First Encounter with a Duppy
by
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As the children were approaching the stranger, they could hear his footsteps--tap, tap, tap---on the gravel road. Doris was walking ahead of Champy and was the first one to notice, “Champy, unnu si? Di man nuh hab no fut!” Indeed, in the place where the man’s feet should be, there was a blank space from his ankles on down which made him look like he was floating on air. At first, they thought it was a trick the man was playing on them. But when they looked up, they noticed that the part of the man’s body where his head should be appeared misty, making him unidentifiable.
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About the Book
First Encounter with a Duppy is the first in a series of children’s books titled Memories of Poppy’s Childhood in Rural Jamaica. It is the real story, as Vincent remembers it, of the occasion when he and his older sister encountered a duppy when they were sent on an errand by their mother. Vincent was 8 years old at the time and his sister was 12. Duppy is the Jamaican Patois word for ghost or spirit. It is of African origin and common in folklore throughout the Caribbean. Duppies are generally malicious and said to haunt people, mostly at dusk or nighttime, and many people attest to having seen them. A duppy can appear as a human form or an animal form. If it takes on a human form, it is usually of someone who is deceased.
About the Author
Sharon Dole was on a teaching assignment in Mandeville, Jamaica, when she met Vincent Bryan, who grew up in Jamaica but emigrated when he was 18. At the time of their meeting, Vincent was visiting his birthplace. Sharon was captivated by Vincent’s stories of his childhood in Jamaica and they decided to write children’s books to share the stories with today’s children.