[I’m Canadian-born with Jamaican heritage. My grandmother used to tell me all of the ghost stories, some I had also overheard when I was a kid and we had company over, and my nosy self not being able to sleep after.
Jamaica refers to ghosts and spirits as “duppies.” Jamaica is known for having duppies, almost everywhere. If you’re by yourself or not with a large group in the countryside, when night approaches there are almost none to zero street lights, so it’s best to be home before sunset. Very unsettling at nightfall, both times that I’ve been. Jamaica is a very beautiful island (resorts, beaches, hospitality, best KFC in the world (try it!)) but there is a lot of history and things that happen that are often unreported.
One particular story of my grandmother’s that has always stuck with me, is her story about her encounter with the Rolling Calf.
The Rolling Calf is a part of Jamaican Folklore; but, has been witnessed by many. It is an evil spirit/duppy that often presents as a cow or bull, with red fiery eyes, and chains wrapped around its body. It’s said, that if you ever make eye contact with the Rolling Calf, death would soon follow.
My grandma lived up in the hills in Jamaica, which is known as “country” or “bush.” It’s very different from living in the cities in Jamaica. My great-grandmother’s (my grandma’s mother) house was near the top of the hill - a very big hill. My grandma was hanging out with a few friends and family at the bottom of the hill. Night was approaching; but, because it was a larger group and they did this almost every night, nothing had fazed them.
My grandma said that out of nowhere, they heard a deep, clanking and dragging of chains coming from the summit of the hill. She said that her and her friends and family had been confused as to what that sound could be. She said that they had all frozen in fear, except for one of my aunties who advised that they walk a little further away from the hill. My grandma said that her friend encouraged them to actually stay put because if they needed to run to safety, their homes were nearby. So everyone stood still and listened.
My grandma said she saw a black shadow of a cow, with red eyes quickly running down towards the side of the hill, and that it was close enough to accidentally make eye contact with. My grandma mentioned that the chains wrapped around its body were deafening, and that it was puffing out smoke. Everybody knew that this - was the rolling calf.
If you’re smart, and pay attention to when your grandparents tell you “if you see this, don’t do this,” or “if you see this, do this,” then you’ll know what’s good for you. My grandma said that everyone quickly turned their heads to the side, in the case that the rolling calf turned to look at them.
From my grandma’s peripherals, she saw that the rolling calf had actually ran onto the road that they were standing on, straight into the bushes behind them.
Every time my grandma tells this story, she gets very relieved that she remembered to look away when she encountered the rolling calf.
Listen to your grandparents everyone. You never know when you might encounter something and lock eyes when you weren’t supposed to.