each other’s company and did everything together. The couple could not afford a car or motor cycle so they walked whenever they were going out.
That Saturday night they had gone to see the Late Show at the cinema. The features were:-
– Bride of Dracula
– Children of the Corn
As they walked slowly back home they saw a small boy playing on the road. It was after one a.m. The kid was running in a zig zag way from one side of the road to the other. What was remarkable about this was the speed at which he moved. He was quick, really quick.
“Hello sweetheart.”
Andrea was calling softly to the child.
“Come dear. Why are you out on the road so late?”
The boy stopped his erratic running and came straight at them. Zip! He arrived driving a strong cold breeze ahead of him. Andrea looked him over and immediately noticed that he was malnourished and neglected. Of more concern to her was the fact that he was sick. The lad was trembling and quite pale. She hugged him warmly her emotions already in overdrive.
“Andrea let him go and come along.” “NO!
Her maternal instincts had also kicked in.
“Please baby. I will explain everything later.”
“I SAID NO!”
“Girl why yu so hard ear?. Yu not even willing to trust me.”
“If trusting you means leaving him alone on dis road, the answer is NO.”
She examined the boy again and exclaimed.
“You are trembling like a leaf. You need to see a doctor.”
“Andrea leave the child na.”
She ignored her pleading husband. She intended to help this child as much as she could.
“I think I’ll take you to the hospital.”
Andrea beckoned Christopher to come closer but he refused. There was something very peculiar about all this. He sensed it. His wife felt otherwise. She took off her warm woolen jersey and draped it over the skinny kid. Swooping him into her arms she strode purposefully down the moonlit road.
Christopher then noticed the dark shadow that followed them at a short distance.
“Andrea girl, something funny going on here.”
“Struuups!”
“You could suck yo teeth all yo want .Look at dat shadow dat following we.”
She looked back and sure enough it was there in the centre of the road. Then things went rapidly from odd to bizarre. From the dark shadow came a deep nasal sing song voice.
“Yakoob a weh yu a go?”
A shrill sing song voice answered from Andrea’s arms.
“Me a go asspeetal.!”
“Yo sick Yakoob?”
“A so she say.”
The shrill childish voice had grown into a booming shout that terrified poor Andrea.
She looked down at the child in astonishment and got the worse shock of her young life. Instead of a child she was holding a creature that looked like it was more than 200 years old. It had a devilish grin on its face that showed most of its teeth to be missing. There was an impish twinkle in the two bright eyes. Andrea dropped it like it was a smoldering piece of coal.
“Christopher!” “Christopher?”
He was already in motion and she followed swiftly pushing a strong breeze.
“Andrea a weh yu a go?”
The sing song voice was right behind her.
“Hospital!” She screamed and sped past her sprinting husband.

(By Neil Primus)