Ghosts of Caribbean Spirits gathering.

Within the deep realms of my restless sleep

My homeland called out to me...

- my dreams echoed...

'Return to your roots'.

Sadly...I had not seen my home for quite a while -

I had forgotten what the ghosts remembered...

And they have become aggrieved at my long absence

from my humble beginnings.

The Caribbean...home to a plethora of ghostly figures, each with its own unique lore.

They needed me...

La Llorona: The Weeping Woman, Puerto Rico's ghost...she roams the rivers and streets, crying for her drowned children.

Annie Palmer: The White Witch of Rose Hall... wicked ghost of a Jamaican plantation owner's wife, who wreaked vengeance on her husbands and enslaved men.

Papa Bois: A benevolent Haitian, half man, half goat, the keeper of the forest.

La Diablesse: Trinidad and Tobago's seductress, she lures men into the forest with her charm and deadly intentions.

The Douen: A child spirit from Trinidad and Tobago, who never had a chance to be christened.

They are but a fraction of the rich fabric of ghostly Caribbean lore, each telling a story that reflects the region's cultural heritage and fascination with the supernatural.

And so, I have arrived in the depth of night in my Jamaican village

walking where the dead once walked... they have gathered to greet me.

The back of my neck prickles...

I hear Annie’s cold whisper. Papa Bois’ moss‑crowned vigilance.

La Diablesse’s dangerous beauty...and the Douen’s backward‑footed stealth.

Each a single moonlit breath... each leaving only a fragment of themselves trailing behind me.

I long to see them...to speak with them...to know what life had been like when they suffered.

But every fibre of my being urged me on...whispering -

DON'T TURN AROUND!!!!!

I don't look behind me...but each one imprints the horror of what once was, upon my minds eye.

I close my eyes...try to block them out - It is of no use

I must relive their horrors...I must remember

........Behind me the ghosts rage

.......Before me lies the region's spiritual advisors:

The Zemis: Revered as the spirits of the natural world... governing the elements, fertility, and the afterlife. Living entities that interact with the human world.

Atabey: The goddess of fresh waters and fertility - honored through rituals and offerings at rivers and springs, symbolizing the life-giving power of water.

Yúcahu: The god of agriculture and the sea...ensuring the growth of cassava, the staple crop of the Taino. His stories reflect the dependence of Taino society on the rhythms of nature.

Juracán: Chaotic spirit of hurricanes...Juracán stands in opposition to the benevolent deities and serves as a reminder of nature's uncontrollable power.

Santería: A blend of West African spirituality and Catholic traditions, Santería focuses on honoring deities through rituals to ask for protection, healing, and guidance.

I call upon the spirits and deities - the spiritual and cultural identity of the Caribbean, providing moral guidance, agricultural wisdom, and explanations for natural phenomena.

Don't turn around...they all chant...urging me forward.

I listen - they are integral to the region's folklore and mythology, offering insights into the human spirit's capacity to harmonize with the natural world.

I am caught in the middle...between the dark and the light.

"Never forget us". Echoes behind me. The ghosts and my family gone before have now converged into one.

"Go, live your life, free of ghosts". The spirits advise, as they light the way before me.

"I won't turn around...But I will remember you all".