The Serpent's Tale

Chapter 4: Overall and Overalls

Franz entered the palace with two guards escorting him. Franz expected to have a tough time gaining entry, and so the benevolence of the guards surprised him. It was almost as if the guards wanted people to enter. This only instilled more hope into Franz that Chantale was near. 

The guards took Franz into a large room where a man, the aristocrat, sat on a throne. The aristocrat had a white cane in his hand and glossy white eyes. The guard bowed his head and spoke, "We have another visitor sire." 

The aristocrat opened his mouth and a long, pink, and thin tongue fell out, "And why have you come to Kenscoff in such a dire time? Have you not been affected by the recent earthquake?" 

"I'm looking for Chantale; she's a girl, kind of strong, and wears overalls." 

That last line reminded Franz that he never got to ask her why she wore overalls. 

"I don't recall there being a woman, who stood before me today. Although, there was one visitor who, I felt might have been a woman, but then I heard him speak. The man was brusque and brazen, he cut me off, and attempted to storm off while stating that his mind was made up." 

Franz once again felt that ominous presence and asked, "Do you know where that man may have gone?" 

Franz never forgot what happened next.

 Seven guards holding up a casket barged into the room and told the aristocrat that they were ready to travel to the graveyard at the base of the Morne Cabrit Mountain. The aristocrat apologized for terminating his talk with Franz so soon, and offered him a story as solace. 

The aristocrat told the story of Damballa, who ruled all beneath the dirt in Haiti. The aristocrat said that Damballa was angered by all of the selfishness in Haiti and had demanded the government to offer sacrifices. The government had refused and as a result, Damballa whipped up the earthquake, which destroyed the National Palace. 

Damballa shook the earth, as opposed to the table, and finally got the message across. As a result, the government is currently sacrificing all types of egoistic, careless, and impulsive people to Damballa. 

This of course is irony considering who the real selfish are.

Franz left the palace of the aristocrat sick to his stomach. He believed that Chantale was gone forever and that he would have to return home alone. Franz reached into Chantale's bag and pulled out the egg. Franz hadn't eaten in some time and decided that a quick meal would give him strength for the travel back home. 

That thought was short lived. 

Franz studied the egg and noticed a "F" etched onto the shell of the egg. For some reason, Franz's appetite abruptly disappeared. Franz simply wanted to return home. But, before Franz left Kenscoff, an eerie scene caught his eye; the beggar from earlier stood in front of a young girl with a mere bed-sheet wrapped around her body for clothing. The girl gave the beggar a bag full of white rice and in exchange, the beggar gave the young girl a pair of overalls. 

"I never understood why she wore overalls" thought Franz, and he shook his head in disgust because he would never get to ask her.

The End