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PRosE

JaMaican fRagMEnT

- a.l. hendricks
Not to be republished
[A.L.Hendricks is a prolific writer. Some of his
short stories appeared in the issues of the
magazine “Focus”. He is a West Indian writer,
©KTBS
and his writings carry the flavour inherent in
the Caribbean literature. The story “Jamaican
Fragment” brings out the prejudice that almost
every person suffers from when it comes to the
denominational issues like colour, caste and
class.]

1. Everyday I walk a half-mile from
my home to the rail track lines in the morning, and from
the lines to my home in the evening. The walk is pleasant.
You can see on either side red and green-roofed bungalows,
green lawns and gardens. The exercise is good for me. And
now and then, I learn something from a little incident.
2. One morning, about halfway between my front gate and the rail

track, I noticed two boys playing in the garden of the more modest
cottages. They were both
very little boys, one was
four years old perhaps, the
other five. The bigger of the
two was a sturdy youngster,
very dark, with a mat of

coarse hair on his head and
coal-black eyes. He was
definitely a little Jamaican
– strong little Jamaican.
The other little fellow was
smaller, but also sturdy.

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