Read Katani's Jamaican Holiday for Free Online

Cecil just got worse. Iwas going to have to talk to Grandma Ruby about whether it was the right thing to do to hang out here for our whole vacation.
    Once Upon a Time …
    “Power cut!” Selvin exclaimed as Olivia and I walked into the living room.
    “We got a big wind out there,” announced Cousin Cecil as he quickly lit two lamps. They were weird, old-looking kerosene lamps with the words “Home, Sweet Home” written on the shades. He put one in the living room and one in the kitchen.
    “Are we having a hurricane?” I asked nervously as I heard the shutters rattle.
    “No, no, Katani,” Cousin Cecil said in a softer voice. “Just a little Caribbean wind. It come sometime. Nothing to worry about.”
    I looked up at him and thought I saw the beginnings of a tiny smile. My cousin was very confusing. Sometimes nice, sometimes grumpy. Cousin Cecil was definitely going to take some getting used to.
    “I was going to town, guess I pass now.” Selvin complained. “I don’t know what a gwine happen with dem lights.”
    “Well, I for one find the wind very relaxing,” said Grandma Ruby as she headed back out to the veranda. We all followed her and sat outside in semidarkness.
    Beyond the house it was very dark. Every now and then I could see little flickers of light flying around. “The fireflies are pretty,” I commented to Olivia.
    She laughed. “Girl, we call those peenie-wallies.”
    Then it was my turn to laugh. “Peenie-wallies,” I repeated.The words people used in Jamaica were definitely fun.
    Whenever we were quiet, I could hear the strange noises of night creatures. Olivia told me what they were. Croaking lizards—ugh! An owl or two! Crickets and tree toads! I hoped they kept their distance. Meeting Spotty was enough wildlife for me in one day. Once, I thought I heard something like a big animal moving through the banana trees, which were not very far away.
    “Do you have any…any…like, wild animals in Jamaica?” I asked.
    “You mean like lions and tigers?” Selvin laughed. “No. Not even monkeys. It’s only if Spotty get away.”
    I shuddered at the idea of Spotty being loose. “Doesn’t he get locked up?” I asked.
    He and Olivia collapsed with laughter, but Cousin Cecil told them to behave, as if Selvin were also a child. “I’ll tell you some other time. Not tonight,” Cousin Cecil replied.
    Olivia and Selvin kept snickering. Obviously I had asked something silly. Maybe Spotty was an escapee or something.
    “Dad, since there is no TV, why don’t you tell us one of your stories?” Olivia asked.
    “Yes,” Selvin agreed enthusiastically. “When you don’t have no light, you tell Anansi story, or…”—he paused to snicker—“Spotty story.”
    Olivia began to sing, and Selvin joined her.
    “Moonshine tonight
    Come mek we dance and sing
    Moonshine tonight
    Come mek we play ring ding.”
    Whoa! Olivia could really sing! Selvin was singing a sort of second part, and then—I could hardly believe it—Grandma joined in.
    “Me deh rock so
    You deh rock so
    Under banyan tree
    Me deh rock so
    You deh rock so
    Under banyan tree.”
    I am pretty sure my mouth was open in surprise.
    “You know that song?” I asked Grandma.
    “My mother used to sing it for me when I was a little girl.” She sighed, and there was that choked-up sound in her voice again. “I remembered it when they started singing.”
    I think Cousin Cecil understood that it was an emotional moment for her. “Well,” he said. “There’s no moon, and it’s a long time since I’ve told any Anansi stories….”
    “Not since Mom died,” Olivia whispered to me.
    “Who’s Anansi?” I asked.
    “Him a spiiiiiider,” Selvin answered, wiggling his fingers in my direction and making a goofy face. Olivia and I both burst out laughing.
    “They say all the stories in the world belong to Anansi,” Olivia explained when she caught her breath.
    “I’d like to hear one,” Grandma joined in encouragingly.
    Cousin