“Is who that?” the wild pig call out.
Same time the manicou say, “Is what that I hear?”
Tan-Tan ain’t reply. She pick some leaves off a piece of bush and chew on them to soothe she stomach. The wild pig look up and spy the manicou up in the tree.
“Brother Rat, like you been following me?”
“Seen, Brother Pig, but don’t fret, all right? It have plenty for both of we. Look, I go only eat what in the tree; you could have everything on the ground.”
The wild pig think about this. Him can’t climb tree. The food up there would only rotten and fall on the ground. “All right then, my brother, but we can’t make Tan-Tan and Antonio know.”
Them continue eating. Tan-Tan swear she could see them getting fatter as she watch. Brother Rat have sharp, sharp teeth. Brother Wild Pig have pointy tusks curling round he snout. How to get to the food?
Tan-Tan think back to she jacks games, how she had was to snatch up the jacks-them fast before the ball bounce. To get the food she and she daddy need, she go have to move sly like that.
She get down on she belly and crawl through the tall grass to the foot of the tree, where the pigeon peas bushes growing thick-thick. She was mad to just pull off two-three handful of pigeon peas pods and jam into she mouth, but first she had was to deal with the wild pig.
Tan-Tan reach up and pull one of the bushes down closer to the ground, where the wild pig could almost reach it, if he only jump a little. She rustle the bush. The pig hear the sound. He come closer to see better, for pig eyesight ain’t so sharp, oui? But Tan-Tan still couldn’t quite reach he. She bend the bush down a little closer to the ground. When Brer Pig look good, he see a branch full of fat, sweet pigeon peas, just above he snout. Him couldn’t resist. He take a little run, as fast as he short legs would go, and he leap into the air to reach the peas. And so he leap, is so Tan-Tan catch he.
“Eee-eee-eee!” The wild pig start one set of racket. Tan-Tan pull out the cutlass that Ione give she and slice off the wild pig head with one blow. Then she put the pig body in she pouch and crouch back down in the pigeon peas bushes.
“Brother Pig? Is you that?” The manicou start back down the tree to see what happen. Tan-Tan answer in the wild pig voice. “Don’t fret yourself, my brother. I just catch my snout in some cassava root.” Same way she steal the pig life, she steal him voice too.
The answer satisfy the manicou; him climb back up the tree. This time, him go to a custard apple branch. Him was so busy eating, him never see Tan-Tan shinnying up the tree, quiet like death. She inch out across the branch, wrapping she legs round it like rat tail, so she wouldn’t fall. So noiseless she move, so soft, the branch ain’t even self tremble.
When she reach the manicou, Tan-Tan reach out swift like grabbing jacks from out underneath a jacks ball. She catch the manicou long, hairless tail and swing he head bup! against the half-way tree trunk. That was the end of Brother Rat. Tan-Tan put the body in she pouch. She eat up two-three custard apple right there, sucking down the sweet white meat and spitting out the shiny black seed-them. She fill up she bag for Antonio.
Now that she have he food running in she veins again, Kabo Tano could make she hear he. From out of the sky he say, “You do good, my daughter. This half-way tree is for you and Antonio.”
“Thank you, Kabo Tano!”
“Chop it down.”
“What?”
“Chop down the tree.”
Tan-Tan couldn’t believe she ears. How she could do that? How them would eat after? She decide to try a thing.
“Ancient One, I too weak to chop down this thick tree. The trunk bigger than me and King Antonio put together.”
Kabo Tano say, “Climb down and make a fire.” So Tan-Tan do that.
“Fire burning good, Ancient One.”
“Take the pig and the manicou out of your pouch. You must gut them and skin them and string them on a pole above the fire. And keep turning the pole so that the bodies burn even all the way through.”
Tan-Tan think say this must be powerful obeah. She follow Kabo Tano instructions, and as she turn the meat on the fire, it start to cook. It smell so nice, Tan-Tan belly start to rumble again, even though she done full it up with food from the tree.
“What I must do now, Kabo Tano?”
“Do what your mouth and your belly telling you. Eat.”
That is how Tan-Tan learn another way to feed sheself. She gorge on manicou and pork. She put aside a portion for Antonio, then she suck the fat from the meat and tear the meat from the bones. She even crack open the bones-them and suck out the marrow. When she done, she lie back on the ground and sigh, patting she belly.
“You full, my daughter? You strong?” Kabo Tano voice sounding soft, but Tan-Tan ain’t pay that no mind.
“Yes, Kabo Tano.”
“Cut down the tree.”
She ain’t have no more excuse. She had to do it. She go and stand beside the half-way tree. She hold she cutlass that would never dull in one hand and she place the next hand flat against the broad trunk. It had all different kinds of bark on the trunk, one for each kind of fruit and vegetable.
She decide to have faith in Kabo Tano. Everything he do, he do for a reason. Tan-Tan fetch one blow to the trunk of the half-way tree. And again! And again! She chop and she chop until the tree start to sway. She look up to see which way it go fall, and she stand aside. The great tree crash down to the ground, and is like the whole Earth tremble for the magnificent thing that Tan-Tan just destroy. Tan-Tan hear Kabo Tano voice, even softer this time.
“Is the flesh of the beast give you the strength to do this thing, my daughter.”
“Yes, Kabo Tano. Thank you.”
“But is lie you lie to me. I know you wasn’t feeling weak once you done eat my food. You just ain’t want to cut down the tree. Because you tell untruth, you have to stay down there on Earth. I going away and leaving you and Antonio.”
Tan-Tan start to cry. “But Great One, how we go live here without you to help?”
“Even though you lie, you is still my daughter. The half-way tree is for you and your daddy. Pull one of every kind of twig from the tree, and one of every kind of plant that growing underneath it. Wherever you plant them, they go grow, and you and Antonio will always have food. Let the beasts have what leave from the tree to nourish themselves with.”
That was the last time Tan-Tan ever hear Kabo Tano voice. She mourn, but she do as he tell she. She pick all kind of food for Antonio, then she break off a twig for each type of plant, and she bundle them up together with grass. She take everything back to she daddy, lying there faint beside the mountain stream.
“Daddy! Here, eat.” Tan-Tan put little pieces of food and meat into Antonio mouth. He chew one-one piece at a time until he start to feel like a man again.
“What is this I eating, daughter?”
Tan-Tan tell he the whole story; how she follow the pig and the manicou to the half-way tree, how she ambush them and steal they life, and how Kabo Tano help she to feed sheself, even though she lie to he, and how she get them exile on Earth for good. Antonio couldn’t be vex at she, though. She save he life, and he couldn’t think of nothing better but to live out he days by he daughter side.