once again captured the attention of the boys under the tree, who began pointing and gesturing at her bundle.
‘Let’s see if there really is a frog in that bundle,’ one of them said.
Another voice, gravelly, like that of an old man, responded, ‘See if there’s a frog? What in the world for? Let’s see if there are any sabre coins.’
It was becoming clear to Binu that the people market was a dangerous place, especially as night was falling; the middle of the road was not a good place for her to be loitering. She was about to move to the left side of the road when the date tree rustled noisily and the boy with the slingshot jumped to the ground. At the same time, one of the other boys stood up and headed straight for Binu, who screamed, ‘What are you, bandits? If you’renot careful, the authorities will arrest you and take you away!’
That stopped them in their tracks, but the gravelly voice began again, this time with a sinister edge, ‘Let them. In jail they’ll have to feed us, and that is surely better than starving here!’
That comment energized the boys. ‘Let them take us away, that way they’ll have to feed us!’
His friend tried to act like a highwayman. ‘Pay a road tax before you can leave!’
The boys rushed at Binu like wild animals. She screamed and sought help from the fancy women across the street, shouting out, ‘Are you going to stand there and let them rob me?’
The women glanced indifferently at her. One of them, in a blue dress, pointed to the other side of the road. ‘That’s their grandfather sitting there. If he doesn’t care, why should we?’
Binu turned and grabbed the sleeve of one of the mountain women, who immediately pulled back.
‘Don’t grab me, run away! You’re asking for trouble, standing here in the people market with such a big bundle on your head.’
With no choices left to her, Binu took off, running.
At that moment the frog chose to show itself. Peopleon both sides of the road were shocked to see flashes of light above Binu’s head, when the already legendary frog appeared miraculously, as if it had fallen from the heavens, and landed softly on top of Binu’s head or, more accurately, on top of the bundle. The darkening sky above Bluegrass Ravine made it difficult at first for the people to see the frog clearly, but its tightly shut eyes and the silvery flashes of tears around them put fear into everyone, for no one had ever seen a frog cry.
‘Don’t touch it, it’s a poisonous toad! You’ll go blind!’ came a loud and frightened warning from the old man beside the road. ‘Stay clear of that woman, she’s a sorceress, for sure.’
The boys backed off in the direction of the tree. ‘Didn’t you hear Grandpa say it’s not a frog, that it’s a poisonous toad?’
‘Why is she taking a poisonous toad with her?’ the slingshot-boy asked.
‘Grandfather told us: she’s a sorceress. Let’s get out of here!’
They ran to the tree for protection, and Binu shouted at the boys’ backs, ‘I am a sorceress! And I have a poisonous toad. If not, how could I deal with the likes of you in my travels? How could I get where I’m going without this poisonous toad?’
Binu had salvaged her dignity in Bluegrass Ravine thanks to a frog that could cry. Even though it was unexpected, it was the sort of dignity worthy of a true sorceress. As she tidied up her bundle in the fading light, her body emitted an aura of mystery. The fancy women reacted by gathering round her, followed by the guilt-ridden mountain women, who fell in behind. The occupants of the people market – women and children, young and old – were like fish in treacherously shallow water schooling towards the mouth of a spring; they swam towards Binu, embracing the natural respect of a fish to water. They wanted her to tell them their destiny. Binu felt uneasy, and she was anxious to remove herself from their midst. But then she was reminded that they too were poverty-stricken,
‘Let’s see if there really is a frog in that bundle,’ one of them said.
Another voice, gravelly, like that of an old man, responded, ‘See if there’s a frog? What in the world for? Let’s see if there are any sabre coins.’
It was becoming clear to Binu that the people market was a dangerous place, especially as night was falling; the middle of the road was not a good place for her to be loitering. She was about to move to the left side of the road when the date tree rustled noisily and the boy with the slingshot jumped to the ground. At the same time, one of the other boys stood up and headed straight for Binu, who screamed, ‘What are you, bandits? If you’renot careful, the authorities will arrest you and take you away!’
That stopped them in their tracks, but the gravelly voice began again, this time with a sinister edge, ‘Let them. In jail they’ll have to feed us, and that is surely better than starving here!’
That comment energized the boys. ‘Let them take us away, that way they’ll have to feed us!’
His friend tried to act like a highwayman. ‘Pay a road tax before you can leave!’
The boys rushed at Binu like wild animals. She screamed and sought help from the fancy women across the street, shouting out, ‘Are you going to stand there and let them rob me?’
The women glanced indifferently at her. One of them, in a blue dress, pointed to the other side of the road. ‘That’s their grandfather sitting there. If he doesn’t care, why should we?’
Binu turned and grabbed the sleeve of one of the mountain women, who immediately pulled back.
‘Don’t grab me, run away! You’re asking for trouble, standing here in the people market with such a big bundle on your head.’
With no choices left to her, Binu took off, running.
At that moment the frog chose to show itself. Peopleon both sides of the road were shocked to see flashes of light above Binu’s head, when the already legendary frog appeared miraculously, as if it had fallen from the heavens, and landed softly on top of Binu’s head or, more accurately, on top of the bundle. The darkening sky above Bluegrass Ravine made it difficult at first for the people to see the frog clearly, but its tightly shut eyes and the silvery flashes of tears around them put fear into everyone, for no one had ever seen a frog cry.
‘Don’t touch it, it’s a poisonous toad! You’ll go blind!’ came a loud and frightened warning from the old man beside the road. ‘Stay clear of that woman, she’s a sorceress, for sure.’
The boys backed off in the direction of the tree. ‘Didn’t you hear Grandpa say it’s not a frog, that it’s a poisonous toad?’
‘Why is she taking a poisonous toad with her?’ the slingshot-boy asked.
‘Grandfather told us: she’s a sorceress. Let’s get out of here!’
They ran to the tree for protection, and Binu shouted at the boys’ backs, ‘I am a sorceress! And I have a poisonous toad. If not, how could I deal with the likes of you in my travels? How could I get where I’m going without this poisonous toad?’
Binu had salvaged her dignity in Bluegrass Ravine thanks to a frog that could cry. Even though it was unexpected, it was the sort of dignity worthy of a true sorceress. As she tidied up her bundle in the fading light, her body emitted an aura of mystery. The fancy women reacted by gathering round her, followed by the guilt-ridden mountain women, who fell in behind. The occupants of the people market – women and children, young and old – were like fish in treacherously shallow water schooling towards the mouth of a spring; they swam towards Binu, embracing the natural respect of a fish to water. They wanted her to tell them their destiny. Binu felt uneasy, and she was anxious to remove herself from their midst. But then she was reminded that they too were poverty-stricken,
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