Back in de days when people died they were buried with their prized possessions, if they so requested. Nobody dared disturb the dead; nobody except a few desperate individuals. These grave robbers worked with professional skill. They would open the tomb and take out the casket, then it was opened and the valuables removed. It did not end there. The casket was then locked and returned to the tomb which was finally sealed. The job was so well done that no one knew the tomb had been robbed.

There was big mourning in Atlantic Flats. Mr. Wray the hardware magnate had died suddenly. He was driving home in his custom made SUV when he fell asleep behind the wheel. He was very drunk. The result was a horrific accident.
Family and friends gathered for the wake and hundreds attended his funeral. He was laid to rest in a family tomb. There was one thing that a few people noticed. He was wearing his customary jewellery-lots and lots of it. Even in death he intended to take it with him.
Randy attended the funeral for one purpose and one purpose only; to see in what condition Wray was buried. As he filed past the casket his eyes lit up at the sight of the jewellery and his heart did a jig. He felt excited. Tonight he would be in business.
The service went without incident. Mr Wray was buried and the mourners departed for home. Darkness soon descended on the cemetery. It was now time for creatures of the night to emerge. And emerge they did.
At 11.30pm Randy entered the burial ground. He was wearing his black suit. You see a man had mentioned to him that spirits can’t see anything black. The thief took this to heart, every time he did a job in the cemetery he wore black.
The Tomb Raider had his tools of trade. A hammer, trowel, some cement and a crow bar. He quickly knocked out a few cement blocks and carefully removed the coffin. The cement was still wet. With skill that came from regular practice, he unscrewed the casket cover. Lifting the cover he grabbed the jewellery and closed the casket. He screwed the lid close and got ready to push it back into tomb. That was when the nightmare began for the night dweller.
Unknown to him his jacket had been caught in the casket which he had screwed down. When the man tried to get up he was jerked back down. At the same time the casket made an ominous creaking sound.
Now Randy had done this many times before with no negative results. This was the exception. Even though he chose robbing the dead as his preferred career, he was highly superstitious.
He tried to get up again but was tugged back onto the casket. He began to sweat and his frightened limbs started quaking. Fate had caught up with him. He had robbed so many that the dead had set a trap for him. He felt sure that this was the end.
“Ow Mr Wray ah sorry. A gon put back yo jewellery.”
He dug deep into his pocket and tossed back the cursed items. Two large chains, two thick arm bands and six rings. As soon as they hit the casket he tried to placate the dead man.
“A put back de jewels.” He took off his chain and added it to the large collection. ”A giving yu me own too.”
He made a brave effort to go but found himself back where he started. He was having no more of this. With strength born of desperation he forced himself up with all his might. There was an initial jerk but he kept going.
RIP!
He felt the first jubilation of freedom and heard his shirt tear.
Relief flooded his now petrified body and he took off at top speed saying all the way
“A sorry Mr. Wray”
“Ah sorry Mr. Wray”
Randy raced home never to enter a cemetery again for the rest of his existence.
Ramesh Samaroo had worked in the cemetery for all of his working life with little reward. The salary was very small and the demands high. Many times he had planned to leave the job but had changed his mind at the last moment.
Things were tough for this hard working family man. With three children and his wife to maintain he found it hard going on such a meagre salary. This pushed him into drinking away his worries.
Today he had to weed and clear the two rows of tombs. It would be a hard day’s work.
His sharp cutlass rang out in the silent space as he slashed the grass and bushes encroaching on the tombs. This was an uphill battle. Already, areas of the cemetery were covered in heavy vegetation. Large trees had grown up among the tombs making it impossible for any clearing to be done by hand. As the trees advanced, his area of responsibility dwindled. Soon he may have to change his line of work to wood-cutting.
Something flashed in the sunlight. The glare caught his eyes. Stopping he looked in the direction of the flickering glare. He noticed right away that a casket was out of the tomb. More work for him. He groaned. With a heavy sigh he headed to the location and got the most pleasant shock that he could have wished for.
There on top of the casket was a small pile of shiny jewellery. Ramesh’s jaw dropped in amazement He looked quickly around but there was no one in sight. Smiling and humming in delight he returned the casket to the tomb minus a few small items. He used the cement to re-seal the tomb then went home for a rest of the day. Many of his financial woes would now be over. He promised himself to stop grumbling and complaining about his tough luck.

By Neil Primus