The Serpent's Tale

Chapter 3: Protester's Dilemma

Franz raced after Chantale with a devious look in his eyes, "You could probably move twice as fast if you weren't holding that bag." 

Chantale unhinged the bag from her shoulder and tossed it at Franz without looking back, 

"Great idea." 

Chantale was as good as gone, and Franz knew it. Franz backtracked to the beggar who was sprawled out on the ground again. 

"I have something for you" called Franz who rummaged through the bag and pulled out both white eggs. 

Franz placed the bag on a nearby rock and held an egg in each hand. The beggar leaped onto his feet and lunged at the egg Franz offered with his right hand, but hesitated. 

"Go on, take it" said Franz who extended his right hand and the egg towards the beggar. 

Like lightning, however, the beggar snatched for the egg in Franz's left hand and danced around with joy. Franz was startled but then quickly decided to put the other egg back into the bag to discourage any foul play from the beggar. 

"Now, I'll tell you my story" said the beggar with a wide toothless smile. 

The beggar coincidentally told another tale about Damballa. The beggar said that an underground prison was built in Haiti to condemn the wicked and that the warden was Damballa. But, the crisis was that the government determined who entered the prison and as a result, Haitians who protested, threatened, or betrayed the government were thrown into Damballa's prison. 

The beggar ominously warned Franz that Damballa's prison had been destroyed because of the earthquake and countless souls have crossed over. The government will want to please Damballa, and so the government will inevitably toss anyone who speaks too loosely, underground, effectively turning him or her into Damballa's slave and prisoner.

Franz moved like an antelope or an elegant gazelle leaping through a field of buttercups. His long legs galloped through the terrain and he refused to desist until he reached Kenscoff... until he reached Chantale.

 That same myth about Damballa continued to rear its head in different versions and the last version told by the beggar frightened him the most. Franz was far from a decisive person, but there was a blue moon in the sky. Franz was determined to convince Chantale to abandon her ridiculous quest and return home. If she wanted to help her community she could do it by aiding the reconstruction process and not by attempting to harass a man who could prevent her from helping anybody.

At last, Franz had reached Kenscoff. It was evening, and he briskly began to interrogate every Haitian he saw as to the whereabouts of Chantale. 

No one had seen her. 

Franz's hope was sand in an hourglass, and unfortunately, the sand was falling fast and nothing was going to turn the glass over. 

But, there was still hope. 

Franz came across a Haitian who told him about an aristocrat, who lived at the end of town. If the girl was anywhere, his palace was probably it. With newfound hope, Franz sped to the end of town.