I Was a Dancer - Jacques D'Amboise [6]
“Well, sure enough, the peddler said, ‘Ahhhh, I know exactly what to do,’ and slowly he got off his wagon. He wore big leather boots, without socks, even in winter, and Maman never could understand why, as his wagon was well stocked with all sorts of woolies. But we gathered around to listen to him. ‘You must follow my directions perfectly, or it will be very bad for you.’ We were quiet as mice.
“ ‘There are three things you must do.’ We were all ears. ‘First, you must take your biggest pot, fill it with kerosene, and then throw into it every needle, scissors, knife, pin, razor—all the sharp things, the cutting things you have. Leave out only your big fork and biggest knife. Second,’ he paused, we held our breath, ‘you must put the pot on the fire and bring it to a boil. When it is bubbling and hot, you are ready for the third. Now! The third is this,’ at this point none of us dared blink, ‘stand over the pot and stab into the hot kerosene with the big fork, then slice into it with the big knife, stabbing and slicing, stabbing and slicing, over and over again, in every direction, fork and knife, fork and knife. And as you do this, you must say exactly: “LA GROSSE DE CASTONGUEY, COME AND GET YOUR POUX!” ’
“ ‘Say this over and over as you stab and cut. Do not stop or rest for anything! It could be hours, it could be all through the day, maybe even through the night, but you must never stop. She will come. I promise you, she will come.’
“We, all of us, rushed to collect the ingredients, but he stopped us.
“ ‘Wait! There is more!’
“ ‘When she comes, do not let her enter the doorway of the house! Make her stay outside and do not stop stabbing and slicing. She will beg you to stop, she will cry for mercy. Now, you must change the words you say. You must begin to say:
“ ‘ “Take back your poux, take back your poux!” ’
“ ‘She will stand at the doorway and beg you to let her in. DO NOT GIVE IN! Keep stabbing, cutting, and saying “TAKE BACK YOUR POUX.” ’
“ ‘Soon she will cry out, “I take it back, I take it back!” Only then can you stop. The spell will be broken, but there is still danger. Make her go away! Threaten to kill her, she must leave. Do not let her enter your house! Not one step can she take across your threshold or everything will be lost, and it will be very bad for you.’
“We did exactly as he said.
“When the kerosene was boiling, Maman started slicing and jabbing with the big fork and knife, all of us sitting around, chanting with her: ‘La Grosse de Castonguey, come and get your poux! La Grosse de Castonguey, come and get your poux!’
“Before the hour was up, Maman was exhausted. My father took over without breaking the rhythm, and so it continued. When one would tire, the other would take over.
“It could have gone on all night and longer, but a little after midday, coming from way down the road, you could hear her howling, ‘Stop it, you’re killing me, stop it!’
“It was Maman’s turn at the pot, but she never looked up, just clenched her jaw and kept stabbing and slicing.
“La Grosse burst through our gate. Her clothes were a mess, and she was panting and red-faced. She came up to our doorway. Her cheeks were twitching and her awful mouth grimaced. ‘Stop cutting me, stop cutting me, you’re hurting me! Mercy, mercy! Let me in, let me in!’ We stood frozen and couldn’t move our feet. Even my father, as strong as he was, was afraid to move.
“But Maman never looked up from the pot. Stabbing and slashing, she changed her words, and said,
“ ‘Take back your poux, take back your poux!’
“ ‘Let me in first, and I’ll do what you say!’ La Grosse whined.
“We were so frightened, we thought we would faint. But Marie Pelletier d’Amboise never faltered, stabbing and slicing until she finally heard La Grosse scream out, ‘Stop, all right! I take it back, I take it back!’
“It was like the end of a storm. Black clouds blew away and our legs were free to move. In a second, our fears were stilled. La Grosse seemed different, smaller, like a pricked balloon. She stood with tears streaming down her face, bitter, her head bent.