SAMUEL sat on his veranda and looked down the Middle Road of his village. He reclined in his easy chair with his feet cocked up on the porch. He felt relaxed. He had just eaten a good meal of `met-em-gee’ with pigtail and `foo foo’. He belched and smiled contentedly.

He was 54 and happily married to Enid for 20 years. Their two children: Darren, 15 and Rachael, 19 were doing very well. Rachael was at the University of Guyana pursuing a Law Degree. Darren was at President’s College and in Fifth Form. He was always at the top of his class and was expected to fare well in CXC and CSEC examinations. It would be a proud day for the Cuffy family and the village of ‘Emancipation’ when they welcomed a new doctor and a lawyer.

The sun was dipping below the horizon. Its rays created eerie shadows and silhouettes of trees and buildings. In these dark shifting patterns lay the potential for scary creatures and frightening nightmares to those with vivid imaginations. Villagers were passing back and forth on their usual errands. Samuel was about to embark on his.

As usual, Saturday was the designated day for him to have drinks with his friends. Enid was aware of this practice which had been going on for many years. The favourite hangout was Agnes’ Pub situated in the neighbouring village of Perseverance. He was already dressed for the occasion and had enough cash in his pocket to ensure a very merry evening. He stood up, stretched and shouted goodbye to Enid. With a smile on his face, he started his one hour walk.

The pub was packed to capacity. There was barely standing room. Cigarette smoke engulfed the entire room in a thick stuffy smog. This created a ‘Free Smoking Zone’ even for non-smokers. Loud boisterous conversation and arguments came from all around the large room. Expletives and ruckus laughter spiced up the drunken atmosphere.

Beer mugs and bottles clicked and banged on their way to and from eager throats. Rum, high wine, beers and cheap wine flowed like Dakara Creek in the rainy season. Spirits were high and so were most of the patrons. The heavy sporting continued way into the wee hours of the next morning. It took a stern and playful Agnes to get the stragglers on their way home.

Samuel half walked, half staggered away from the pub and toward home. His journey would carry him down the desolate Side Line Dam that bordered the neighbouring villages. Usually, this was a one hour walk but tonight due to his liquid handicap he would be lucky to make it in one and a half hours. He stumbled on.
The bright full moon gave the dam a pale shimmering hue. Occasionally, clouds blocked the moonbeams making it seem to be turning itself off and on. The breeze was steady and night creatures were out in their numbers.

Walking doggedly onwards, Samuel reached down into his hip pocket and pulled out a half. The bottle was opened and the liquor tossed down his eager throat. He replaced the now half empty bottle and continued his erratic journey home.

From somewhere off to his right an owl hooted. This was answered by another bird some distance off. Frogs and crickets kept up a chorus of croaks and chirps. Samuel took another swig of rum. As the bottle reached his lips he heard the sound of a crying baby. He froze. Listening keenly he could hear nothing. He shrugged and moved on. It must have been his imagination. The strange cry came again. This time it sounded much nearer. Stopping in his tracks, he looked suspiciously around half expecting to see a mother and her baby walking behind him and heading towards Emancipation. The dam was clear.

LOUDER STILL
As he began walking again, a cloud obscured the moonlight, throwing the bushy Side Line Dam into total blackness. “Aaaaaaaah!!” The baby was screaming now. Puzzled, Samuel stopped and looked around him. It was so dark that he could not even see his hands held out in front of his face. He decided to wait until the cloud moved before proceeding.

Shortly thereafter the moonlight returned illuminating the surrounding countryside like a giant searchlight. He got up from the ground where he had squatted and looked up then down the Side Line. Nothing but moonbeams and insects were to be seen. On he went.

The pleading cry of the infant caused Samuel to jump. It was as if the child was right next to him. He peered cautiously around him feeling a bit nervous now. There was no baby there. He shook his head as if to clear it. This only caused him to feel dizzy and unsteady. He steadied himself on his feet and reached into his pocket for his liquid comforter. With one steady gulp, he polished off the remaining rum. Smiling contentedly he re-focused on the walk home. Now he had enough fuel to complete the journey quickly.

From somewhere off to his right the baby started up again. This time it did not let up.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”
It seemed to be bawling from hunger or for attention. Samuel tried to locate the area from which the anguished cries was emanating. He spied a large clump of vegetation and headed unsteadily toward it. Parting the vegetation as he went, he came upon an unusual scene.

THE STRANGE SETTING
Lying on its back with arms extended toward him was a crying baby. The rum on his brains caused him to feel confused. He found it difficult to think clearly. After a while, he abandoned any further efforts of thought processing and stooping, gently lifted the baby into his arms. The pretty baby gurgled contentedly and stopped crying.

Smiling to himself Samuel sang softly to the infant. He had always been a good dad and had a special relationship with his children. This kid was responding to his charms. On the spur of the moment, Samuel decided to take the child home with him. In the morning when he was sober he would try to locate its parents. Slightly sober now because of this encounter, he strode purposefully for home.

He was about halfway down the Side Line Dam when he came to the realisation that he was tired: not just tired but totally exhausted. This puzzled him. At age 54, he was at the peak of good health. He had not done any physically demanding work in a long time. How could he be tired? He continued on slowly trying to figure out why he was feeling this way. As the drunken fog began to clear from his brains, he realised what the source of his problem was. It was the baby!

KILLER GRIP!
Shocked at this latest development, he tried to hold the child out in front of him to examine it carefully and discover why it was so heavy. To his horror, the baby would not budge. It had wrapped its two little hands around his neck and its feet were firmly locked around his belly. Samuel stopped and tried to put it down in order to take a rest. Again it could not be dislodged. Perplexed and scared he applied all his strength in order to pry the infant loose. No such luck.

Now Samuel was no midget. Standing six feet-seven inches in his boots, he weighed over 230 pounds most of which was muscles. He had worked for most of his life in the timber industry and was known for his use of brute force and power. With mounting panic he redoubled his efforts. Anyone looking on would have believed that he was wrestling with the devil.

The results of this new effort to rid himself of this burden were even more shocking than what had previously transpired. An ear-splitting shriek sounded in the night and must have been heard many villages away. Like a cross between a banshee and a wailing siren, the baby began to howl.

It started softly and quickly escalated to a fever pitch. The sound was so loud that Samuel got an instant headache. Then things got even worse. Suddenly, a voice louder and more frightening than anything he had ever heard assaulted Samuel’s eardrums.
“PUT ME DOWN WEH YO PICK ME UP FROM!”

DESPERATE TIMES
Terror swept over Samuel. Now Samuel was not a crying kind of fella; neither was he the praying sort. But desperate times called for desperate measures. And boy was Samuel desperate! This was no baby. It had to be a creature called ‘Dry Bones’. He had heard many stories about it from his parents and relatives. He had always considered that to be a joke and a weak attempt to keep him from walking late.

The full realisation of this fact galvanised him into action. He tore powerfully at the hideous creature trying his best to separate himself from his tormentor. Again he failed. The more he struggled, the tighter the embrace of the creature became. Soon Samuel’s eyes were drooping and his brain becoming groggy because of the powerful grip and the lack of oxygen to his lungs.

FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS
Then Samuel got a flash of inspiration. The creature had demanded that he put it down where he had picked it up. He was going to do just that. Turning slowly, he headed back to the spot where he had picked up this nightmare. His aching body struggled on.
Each step Samuel took, the creature gained in weight. He felt as though he was lifting a house. His knees started to buckle under the enormous pressure. He almost fell but barely caught his footing and steadied himself. Again the horrible voice bellowed a sinister warning. The sound seemed to pierce Samuel’s very soul.

“IF YO DROP ME I GON BRUK YO NECK”!!
Then it let out a hideous blood-curdling laugh.
Samuel began to tremble. He felt something warm running down into his boots. He had lost control of his bladder. Not a good sign. Samuel was a fairly brave man who did not scare easily. In fact, he could not remember being scared anytime as an adult. But this was no ordinary situation. He felt well and truly petrified. The problem for Samuel was that he could feel his foot giving out on him and he was not even close to the drop off point. He knew that he could not keep this up for much longer.

Step by excruciating step he motored on, desperate to be rid of the beast.
“WHEN YO PICK ME UP YO PICK UP TROUBLE!!”
Again the devilish laughter boomed out of the creature. This taunting bellow assaulted his ears with explosive effect. Fighting for his life the hapless man trudged on. With a shudder of despair and surrender, Samuel fell in the middle of the dam.

The next morning, early travellers came upon a hellish scene. Samuel’s prostrated body lay in a grotesque sprawl of death. His hands and legs were spread eagle. His body faced downwards, except for his head. His head was turned back and facing up. His face was twisted in fear and agony and his once bright eyes were as black as coals.
A tragic end to one night of merriment.