The Lady In Black | Trinidad

We all have our childhood fears some of which are imagined while some are real. However, there are some events that are a little bit of both and these are the ones that remain with us for the rest of our lives. I am no different from anyone else and I too have some childhood memories that are vivid and, in my own world, feel like they happened yesterday. This story is one of those; as a child, we had to deal with many stories including that of Mano Benjamin and the infamous Lady in Black. This story is all about one evening that the Lady in Black touched the lives of some very young girls - I am here today to tell you this story.

Our parents got the latest news from the radio stations and the local newspapers, the most popular of which was the Trinidad Guardian that we called the Gazette (the Trinidad Guardian still survives to this day).  Well, one morning I heard my dad reading a story to my mom. As he read the story I felt a chill run down my spine and the hair on the back of my neck stood erect. I immediately ran to the bedroom and told my sisters the story of the Lady in Black. They listened attentively as I retold the story that was read by my dad about the lady who dressed in black and went around stealing helpless, innocent babies leaving the parents devastated. I believe this was first reported in the southern part of the country, in San Fernando to be exact.   The story spread like wildfire around the country.  We immediately huddled around the bedroom window looking outside for signs of the Lady in Black. I could feel my little sister shaking and her knees literally knocking next to me.

Like all families growing up in the good ole days, our family and immediate neighbors were very close and tight-knit (we still are today). During those glorious days in Trinidad, yards were not fenced and doors were left open - there was no fear of thieves coming to steal anything because we shared everything.  People could walk into yards unnoticed (well except for those with 100 pot hounds lurking under the steps ...Lol). However, with the reports of the Lady in Black people were now closing their doors and windows even people who did not have babies.  As young girls we did everything together and that included playing dolly house, hopscotch, picking mangoes, and going to the Latrine. Yes, I said going to the latrine and apart from it being a big event, it was also about feeling secure. In the pitch black of night, it took some time for our eyes to adjust to the night light, and with the candle flies in the distance and the crapos singing poong na na no one wanted to go outside by themselves.  So every night we all went with whoever had to do "their thing -this was teamwork at its very best.  Me and my six sisters and our next-door neighbor, all-female, accompanied each other at night whenever someone had to go to the latrine.

One night we went about our business hurrying to the latrine with one of the girls who had an urgent need to 'go".  As we opened the door to get inside the latrine there was this figure in black staring at us - it was the Lady in Black and she came to get one of us.  Well, we ran screaming, bawling, and ran blindingly fast to the front of the house. We needed to be comforted but then there was our father and brother dying with laughter - they got us good. As it turned out my second youngest sister had a three-foot doll that she would take for walks on the sidewalk or Savannah in Arima, yes we lived in Arima.  My silly dad and brother dressed this doll up in black and hung it on the latrine door knowing that the gang would be heading to the latrine at some time that night. This was a classic setup that worked so well; it scared the hell out of us.  Whoever intended to do their business that night was probably scared shitless, no pun intended...

Information for this story was submitted by Paula  M.  wife of Sandiego Lee wife 

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