Once upon a time, there was a nine-year-old boy from a far...

< Previous | Home | Next >

Reply to Msg 11970

Once upon a time, there was a nine-year-old boy from a far away Haitian village who was given away to a very rich man to serve him as a domestic.

The parents who were very poor believed they were saving the life of their son by letting such a proper gentleman have him and raise him. The man who received the boy appeared to be very well educated.

He was well dressed with clean clothes and shoes.

He was speaking French and rarely a Creole word. He promised to take care of the child as his own son.

Once they left the village, he started telling the boy what he expects from him. "You belong to me now, he said. You will serve me. You will do as I say. You need to promise you will never lie to me".

"Oui" said the boy. You will answer all my questions with: "Oui, Monsieur" or "Non, Monsieur".

"Do you hear me?" "Oui, M'sieur" said the boy shyly.

"You are a lucky boy. I am taking you with me to my big house in the city of Cap-Haitian".

After a long road trip from the small village to the sea shores, he stepped up on a deck. He told the boy: Follow me. The boy did as he said and followed him on a boat. The little boy already knew what a boat was.

During the boat trip, he started asking the boy all sorts of questions to find out what he knows.

He said in Creole:
- [Koman ou rele?] What's your name?

- [Mwen rele: Ti-Son.] My name is: Little-Son.
- [Eske ou konn ekri?] Do you know how to write?

- [Non, M'sieur.] No, Sir.
- [Eske ou pale Franse?] Do you speak French?

- [Non, M'sieur.] No, Sir.

Disappointed and frustrated, the man started to talk about himself and all the things he knows and has: He can read and write, he has a T.V., a car, a stereo-system, a boat, etc...

The man was so busy with his conversation with the little boy, he didn't realize how quickly the weather was changing, that a big storm was coming up. The winds were blowing harder and harder.

Finally, the little boy, looked at him and said in Creole:

[M'sie, m'pa konn ekri. M'pa pale Franse.

Men m'ka sove lavi'm. M'konn naje.]

"Sir, I don't know how to write.

I don't know how to speak French.

But there is something I know that can to save my life: I know how to swim."

As the winds were turning the boat into a wreckage, the little boy who was an excellent swimmer jumped into the ocean and started to swim as quickly as his little legs and arms allowed him to. And he came back to shores alive.

He told his story to the villagers.

They took him back home to his parents.

The villagers never found the body of the educated man who knew so well how to speak and write French.

This is a Creole tale from an Unknown Author
Creole version Translated in English
by Yanick Jean-Francois-Landess

Yanick Jean-francois-landess, January 1 2009, 12:19 PM

Topic: Haitians do not speak french

Start a NEW topic or,
Jump to previous | Next Topic >

< Previous | Home | Next >

Messages in this topic

< Previous | Home | Next >