THE seawall is a permanent feature of the coastal landscape of Guyana. This is because the coast is approximately six feet below sea level. Were it not for this structure, most of the coastland would be reclaimed by the marauding ocean.

The “walls” as it is popularly called, are also a popular place of recreation for all ages. When most others have gone home the young couples appear. They head straight for some of the most secluded spots to spend their time. The only thing that disrupts their activities are the high and spring tides.

Natalie and Philip were regular visitors to this area. They had gotten to know each other quite intimately during their many sojourns there. At all hours of the night and wee hours of the morning, couples could be seen enjoying the beauty and privacy of the seawall. These two teenagers ignored warnings from their parents and kept going to this location. They were cautioned about robbers, rapists and ‘jumbie’. Nothing deterred them. Eventually, their parents gave up trying to keep them away from the sea walls.
That Saturday night, the two young lovers first visited KFC and ate a hearty meal. After leaving that establishment, they boarded a minibus and headed for their favourite roost. It was 22:30hrs when they exited the bus and walked the short distance to their usual spot. The area they chose was dark and partly hidden by an old rotting workstation. They slipped behind the building and settled down for an exciting night. Little did they know that the

excitement would be much greater than any of their own special moments.
It was a moonless night and the two were soon getting very cozy. Neither of them had any shyness issues, that had long passed. Soon they were oblivious to the cold wind coming off of the retreating water. Suddenly, Natalie stopped Phillip, telling him she needed to ‘use the bathroom’.

They slipped out of their hideout. She headed in the direction of some trees. Phillip returned to their spot and sat waiting impatiently. She seemed to be taking longer than usual. Just as he was about to go looking for her, he felt her hands on his neck and shoulder giving him a sensual massage. He sighed and relaxed. I felt too good to be interrupted.
“I didn’t know you could give such a great massage,” he said.
“Yes, I can,” she replied in a low purr.
“Why your hands so cold though?” he enquired.
“Breeze chilly, an is a long, long, time I ain’t do this massage,” she said.
“How long, baby?”
“About 150 years,” she replied

He burst out laughing at the joke and turned to playfully grab her. He got a nasty shock. It was his girlfriend’s voice all right, but not her body. The woman standing there looking down at him was the ugliest creature he had ever seen. Her hands were longer than usual with fingers long enough to circle his neck. The curved, vicious nails were the things that caught and held his attention. She was one big, old, grotesque-looking ‘jumbie’. With eyes sunken well back into her head and lips blacker than charcoal, she smiled seductively at him flashing teeth that were multi-coloured and pointed. As far as he was concerned they were good for only one thing; tearing flesh. His flesh. He passed out with fright and flopped listlessly on the sand.

Meanwhile, while stooped in the bushes, Natalie felt familiar hands begin to caress her neck and shoulders. It was a great massage and she smiled at Phillip’s boldness. His hands moved expertly and a wonderful sensation coursed through her body. She closed her eyes and relaxed. She made no move to get up. She was feeling too good and decided to let it go on.
“Phillip, you never tell me you know to massage,” she said.
“You never asked,” he retorted.
“You right. Who train you to do this?”
“Me plantation master,” he replied.

She grinned and rose slowly. Turning, she stuck her tongue out playfully at him. She looked right into the hideous face of a ‘jumbie.’ What was worse is that it was sticking its tongue out at her too. And what a tongue it had. It was long, black and very alive. It began exploring her neck and upper back like a hyperactive snake.
“Eeeeeaaah!”

Her scream tore through the silence of the sea walls and jolted Phillip to consciousness. He looked stupidly around him trying to collect his thoughts. Help was at hand for that. A grinning spectre appeared at his side caressing him. Instantly everything came back to him. He was too petrified to scream, he just wanted out. With a charge that would make the Light Brigade proud, he crashed through the wall of the building and headed for the lights a few hundred metres away. In his terror, he forgot about Natalie. As he ran, he heard her screams and spied her fleeing figure some distance in front of him. There was something odd about her gait. She seemed to be struggling with her pants and he saw a trail of liquid left in her wake. Little did he know that she had not really gone to the bathroom until that very moment.