Bajans love giving each other nicknames. Sometimes, the nicknames reflected some features or unique characteristics of the person. In other cases, each person earned the nickname because of some act the person committed. Ms. Ting made her name because she had a terrible memory when trying to remember people’s names. Any time she engaged in a conversation, she called every character Ting. So, she earned the nickname Ms. Ting.  But Ms. Ting was peculiar. She was very superstitious and regularly visited the Obeah Man in Grazettes.

Ms. Ting lived across the street from Ms. Braffit, and they were mortal enemies. Ms. Braffit was also very superstitious and frequented the same Obeah Man as Ms. Ting. The Obeah Man knew both their stories, and he manipulated them to enrich himself. One week he would give Ms. Ting a spell or amulet to give her power over Ms. Braffit, then the next week, it would be Ms. Braffit’s turn to torment Ms. Ting.

The whole village knew these two women well and usually looked forward to the public bickering and sometimes physical fights. But Ms. Ting had enough and decided she needed to do something drastic to get some advantage over Ms. Braffit. So, Ms. Ting consulted the Obeah Man.  “Mr. Roet, wha kan I do to get Ms. Braffit to left me alone?”  Ms. Ting continued, “she does be always showing she tail and me head does be always licking loose from all she spells.” “Mr. Roet, wuh I gine do?”. Ms. Ting pleaded.

“Here is wuh you gine do to get she off ya back.” Mr. Roet started. “Next week is the full moon. Now Ms. Braffit scared to deff of bullfrogs. Dis will get she off ya back.  You get the biggest bullfrog you kan find, tie two strings rong de neck, an den tie up de frog cross she front step. If you put the frog pun she steps, said Mr. Roet, she en gine set foot outside the house again.” Ms. Ting felt good bout the idea, but she never let on to the Obeah man she had problems with frogs.

Though Ms. Ting was terrified of frogs, she felt she had to follow through wid de Obeah Man advice to get Ms. Braffit off she back. The full moon would soon be coming up in the village, so she needed to act quickly. Ms. Ting decided to get two young volunteers to help her with her plan. She got Buckey and his pal Dripty, both around 11 years old to catch the biggest bullfrog and bring it to her. “Now tie up the bullfrog real gud wid two strings and bring it, then I will tell what to do wid it,” Ms. Ting instructed the two boys.

The two boys went down in the gully to a favorite pond and caught the biggest bullfrog they could find. They got some twine, tied two pieces around the neck as Ms. Ting instructed, and headed back to Ms. Ting’s house to deliver the bullfrog. But the bullfrog was very agitated and began to swell up real big. The boys did not want to lose their catch, so they tied up the frog with the two strings across the front step. Buckey and Dripty knocked on the front door, but Ms. Ting was indisposed and couldn’t answer the door. The two boys started walking away when Ms. Ting opened the door, saw the bullfrog tied across the step, she yelled “murdah!” and passed out faced down on top of the frog.

Buckey and Dripty thought she was dead and ran away to get Mr. Branch to come and help. “Mr. Branch, Mr. Branch, come quick, it’s Ms. Ting, she dead!” the boys shouted. When Mr. Branch arrived, Ms. Ting was still passed out, and the bullfrog was not croaking. Mr. Branch started shaking Ms. Ting, but she didn’t respond. Finally, Mr. Branch pulls out a little bottle of smelling salts, stick it under she nose, and in a second, Ms. Ting was sitting up looking as pale as a sheet. Mr. Branch busted out laughing because he knew Mr. Roet well, and Mr. Roet shared the secrets about the frogs.

Finally, Ms. Ting come to she self and slowly got up from de ground. Mr. Branch was trying to keep a straight face, but he felt he needed to let Ms. Ting know about the Obeah Man and how he was robbing she blind. After a long conversation with Ms. Ting, Mr. Branch got up to leave. Ms. Ting was so grateful for the new information she invited Mr. Branch to stay and eat something.  “I jus finish frying some flying fish en I got some green banana cou-cou. You gine have some?”. Ms. Ting offered. Mr. Branch was excited he hadn’t eaten green banana cou-cou in ages. “Yes, please, and pass de hotsauce!”.

Story by: Stan Brooks, PhD

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