GOOD MORNING PRAGOBOTS!
We continue our series on African-American Ghost Stories.
“THE WHOLE HOG”
By Abiola Sinclair
From the New York Amsterdam News:
The slaves wanted to have a party, but there wasn’t enough food for a real party. So one of the older slaves, Uncle Jeb, massa’s favorite, said he’d be able to get the food for the party, providing it was held on the new moon. The other slaves agreed and Jeb set about his task.
Now massa was a mean ole man but he like Uncle Jeb. The reason was because massa was spooked!
Ever since he got the plantation, bad things were happening to him. But, all this made him meaner then the devil and he threatened to sell off the slaves one by one for income, breaking up families, friends and lovers.
This was when Uncle Jeb was a good deal younger. He never liked working, especially under the hot sun for nothing, so he would hide out during the day in the cemetery, then come around at night and go around to the big house playing the fiddle.
The massa was so miserable he didn’t mind. and rather liked the music. But, one night when Jeb was going up the road to the big house, a strange looking creature passed him on the road, said “good evening,” and went on into the big house.
A few minutes later the massa went to hollering! Now when Jeb got to the house he didn’t see the creature that went in no where, but the house was full of spiders!
Massa ran upstairs and got under his bed. And Jeb went outside to think of what to do. Then, he went upstairs looked under the bed and told ole massa he could get rid of the spook if massa promised not to sell off the slaves.
Massa agreed. So Jeb hauled him out from under the bed and they went into the kitchen and Jeb gathered up all the food, including a whole hog freshly roasted and ready for massa to eat. He put the hog on a tray and set it in the middle of the floor. And all the spiders, they went right to that hog, crawling all over it.
Then, Jeb went out and got a push cart and came back and with all his courage picked up that tray with all the spiders crawling on it and put it on the push cart. Then he wheeled that cart out to the cemetery by the swamp.
When he gets there he sets the tray down, then he says “good evening,” and turns to leave. But, when he said good evening, the spiders disappeared and the hideous spook showed himself!
Now when Jeb took a look at that thing, his knees started knocking, his teeth started chattering and his water go so heavy in the pit of his gut he couldn’t hold it.
Now, when the spook saw Jeb he found him amusing and went to laughing and he laughed so hard, Jeb woulda got mad if he wasn’t so scared. So, Jeb tells the spook he’s doing this to spare his people further torment. Then he spreads plenty of rice all around that hog so the spook would have to count each grain before he made a move. That would give Jeb a head start. And then Jeb left that place in a hurry!
Well, that was twenty years ago. And that spook he ain’t never come back. Only, massa, he don’t know this.
So, every once in a while, when need arises, Uncle Jeb will go up to the big house and tell ole massa, “it’s time, Massa.”
And then, they both goes to the kitchen and gathers up all the food massa’s got in that kitchen, including a ham, roast chicken, roasted yams, fluffy biscuits and all. He’d pile the food up on the tray and put it on the push carts. Then Uncle Jeb tells massa to lock himself in that whole night, the night being pitch black of the new moon. And, nevermind whatever strange noises he might hear.
Then Jeb carries the tray down to the cemetery near the swamp – to feed the spooks.