Natural Mystic at Hector's River

It had been a long day of driving - a very, very long day of driving. I mean, Portland is, of course, a beautiful parish, but geez, the drive from Kingston is enough to make a grown man scream. It's not so much the distance that bothered me. That I could deal with, but the roads are full of holes and breakaways, so by the time you get where you're going, you're likely sore and more than a bit annoyed.

That's why, on my way back from a trip to Hector's River in Portland, I decided to stop for a while at a spot, just outside that community, where there's a beautiful view of the sea. I parked my car near a bridge that seemed newly built, and hopped out. I walked closer to the precipice. The sea looked as blue as you can imagine and the waves seemed to be crashing against the rocks in slow motion.

I stood there a while, stretching my legs, intending to get going again soon. But in the distance, something caught my eye.

At first, it looked as if a rock on a small patch of sand and stone had suddenly moved. I rubbed my eyes and looked again. I realised then that it was a man wearing a turban and a shirt the colour of the sand. He apparently had been standing there, motionless, the whole time and had all but blended into the background.

I called out to him. No reply. I cleared my throat and tried again. No reply. Just when I was about to make a final holler, the man put a finger in the air. He didn't look up. I remained quiet. Then, he went into a squat, like a tiger on the prowl, all the while staring intently at the water in front of him.

The turban wearer then stuck his hand in the water, slowly moving it from left to right.

Curiosity wins

Now, at this point, I had a decision to make. My first inclination was, of course, to hop back in the car and drive away. Nothing good would have come from hanging around, I figured.

On the other hand, curiosity was killing me. What was he doing in the water? And what was the deal with him not even looking up to see who was calling out to him? I had to find out more, so against better judgement I started the slow journey down a rocky slope to get closer.

Eventually, I got to the sandy area and nearer to the man whom I could now see had a dark, bushy beard. He was wearing water boots and was still busy moving his hand around in the water. I walked up to him.

"Ahm, hello," I said. No response.

"Ahm, I was just passing and saw that ahm ..." I started to say.

"Cho man!" the turban wearer suddenly yelled. I stepped back.

"Is di noise yuh know. Is di noise cause it," he said.

I started regretting my decision to walk down there and was inching further away when he finally looked up at me.

There was an uncomfortable moment of us staring at each other in silence. I realised how easily he could have landed a wallop square between my eyes, rendering me unconscious and helpless until rescuers would find me perhaps several days later.

I swallowed hard. Then, to my great surprise, the man suddenly smiled. It was a wide, toothless smile, but by far the most welcoming smile I've ever received.

"Nuh mind still, later mi try again," he said. "So what yuh is about now?"

Ancient method

I told the man that I had been up on the hill looking at the water when I saw him and was just curious about what he was doing down there.

"Heh heh hee," he laughed.

"Mi ah look fi some fish inna di water here," he said. I asked if he was planning to catch the fish with his bare hands.

"Yeah man!" he replied.

"Is so dem used to do it inna ancient times yuh know. Is boasty man alone deal wid line."

I asked him if he had had any success that day.

"Is some likkle fish yuh know, is not di big one dem. Yuh haffi move like thief fi catch dem fish here. Any noise and dem gone," he said.

I then realised my role in his misfortune that day and apologised.

"Nuh worry man, two twos yuh see dem come back again. Mi just haffi gwaan watch it," the man said.

I asked him if he lived nearby. "Yeah, inna di hills round deh so," he said, pointing behind me.

"Mi come down here more time fi look some food and fi hold a meditation yuh know. When yuh come down here fi hold a meditation, yuh get a clear understanding bout what is what inna life. Di vibes down here right fi dem ting deh," he said.

I agreed and told him I also thought the area was beautiful.

"True man. It nicer when yuh can get some food still," he said, looking at me.

I took the hint, thanked him for his time and made my way back up the hill.

Where should Robert go next? Let him know at robert.lalah@gleanerjm.com.