THE small primary school located in the community of Cuffy’s Legacy catered for students from that village and all the nearby ones too. Built to accommodate 200, it was forced to fit over 500 students.

Next to the small school yard was a large playground. At the north-western end of the ground was a large mound. On it grew a few trees and heavy vegetation. Not many children went that far to play. Some of the boys made that area their private play mound. No sooner had they begun to frequent the area that strange things started to happen.
One boy was shoved violently off the top of the mound. He sprained his right ankle and took a hit to the head. Another lad flipped multiple times making a rough path through the trees and bushes with his body. One of the weeds that grew there in great abundance was ‘Cow-Itc’h. By the time he got up dazed and shaken, his skin had begun to itch madly. His friends tried to help only to be immediately infected. Soon there was pandemonium. Students were scratching all over their bodies and school had to be suspended for the rest of the day.

One Friday morning, a boy while playing there stopped and urinated before taking off again. He got a nasty surprise.
Ply!
He received a vicious slap that resulted in the left side of his face being swollen and sore. But the boy that got the worst treatment was a wayward lad who paid little attention to anyone. While playing on the mound, Vincent felt the urge to use the toilet. Realising that it would be a long walk to the school’s washroom, he crept into a bushy area and started to relieve himself. Suddenly all hell broke loose. Or in his case he saw stars; pitching stars.
Boof!
Pow!
He ran screaming from his place of concealment with two badly swollen black eyes. The children who had these painful encounters all blamed each other for their calamity. The headteacher knew better and decided to place a ban on the mound. No student was allowed to go there. But if you know children you would know that a ban on any place was like a dangling carrot to a donkey. Some still persisted.
Peter was an upstart. He was a regular truant and whenever he attended school he was never punctual. He could be found wandering all around the school compound and the playground during sessions. Warnings, punishment and the intervention of his mother did not curb this bad habit. He continued his roaming and spent a great deal of time playing and traipsing on the mound.
One night, after having a rollicking time playing and tumbling on the mound, he had an unusual dream. In the dream he was playing ‘Ketcher. This is a game of tag in which one child chases after the others. The first one to be tagged would become the catcher (chaser). Sometimes, there would be variations to the game. The catcher would be armed with a belt or whip. Whoever is caught would be beaten until he reaches the sanctuary of “Gool” – a safe or mutual area. This variation often ended up in fights so not too many children used it.

It was while playing this variation that he ran into problems. He was being chased by the catcher who was wielding a leather belt in a lethal fashion. He raced up the mound and dived into a clump of bushes to hide. Suddenly someone grabbed him by both ears in a grip that felt like an eagle’s talons. His ears were mercilessly tweaked. The pain was intense and he begged and pleaded for it to end.

He must have passed out from the pain. When he came to, both his ears were inflamed and painful. Then a very low voice that sounded like a growl addressed him.
“You are a very disobedient boy.”

He spun around and saw a short white man looking angrily at him.
“Behave yourself and stop playing on my grave,” the man warned.
Terrified by this utterance he sputtered a hasty reply.
“B-But sir I don’t play in de cemetery,” he said.
“Everyday you play in one.”
“No!” the boy responded. “I only play at home and in school.”
“Boy, don’t be doltish. The playground is a burial ground!”
Then the man disappeared.
That morning Peter had great difficulty explaining to his mom the reason for his swollen ears. Try as he might his mother did not believe him. But she was taking no chances either. She instructed the boy to keep away from the mound. Peter did not need to be warned. He had learned his lesson. After that incident the boy spent his break and lunch periods walking around the village. He kept away from the mound and did not even play in the playground. Other children kept on playing there.
Every day there were complaints of children being cuffed, kicked and slapped whenever they ventured onto the mound. The headteacher sent for the Pandit. The old man arrived and immediately instructed that the area be fenced off. He performed a funeral rite and ever since, the place has been violence free.