I posted a
promo about Ebony and the Auntie of the Starlight, a Caribbean Cinderella story,
on Facebook. I must admit it was not the most brilliantly written promo. It
referred to Ebony being in a children’s home and having no future. This critic
took me to task, asking how would children from children’s homes feel should
they read that. I replied giving the exact words from the text (which she had
not yet read). Ebony concludes, ‘People say that children from children’s homes
have no future.’ I explained that I had
very carefully thought about placing Ebony in a children’s home, and that
eventually when Ebony comes into her own, (becomes a manager at the spice
factory), she invites other girls from the children’s home to work at the factory and
she trains them. Independence for Ebony and for the other girls as well! I
thanked her very much for being interested enough to want to comment and to
take the time to do so, and said.
I welcome the challenge posed by the pitfalls
of relevant material for our children, as all our local writers do. If this
book, even though it is fantasy, makes people think more about the children in
children's homes, realise they are of great value (in that we are all valuable,
our lives are valuable, no matter where we come from or how we got here), and
full of promise, then it will have accomplished something.
I hoped that when she read the story she would let me know if/
how well the creating of this Caribbean Cinderella story works.
Some things stand out.
1. One should write well thought out
promos.
2. If a foreigner had written about
children’s homes in a children’s book, no one would mind or even notice. Of
course, foreign places are very big; the children’s home could be anywhere in
the foreign land, so it never becomes personal or painful.
3. Yet, it is good that people notice. And
this is why I say that writers of children’s stories in small developing
nations, especially post colonial countries, have a great responsibility. Some
people think writing a children’s book, is no big thing. Not true, guys. A good
children’s book must entertain, but the writer must also be aware of the sensitivities
of the society in which the story is set, and consequently, the values embedded
in the story. Stories are never value free. Yet one must never appear to be
preaching as that spoils the story.
So I want to use this post to talk about the thought processes that went
into this story. Many of them will not be evident to our child or adult
readers, but they are important nonetheless, because they may stay with the
reader long after the story has been read.
1. I wanted to write a story in which
the Auntie of the Starlight would again play a role. She first appeared in a
Christmas story, “Once Upon a Starlight”, written by me and published in a book
“Big River and Other Stories” by the Children Writers Circle. In
response to my wish, she requested to appear in this Cinderella rewrite.
2. The Cinderella character is called
Ebony, to indicate a consciousness and celebration of our colour, and because I
like Ebony trees when they bloom and promise rain. (Ebony trees appear in other
children’s stories of mine.)
3. It was a deliberate decision to place
her in a children’s home. I didn’t think the term 'orphanage' would have much
meaning to our children, but children’s homes tend to be in the news from time
to time. They are perceived by many as a place of last resort for children.
This is not necessarily so, but there is the perception that there is no future
there. The story then sets out to show that there can be a future. And note, Ebony is not ill-treated in the children’s
home.
4. The stepmother character is replaced
by Mrs. Redeyeness (‘red eye’ being a term for envy in Jamaica). Mrs.
Redeyeness, who lives near to the children’s home, takes pity on Ebony, and
invites her to her home to play with her daughters. She does this only to
impress people that she is kindhearted. The stepsister characters are Mrs.
Redeyeness’ two daughters; not wicked, just spoilt and indulged. They are not
really ugly, but their mean-spirited thoughts show on their faces, making them
appear ugly. (Perhaps a warning to tell children this can happen. Oh, yes, it
can. A cautionary tale?)
5. I
make Ebony into our version of the fairy tale princess.
And then
Ebony began to grow into a young woman.
. . . her eyes, were big and brown and beautiful like burnt sugar
in her face, which was the colour of rich chocolate. Her black hair had grown
long over the years. She combed it with scented oils into six plaits, then she
put the plaits up and secured them with the tortoiseshell clip. The clip
flashed like magic in the sunshine, and the plaits fell like a spray of palm
leaves all around her head. . . . when
she smiled it made people feel happy, as if gentle breezes were blowing.
6. Mrs. Redeyeness now shows her true
colours.
Mrs. Redeyeness was overcome with
envy that Ebony had become a beautiful girl and the envy turned to boiling
anger. (Of course,
people like that exist.)
So Mrs. Redeyeness invites to Ebony
to come and live with her. Ebony, feeling she has no future, goes. Mrs. Redeyeness hates her for her beauty and
kind nature, and hopes that she can hide her away from the world
in the back of her house. ( Why? Pure bad mind! There are people like that.
Wolf in sheep’s clothing.)
7. Ebony becomes a drudge. Since there is no electricity
in that part of the house ( surprise, surprise!) Ebony has to use all sorts of
old-time Jamaican things - old time iron wood burning stove, coconut brush, sad
irons and coal stove. (Chance for the children to hear about these things. And
this does happen, you know. Decent kind-hearted people are taken advantage of,
and some have so little self-confidence that they are complicit in their own
sacrifice. Females who have been programmed to be nice have to take note of
this.)
Mrs. Redeyeness is
delighted that Ebony, who has no time to even comb her hair, is looking . . .a
bit bedraggled. (Every now and then I like to use a word which is not one
children will easily come across, but it’s so suitable. Bedraggled is one of
those.)
Mrs. Redeyeness cackled
to herself every time she looked at Ebony. "How bedraggled she looks. Ha! Ha!
Bedraggled! Ha! Ha!”
8. ( However, by this time, dear readers,
I’ve just had about enough of Miss Ebony. I’m fed up with her. I can’t believe
that she could be so ‘fool’. Can anything save her? I seriously consider not
going any further with the story. I suspect that it is only Mr. Redeyeness’
malice, as shown in that excerpt, that forces me to continue the story.)
9. Ebony,
does not need a ball to meet her ‘prince’. Instead, there is going to be a
parade for Independence. The parade is sponsored by the spice factory in the
district. The heir to the spice factory has come home from his studies and
everybody concludes that he will need a wife. All mothers get in gear.
Everybody dressing up for the parade! The ‘ugly sisters get their costumes
made by a dancehall tailor. Ebony is
sewing hers by hand. The sisters steal it and cut it up. They look even more
ugly after doing this dastardly deed.
10.
Mrs.
Redeyness, to make sure that Ebony cannot reach the parade, gives her a long
list of Jamaican foods to prepare, (every Jamaican food you can think of and
love, saltfish and ackee, bammies, fried dumplings, curry goat, jerk pork,
etc.) No way she can finish in time to go to the parade.
11. However,
a starlight left on a windowsill where Ebony is cooling food, falls into the
coal pot. And out of the wonderful starlight display, steps the Auntie of the
Starlight. She is clearly as fed up with Ebony as I am, as she says,
I was wondering how long
it would take you to see that these people taking advantage of you.
The
Auntie of the Starlight gives Ebony three wishes ( of course) and sings a song
with a lot of the names of Jamaican trees, as she works her
magic:
Mahoe, logwood, cedar, lignum vitae, mahogany, ebony,
Trees of the land of wood
and water
Grant this wonderful wish
to this daughter . . .
12. Ebony
gets to go to the parade in a beautiful dress, but without glass slippers - not
needed in the Caribbean. And no, she doesn’t need a coach either, or any of
those things from the old fairy tale. Everybody is dancing:
Dance to the Independence
beat
Move your feet, . . .
Along comes the parade with people dressed up
as Jamaican spices, with the Spice Prince (Alfred) himself travelling on one of
the floats. He sees Ebony and stops the parade! Everybody is in shock. He is
attracted by her beauty, and her kindness and goodness, which he can see in her
smile (at last her goodness begins to pay off).
13. Mrs. Redeyeness, seeing that this could be a
dangerous situation, invites them back
to her house, where she plies Alfred
with all the various foods cooked by Ebony, and implies that her daughters have cooked them. Alfred
soon uncovers that lie, and asks for
Ebony’s hand in marriage, in spite of Mrs. Redeyeness shouting that Ebony has
no family and is nobody. Alfred, seems to feel that one can make one’s future
even if you don’t have great family credentials. (Chalk one more point up for the inhabitants
of children’s homes.)
14. At
this point Mrs. Redeyeness and her daughters throw themselves upon Ebony
declaring their love, saying they cannot do without her. And for a moment Ebony
wonders if they really, really love her. (I am in despair of her yet again, wondering
if this silly girl is really going to believe them. This can happen, you see,
if you’ve never been loved and feel a bit insecure.)
15. She
comes to her senses, however, and goes off to work for the ‘spice prince’ at the spice factory.
Where does she live? Oh, it’s all very proper. She lives with his parents. He
doesn’t live there. He has his own place (modern times). Soon she becomes a manager.
She brings other young women from the children’s home to work there and trains them. As part
of her wedding present she gets shares in the business. (Now this is big time! Even I wouldn’t think
of that. Independence! This is a totally modern girl. I worried if this might
seem as if she was a gold digger, but I realized that she was just recognising
her full worth to the business. And after all, Alfred offers them.)
Ebony has a lovely
wedding with everybody there from the district and the children’s home, and the
Auntie of the Starlight. Ebony and her Alfred dance the night away in true
Caribbean fashion.
So on this wonderful
night, Ebony hitched the train of her wedding dress over her arm, and extended
her other arm as she danced, sway, sway, sway, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, yo, yo, yo across the floor. And the Spice
Prince took off his jacket and rolled his sleeves halfway up his arms and
danced around her, sway, sway, sway, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, yo, yo, yo.
Lovely illustration by Rachel Moss that so captures it.
You can
still buy the book, if even just to find out if we do indeed discover who Ebony
may be, what her three wishes are, and if they come true, but hopefully, to enjoy the story, and tell me if the Caribbean flavour
and the symbolism works.
Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Ebony-Auntie-Starlight-Caribbean-Cinderella-ebook/dp/B00M7CY050
Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Ebony-Auntie-Starlight-Caribbean-Cinderella-ebook/dp/B00M7CY050
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