We left the school and headed towards our homes. I was feeling excited.
“Jan, I know you were not paying attention in class. Who showed you how to work that sum?” asked Kelley.
“My dad.”
“You are lucky because Mrs. Johnson would have embarrassed you if you did not know how to do it.”
“I know, but do you find that Mrs. Johnson looks unhappy?”
“She does. I wonder if she has a family.”
“I don’t think she does because I never heard anyone talked about her having one.”
“She must be lonely. I’m glad that we have families who love us.”
“Me too.”
About one hundred yards from the school, the road was underwater. The stream had overflowed its bank and poured on to the road. On the right side of the road was a big savannah. It was fenced with barbed wire. The savannah looked like a shallow pond, and there were cows grazing in it. The stream was on the left side of the road. On the bank of the stream, there were guava trees, mango trees, and a huge tamarind tree. Farther along, there was a wooded area. There were Poui tree, teak trees, rubber trees, and many other tall trees. These trees blocked out the sun so the woods looked dark and dismal.
Our parents as well as the school principal told us not to cross the stream. On sunny days, many children would cross the stream to pick some of the fruits. Although the guava and mangoes looked inviting, no one attempted to cross today.
Some children took off their shoes and walked through the water barefooted. There were other children who climbed on to the barbed wire and walked sideways along the fence, until they made it to dry ground.
“Jan, do you want to try and walk on the fence?”
“No way, Kelley. I might fall.”
I pulled up my skirt and stepped into the water. It felt cold. “Ouch!”
“How does it feel?” asked Kelley.
“Come on, it feels good.”
Kelley stepped in.
“Oh my gosh…. It’s . . . cold!” shouted Kelley, shivering. Jan you tricked me. You didn’t tell me the water is cold?”
Jan started to laugh. Randee, Mark, and a few other boys were splashing water on anyone, who tried to walk by them, so Kelley and I stayed back. Stuart and Andrea were walking on the fence, and they started arguing.
“Andrea, you are moving too slow. Hurry up!”
“Stuart, if you think you could walk faster than me, you can go ahead.”
Stuart was in a hurry, so he decided to walk past Andrea. Andrea stood on the fence and held on tightly. Stuart moved quickly, and the fence started shaking. Everyone started shouting at him.
“Stuart, you are going to fall!” shouted one person.
“Don’t do that! Are you crazy?” shouted another.
“Stuart, if you make me fall, I’m going to beat you up!” shouted Andrea.
We were all looking at Stuart in amazement and waiting for the fence to collapse and for everyone who was on it, to fall into the water. As he was about to pass Andrea, his feet slipped, and he fell in a sitting position, into the water.
There was a big uproar. Everyone, laugh out loudly. Kelley and I clapped at Stuart for making the evening exciting. Although Stuart looked embarrassed, I had to say something to him for being so foolish.
“Stuart, as the old folks would say, More haste, less speed.”
He looked at me angrily but he did not say anything.
Kelley whispered, “Jan, if looks could kill, you know where you would be right now?”
“I know.”
He got up, and for a moment, I thought he was going to do something to me, but he turned and walked out of the water as fast as he could, to the jeers of the other children.
After Stuart’s spill, everyone started to walk out of the water to dry ground. Randee shouted at us.
“Jan and Kelley, come on. Let’s go home.”
“We are coming,” I said.
Kelley and I continued playing in the water. After a while, I looked around. I was surprised that Kelley and I were the only ones still playing in the water. Randee shouted at us again.
“Hey! Come on.”
I turned to Kelley and told her we should go, but she did not move. She was staring into the woods. Her face was as white as a sheet.
“Kelley, what’s wrong?” I asked.
“I saw someone in the woods. It must be a Douen.”
“Come on, Kelley, you know Douens are one of the characters that our parents talk about during story time.”
“No, Jan, they are real. They are actually spirits that live in the woods and they lure children in to it, to steal them. My parents told me about many children who where stolen by Douens.”
I knew most of the stories that were told about our folklore, but I don’t believe those stories.
“Kelley, there is no one in the woods. It’s probably a tree branch and the wind is making it seem as though someone is there.”
“Jan, I did see someone. Look over there.” She pointed to an area where the trees were close.
I looked, but I did not see anything.
“Kelley, there is no one there.”
She held my hand, pulled me closer to the stream, and pointed to the woods.
“Look over at those big trees.”
When I looked in the direction she was pointing, I saw something move. I stepped closer to get a better view. I was amazed to see two children playing in the woods. I could not see their faces because they were wearing big straw hats and their feet were about knee height in water.
My heart started to beat very fast because those stories we were told about characters like these, were coming to life.
Douens wore large straw hats and their feet were turned backwards. I stared at the children. They were clapping their hands and laughing at what was being said to each other. I could not believe what I was seeing, so I closed my eyes tightly for a few second then opened them again to make sure of what I was seeing. I could hear the laughter, but I could not see their faces.
I was scared. I was sure that these two children who were all alone in the woods must be Douens. I did not realize I was standing close to the edge of the stream, until Kelley shouted at me.
“Jan, step back, you might fall!”
I could not move because my legs were shaking.
“Jan, give me your hand!”
I stretched out my hand and tried to step back, but my feet slipped from under me and I fell into the stream.
~*~
CHAPTER 3
The current was very strong, and I headed down the stream at a terrific speed. I could hear Kelley screaming my name. The sound of her voice faded, and I knew I had gone farther down the stream. I could feel my body being bumped and scratched by rocks and weeds. About two miles down the stream, I suddenly stopped~~~ http://www.amazon.com/Jans-Mysterious-Adventure-Valentine-Joseph/dp/0595420192/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322862899&sr=1-1
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