1. The darkened clouds, matching the mood of the dark cemetery found in their brief
lightning illumina a pair of men shoveling. The human has no right to be there as the
arcane spirits of the night hold sway.
One man, Bubba, was big and burly like an Easter Island head unearthed. The other,
Alphonse, was so skinny you could drop him through a piccolo without sounding a note.
The only other sounds were the rumbling thunder, the chunk of shovels and the hiss of
sliding dirt.
"What was dat, Bubba?"
"Jes' an owl. You been rocking the gange?"
"You hafta ask? It's spooky out here.."
"Keep shoveling. We almost to de old lady."
"But I heard some howling."
"Jist some old dawgs."
Bubba kept chunking away at the muddy slime until he uncovered an arm.
"Dat girl be upside down!" cried Alphonse
"Well her husband been buried her dat way coz she said she would crawl her way outta da
grave and kill him".
"I ain't touching her," said the skinny voice.
"Aw, let's just put some dirt on our hands and turn her over. And we can get dat ruby
ring. Must be worth a whole, whole lot."
The pale visage of a cold empty corpse came to view and there on her withered finger was
an immense ruby. It glowed.
"Dis old woman be steeped in Obeah." said Alphonse as he shuddered. "We better git out
ob here."
"We dis close." repied Bubba as he gazed lasciviously at the huge ruby.
The red ring he slipped off her finger glowed even brighter. The both fell into a hypnotic
trance. The baying of hounds grew closer. The wild dogs sniffed the grave, turned around,
pawed dirt into it, and sped away from the scarlet hue.