TI JEAN’S BET

On the day of his birth, Ti Jean made a dramatic entrance, springing forth from his mother's womb and landing firmly on the ground, his tiny, crooked legs propelling him forward to begin his extraordinary journey. After a few days of travel, he came across a sign that read:

"I, Grandyab, never get angry."

Intrigued, Ti Jean entered Grandyab's domain, greeted him, and offered to tend to his animals and garden. Grandyab chuckled at the audacity of the little human making such an offer but then launched into an unprovoked physical attack on Ti Jean, pounding him relentlessly until his wrist ached. Remarkably, Ti Jean remained stoic, neither crying out in pain nor showing any signs of discomfort. He merely sucked his thumb, seemingly unfazed.

Grandyab, impressed by Ti Jean's apparent fearlessness, decided to hire him.

"Thank you, Mr. Grandyab," Ti Jean said. "I accept your terms without knowing them. However, I propose a wager: if I manage to make you angry, you'll give me your entire fortune, including your reputedly beautiful wife. If I fail, in fifteen days, you can have me for dinner."

Grandyab agreed and set the initial task.

"Start by cleaning my garden, overrun with weeds. Ten brave men wouldn't finish it in a day. If, by day's end, you haven't completed the task, you won't eat."

As evening's mist settled, Grandyab inspected the garden, finding that Ti Jean had uprooted all the cultivated plants, leaving the weeds untouched. Suppressing his anger, he withheld Ti Jean's dinner.

"Tomorrow, you'll care for the animals, cleaning the stable, the chicken coop, and the cattle pen. All in one day, or you'll go hungry."

Ti Jean slaughtered all the animals, and, at evening's mist, Grandyab struggled to hide his smile, so as not to lose the bet.

Desperate to rid himself of Ti Jean, Grandyab instructed his mother, Lagrandyabless, to assume the voice of God, climb a tree, and command Ti Jean to return to his parents immediately. When Ti Jean passed under the tree, he recognized the voice of Lagrandyabless and shot her down with a single gunshot. The old woman fell from the tree like a ripe mango.

"You've killed my mother!" cried Grandyab, tearing at his hair in grief.

"No," Ti Jean retorted, "I've killed God!"

Grandyab swallowed his rage and, to feign good humor, asked Ti Jean to accompany his wife to a ball. Ti Jean donned his finest attire, including a top hat and polished shoes. He danced, courted, and charmed Mrs. Grandyab, who responded with coquetry, smiles, and endearments.

At midnight, claiming he had lost his shoe (much like Cinderella), Ti Jean abruptly ended the evening, much to his partner's chagrin, and left the ball.

On his way back, Ti Jean encountered a massive crab with a voice he thought resembled that of his own mother. The crab threatened him and ordered him to return to his parents. Ti Jean screamed in terror, fled in a panic, and confessed to Grandyab that he had never been so frightened in the presence of an enormous, articulate crab.

"What! You're not afraid of me, but you're afraid of a crab?" Grandyab roared in fury. He promptly delivered two resounding slaps to Ti Jean.

"I've won the bet: you're angry! Your fortune is mine, but keep your wife; I have no use for her; she lacks common sense."

Since Grandyab lost all his wealth, he wanders the roads, a bitter and wrathful figure. He takes out his frustrations on his wife and hapless travelers who cross his path.