Midnight Robber

The main narrator covers another month by saying Tan-Tan did “a deed here, a deed there” in Chigger Bite (256). Tan-Tan starts to hear stories about herself; she is categorized as a duppy, hero, and witch.

Then, the narrative focuses on one night when she takes on three men who are robbing an old man. Tan-Tan becomes so “mesmerized by her own elocution” (257) that she gets jumped by a fourth man and loses her machete. Abitefa saves her and rants at her.

The next night, Tan-Tan goes back to steal a machete and hears stories about how she is not human but an animal or spirit. She recounts these stories to Abitefa later around a cooking fire.

After the theft, Tan-Tan avoids going to the village for a few weeks. Benta tries to teach her how to weave, and Chichibud tries to introduce her to the neighbors, but she struggles with these daytime activities. She also has nightmares. She spends her time teaching herself how to build a hut in the bush. While chopping trees, Tan-Tan feels her unborn baby move and breaks down sobbing, unable to explain her trauma to Abitefa.