Brown Girl in the Ring

Ti-Jeanne awakes from a nightmare to find a Soucouyant, a blood-sucking spirit, in her room with “flesh red and wet and oozing all over, like she ain’t have no skin” (44). The Soucouyant tells Ti-Jeanne to move aside so that she can eat Baby. Suddenly, the Jab-Jab from earlier appears and fights the Soucouyant. He scatters rice on the floor, which forces the Soucouyant to compulsively pick up the grains. As she obsesses over the rice, the Jab-Jab hits her repeatedly. He tells Ti-Jeanne to open the curtains, as Soucouyants are afraid of daylight. When Ti-Jeanne opens the window, both the Soucouyant and the Jab-Jab disappear.

Mami enters the room and asks about the rice grains on the floor. Ti-Jeanne tearfully reveals her visions and visitations by spirits and other forces. She tells her about seeing La Diablesse, a woman spirit who foretells death. When Mami reads Ti-Jeanne’s tarot cards, she sees that a black man is in danger and close to death as “wherever La Diablesse go, she leave death behind” (50-51). Mami suspects the man is Tony. Ti-Jeanne is terrified because her own mother has this same seer ability and went mad as a result.

Suddenly, Tony appears at Mami’s door, pleading for their help.