Guyana Short Stories - Nara Therapy fo' Dugla

Nara Therapy fo' Dugla
Doc, meh belly a hu't bad yo' know man!
Dugla, ah nara yo' got. Somebody bad-eye yo'?
Doc, ah t'ink it's a coolie jumbie.
Dugla boy, don' mek me buss out laughing now.
Me goin' 'noint yo' fo' nara.

Tek off yo' clothes and lie down 'pon de floor with yo' arms to yo' side, feet together and eyes to the ceiling.
Try to relax while ah get de rice, string, soft-grease and coc'nut oil to treat yo'.

Doc took a small handful of rice and wrapped it tightly with a piece of white cloth. He knotted the end of the cloth securely and applied some soft-grease to the tip to create a wick. Dugla stared down his nose as Doc placed the ball of rice on his belly button and then lit the wick with a match. Before the ball of rice could burn down to the knot, Doc would expertly complete the nara massage treatment.

Quickly lighting two sticks of incense, Doc started to measure Dugla's body for symmetry with a coarse piece of kite string. If Dugla's body contained any foreign jumbie or bakku, then it would be asymmetrical. His quivering lips reported the actions of this acquired Congo art: navel to left nipple - OK; navel to right nipple - OK; navel to left shoulder - OK; navel to right shoulder - OK; navel to left bigtoe - OK; navel to right bigtoe - OK. Doc then poured the warm coconut oil into the palms of his right hand and started to massage the nara from Dugla's belly. Doc worked swiftly, always moving from left to right as he placed his hands under Dugla's back then vigorously brought them together into a clasp just above the ball of rice. The nara massage would be followed by a drink of water from Doc's wooden bitter cup, which was carved out directly from a special herbal tree by the Amerindians. The massage and bitters would clear any belly-wuk or tummy pains that Dugla was suffering from. Doc completed the physical nara treatment by swiftly massaging Dugla's the neck, arms and then pulling all 10 fingers and toes until each made a cracking sound. Dugla's body was now flexible and certified road worthy and jumbie free.

As the soft-grease-coated wick burnt slowly and the room choked with the aromatic scent of agarbatti incense sticks, Dugla relaxed and Doc switched on the nara pyschotherapy, "So Dugla, ah wha' mek yo' t'ink it's a coolie jumbie?"

"Man Doc, ev'ryday ah just wan' to eat curry and roti. Recently, as soon as fowlcock crow, ah start daubing de bottom-house with fresh cowdung. But Doc, dat's nah all. Ah planted two jandie flags at de front gate and started praying to Krishna."

"Dugla boy, dat sounds like a bad coolie jumbie to me. When did it all start?"

Well, one day ah was walking down Sherrif Street when ah gave Baby, Harricharran's daughter, meh sweetboy whistle. Banna, de gyal gave me one cut-eye and suck-teet' and den flounced away. So ah took dat as hardcard, yo' know. A few days later dis small boy brings me a note from Baby to meet her in de alley behind her house at 10pm. So ah went to talk to her, but she was in no mood fo' long talk. Ah was confused bad when she said she's in love with me. Ah tried to reason with her about Harricharran, but de gyal had bad typee and pulled me down right dere in de alley. Now ev'ryday she's sending me chicken curry, channa, polowry, dall pouri and mittai. An' ev'ry night she waiting in de alley fo' me. Last night she tells me dat Harricharran knows 'bout me and dat he tek meh name to pandit Sharma in Delph Street. Further, she t'inks she's pregnant! Banna, a nearly shit mehself. Right dere and den meh belly-wuk started!"

"Dugla boy, yo' in big trouble now. Pandit Sharma ain't three cents, yo' know? I goin' rub you down with this asafetida to keep away the jandie spirits and bad-eye, but you must follow meh advice." "Dugla, marry Baby now and dig dutty before you end up a' backdam floating in de forty-feet trench."