Marlon James - The Book of Night Women

Lilith run back in the room. Robert Quinn still sleeping. Lilith look at the great house and think of Miss Isobel. She look to the west and the east and see fire dancing underneath a cloud of black smoke. She hear cheering and yelling and shouting and screaming. A herd of cows run past, knocking down every post and barrel in the way. More nigger run past the house and she clutch the musket and feel for the pellets in her apron. She run to the next window and see a group of mens run up the stairs and into the great house. The mistress and Miss Isobel.

The burnin’ cane wake Massa Humphrey mother. She remember that today is the day she go riding.

— Patrick! Patrick, what is that smell? Do not even think to enter my room with such a fetor, the mistress say. The room door swing open and Homer step in. She still wobbling and her eye shut more than open.

— Who is it? Who is it, I said? And what is that goddamned smell? Where’s Patrick? I said where’s Patr—

— Patrick d. . Patrick dead two year, two year now, you stupid, shrivel-up cunt.

— Oh, my God—

— Hell he be, and you soon pay a visit.

— Homer? What is the meaning of this? What is the meaning of all this?

Homer cock her rifle.

— You know what this mean?

— Oh, dear lord. Oh, dear lord. What do you want from me? I’ve always treated you niggers well. I have always treated you well!

— You, you is the one who tell old Jack Wilkins to whip me, then sell me pickneys.

Homer out of breath.

— Pickneys? What would you want with pickneys? You’re brutish animals, brutish! What need have you for children? I did you a favour. That I de—

— They’s dead. All of them. The pickneys Jack Wilkins make nigger rape out o’ me. The pick. . pickneys that you, you, you sell just ’cause you don’t want me to have or love nothing but you.

Homer swaying like she drunk. She swing round the gun and hold the nozzle.

— For that, me goin’ deal with you special, she say.

Callisto running across the path. Lilith seeing her from her window. Bullet fly through the sky and explode in Callisto head. Gorgon scream and run to the body. Whole heap of negro run away but some stay to watch the plantation burn. The great house still standing and Wilkins’ house and the cottage where Lilith be with Robert Quinn. Lilith watching out from the window, she looking at the field as they burn and the negroes as they run past the house. Sooner or later some goin’ stop and try to burn the house down again. Sooner or later they coming.

— God feckin’ damn, I had the strangest dream. I’m sorry, luv, I thought you had…

Lilith turn around. She see Robert Quinn up and looking at her. He get up quick and go to the kitchen, seeing the stove and the teapot. Then her. He over to her so quick that before Lilith could move, him hand on her throat.

— Talk, him say.

But Lilith choking. She grab him arm but he squeeze tighter.

— I said talk, him say. She choking.

— C. . c. . can’t. . tal. . she say, pointing to her throat. He let go.

— They goin’ kill you! They goin’ kill you if you go outside. Don’t go outside! Don’t go, Robert.

He look at her with so much anger that Lilith step back. Him eyebrow raise high and him face getting red. Not taking him eye off her, Robert Quinn grab the musket from the table. He go into him room and come out a minute later with another musket and a rifle and bullets that he stuffing in him military jacket with the shiny button. She grab after him but he push her. He go to hit her again, but eye and eye meet and he stop.

— Goddamn you, Lilith, goddamn you, he say and leave. Lilith look out and see him ride off in the direction of the great house. Far off, the fields burnin’.

Negroes from four estate taking to the hills. Hundreds. Some the Maroons most likely goin’ catch, but the number too big to catch them all. Plenty negroes on the estate. Plenty in the great house. Pallas run upstairs and see Miss Isobel room open. She go in to see a light-skin nigger fuckin’ Miss Isobel hard while the chocolate-skin nigger hold her up and cussing that he taking till Judgement Day fi cum. Miss Isobel don’t look like she living. They holding her up by the arm while the chocolate nigger have her two leg on him shoulder and him breeches at him knees. Pallas fire a shot and they drop Miss Isobel.

— Stinking nasty nigger, she say while she reach for her other rifle. We fighting for freedom and all you want to free is you breeches. Get out before I shoot the two of you.

— You have mouth. What say we have fun with you too?

— Can’t fuck me when I shoot you balls off.

The mens quiet.

— Now get out, she say. The mens walk past her, looking at the barrel of the rifle. She point her gun at Miss Isobel. Miss Isobel sputter.

— Oi, Miss Isobel, me know you name. You know mine? Miss Isobel nod and sputter. Pallas stoop down.

— You know me? Me name Pallas, the nigger who soup you love spit in.

Pallas pull off her head wrap and red hair tumble down. — Me same one who hair you can’t stand ’cause it remind you that your kind fuck nigger to get me. Me was goin’ kill you. Just right now, but guess what, Miss Isobel? Me goin’ make you live. Me goin’ make you remember for the rest of you life how two niggerman take what is not them to take, just like how you love take what is not yours. Hope you pussy stay tear out and you breed nigger twin too.

Pallas get up and leave Miss Isobel sputtering. She pass the mistress room and see it open slight.

— Homer? What you doing? We have to go, Pallas say.

— Me ready when me ready. Right now, me and the mistress having correspondence, Homer say. Pallas look at Homer barely standing up, her dress stripe with blood. Pallas look down and see the old mistress knees on the floor but Homer holding her up by the neck of her nightgown. The mistress face punch up and bloody. Homer swinging wild and for a instant the two women looking like they holding each other up.

— Next meeting in the hill? Pallas say.

— Next meeting in the hill, Homer say as Pallas close the door.

Lilith by the window as Montpelier go down. Then the window on the other side of the door explode and she scream. The rock land on the floor, followed by a burnin’ stick. The carpet catch afire and spread so fast Lilith think the flame chasing her. The floor crackle. Lilith run to the back door but it locked. She turn back and see the fires already attacking the chair and table and the curtains that Quinn just buy. Smoke blacking the space and she can’t see. Lilith coughing. There be nowhere but behind her. The door won’t budge, but the window open. She climb through, but the drop from the window too high. Lilith thinking about what very stupid and very necessary. She thinking that it can’t be more than two yard or so between window and ground. She out on the window ledge now and smoke rushing out from behind her. Lilith stunned that fire could move so fast. She wonder what Robert Quinn doing. And Homer. She jump.

Lilith wonder how safe she be if some of the negroes have her off as Robert Quinn woman. She don’t know where to run. What not full with smoke and fire full with niggers running like flock of fowl with they head chop off. Behind her be the niggers that set fire to the cottage, niggers who mark her for killing. Ahead she see something that stun her, but there it be standing still like a dead house. Like everybody forget who live there. Unless nobody is there. And even so, by now even turncoat nigger would burn down the place out of spite.

Jack Wilkins’ house.

Wilkins’ house have a staircase round the back. Lilith run up to the glass and wood door but it lock. She run back down for a rock and hear some niggers coming. She drop flat on the ground and don’t breathe. Soon as she couldn’t hear them no more she run back up to the door and break a hole in the glass.