The Jumbies Read Online Free Page A

Corinne’s oranges.
    â€œTen,” Corinne said.
    â€œAre they sweet?”
    â€œThey’re the best on the island. You can try one if you like, but you still have to buy it.”
    The girl gently smoothed the end of one of her braids. “I’ll buy all five.”
    Corinne took the coins from the girl and put them in her pouch, then looked back across the market to where the witch was sitting.
    The girl followed Corinne’s gaze. “My mother says the white witch is trouble.” She peeled off orange rinds and dropped them at her feet. She took a bite. Her eyes widened with surprise. She took two more quick bites, and Corinne was happy to see that her first customer was so pleased.
    â€œMy papa says that people are afraid of things they don’t understand,” Corinne said. “How does anyone even know she’s really a witch?”
    â€œDo you see all those bottles and powders she has on her blanket? There’s magic in them. They can make things happen.”
    Corinne picked up a discarded seed from the ground. “There’s magic in this too. Does that make me a witch?”
    The smaller girl’s eyes widened again. “Are you?”
    â€œOf course not!”
    The girls watched as the witch sent another customer off with a bottle and a piece of paper.
    â€œWhat kind of magic does she do?” Corinne asked.
    â€œI don’t know.”
    Corinne looked the girl up and down. “Then how do you know it’s really magic?”
    â€œCustomers don’t come back to you unless you sell them what they want. My mother says that the white witch has been sitting there for as long as the oldest person on the island can remember. Whatever she’s selling works. You can tell by the way her pouch jingles at the end of the day. And I know that what she is selling is not for cooking.” The girl licked sticky orange juice off her hands. “That was the sweetest orange I ever had.”
    Corinne smiled with satisfaction. “Thank you. They’re from the best soil on the island. Right next to the mahogany forest.”
    â€œReally?” the girl said. “You grow your oranges near the forest?” Then she shrugged. “I guess that’s why you could chase that ’gouti into the forest. You’re used to taking risks.”
    â€œYou saw that?”
    â€œMmm hmm. I was going to the well when I saw you run in. I stayed a little while to see if you would come out, but my mother was waiting. I’m glad you made it back out alive.”
    â€œMy papa told me I have nothing to fear from the forest.”
    â€œEven that forest? Your father must not know very much then,” the little girl said.
    â€œWhat he knows is that most people are afraid of made-up stories,” Corinne snapped back. When she saw the girl stiffen, she quickly added, “Anyway, I had to get this back.” Corinne pulled the necklace out of her shirt and showed off the shining stone. “It was my mother’s.”
    â€œWell,” the girl said, “I still think you were lucky, considering the day. Everybody knows if there’s any day you shouldn’t go into that forest, it’s All Hallow’s Eve—the spirits and jumbies are roaming. Ask anybody.”
    Jumbies . Corinne remembered the yellow eyes in the forest and her heart beat hard against her chest. She forced out a laugh to drown out the sound. “There are no such things as spirits and jumbies.”
    â€œYou shouldn’t say that.” The girl’s eyes darted around to see if anyone—or anything—was listening. “Just because you don’t believe doesn’t mean they’re not there.”
    â€œIf these jumbies are all around, how come nobody has ever actually seen one?” Corinne asked. “The forest is dangerous because there are wild animals, not because of jumbies.” She set her jaw and folded her arms. “Anyway, I