Tezen: My Lovely Friend

By Frantz Jean Baptiste

The best days of my first year as a teenage girl were my encounters with Tezen, a lovely fish who always called me by my first name, Alicia, in the land of Haiti. I still remember our conversations, each of us desperately wanting to discover the universe of the other. There was a mystery somewhere for both of us to unearth. How do humans live? How do fishes live? Our questions sounded similar because our worlds were each unknown to one another.
Nevertheless, a thinly-veiled uncertainty on both sides kept this relationship from blossoming at first, a relationship which I now dream of reliving for its intriguing fairytale charm. In the morning, at noon, and at night in the old village, known as Les Cayes Jacmel, with only the murmuring music of local birds, the villagers knew the time to wake up, the time to eat, and the time to go to bed. The sea is just over 300 yards from my house. During the night, I imagine the atmosphere outside between the fish moving in the sea, the wind's song expressed through the trees; all this seemed magical to me. It was marvelous.
Surrounded by this every night, my imagination found meaning in the steady rhythm of the waves and the harmonious sound of fish jumping all night long. For this, I composed a little song about this extraordinary friendship with Tezen, a company that will impact the rest of my life.
Immersed in this nightly festival of nature and creatures of the ocean, I constantly dreamed of witnessing it one day for real. But as a budding teenager, I was forbidden to leave the house at night. So, tormented by my imagination, I decided to go to the seaside to satisfy this youthful curiosity every afternoon around 5:00.

In Les Cayes Jacmel, I had no friends near the village of Corail, where I lived. The legends often told in the evening, before bedtime, about werewolves' metamorphosis into animals fright me to walk after 7 pm. Besides, my parents were strict, which was why I found a way to fetch some drinking water quickly on my way home from school. The spring known as Nan Kreson is not far from the sea, accompanied sometimes by my little sister Minouche who was only nine years old. It was not Minouche's company that interested me; what I needed was a friend of my age with whom I could share my dreams.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: May 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9781667845388

Book preview

cover.jpg

TEZEN MY LOVELY FRIEND

© 2022 FRANTZ JEAN BAPTISTE

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN: 978-1-66784-538-8

Contents

PART I

Chapter 1

The Dream Team

Chapter 2

The Charm of the Seasons

Chapter 3

Curiosity and Fear

Chapter 4

Strange

Chapter 5

Superstition

Chapter 6

Indiscretion and Vigilance

Chapter 7

Dad’s Roar

PART II

Chapter 8

Compassionate Deal

Chapter 9

Should We Laugh or Cry?

Chapter 10

The Advent of Tezen and his Species

Chapter 11

Fabulous Nature

Chapter 12

Unexpected Encounter

Chapter 13

Passion and Compassion

PART III

Chapter 14

Greatest Friendship

Chapter 15

Tezen’s Trouble

Chapter 16

Species in the Neighborhood

Chapter 17

Alicia and Tezen in Danger

TEZEN MY LOVELY FRIEND

PART IV

Chapter 18

A Sealed Friendship

Chapter 19

Attempt to Kill Tezen

Chapter 20

Seaside Unforseen Encounter

Chapter 21

Desperate Conquest

Chapter 22

Fear of the Truth

Chapter 23

In the Shark’s Belly

Chapter 24

Accomplished Adventure

Introduction

Haiti is a land filled with history, culture, natural fauna, and flora. In this remarkable story, the author, Frantz Jean Baptiste, wants to show the world our connection to nature and how all species on this planet can coexist peacefully. The author illustrates that through a touching relationship between Alicia, a little girl from the countryside, and Tezen, a beautiful fish from the famous spring Nan Kreson. This story shows us how nature can be cruel and forgiving and our ability as human beings to understand that. It is a tale based on trust, loyalty, love, and friendship. It gives us an idea of how even the most insignificant relationships can bring joy to our lives. So, let the heat from the Caribbean Sea warm your heart and the shine from the bright sun put a sparkle in your eyes and embark on this beautiful journey.

By Laure-Ginie Jean Baptiste

TEZEN

MY LOVELY FRIEND

PART I

Chapter 1

The Dream Team

The best days of my first year as a teenage girl were my encounters with Tezen, a lovely fish, who always called me by my first name, Alicia, in the land of Haiti. I still remember our conversations, each of us desperately wanting to discover the universe of the other. There was a mystery somewhere for both of us to unearth. How do humans live? How do fishes live? Our questions sounded similar because our worlds were each unknown to one another.

Nevertheless, a thinly-veiled uncertainty on both sides kept this relationship from blossoming at first, a relationship which I now dream of reliving for its intriguing fairytale charm. In the morning, at noon, and night in the old village, known as Les Cayes Jacmel, with only the murmuring music of local birds, the villagers knew the time to wake up, the time to eat, and the time to go to bed. The sea is just over 300 yards from my house. During the night, I imagine the atmosphere outside between the fish moving in the sea, the wind’s song expressed through the trees; all this seemed magical to me. It was marvelous.

Surrounded by this every night, my imagination found meaning in the steady rhythm of the waves and the harmonious sound of fish jumping all night long. For this, I composed a little song about this extraordinary friendship with Tezen, a company that will impact the rest of my life.

Immersed in this nightly festival of nature and creatures of the ocean, I constantly dreamed of witnessing it one day for real. But as a budding teenager, I was forbidden to leave the house at night. So, tormented by my imagination, I decided to go to the seaside to satisfy this youthful curiosity every afternoon around 5:00.

In Les Cayes Jacmel, I had no friends near the village of Corail, where I lived. The legends often told in the evening, before bedtime, about werewolves’ metamorphosis into animals fright me to walk after 7 pm. Besides, my parents were strict, which was why I found a way to fetch some drinking water quickly on my way home from school. The spring known as Nan Kreson is not far from the sea, accompanied sometimes by my little sister Minouche who was only nine years old. It was not Minouche’s company that interested me; what I needed was a friend of my age with whom I could share my dreams.

Chapter 2

The Charm of the Seasons

It was already dawning when I left home to fetch water from the spring. I didn’t stop running with my calabash underarm until I reached my destination. As I liked to sing, I always hummed a little song. The water was clear, and the wind was light. I took a piece of a banana leaf then placed it at the outfall as the water filled the calabash. Suddenly, I heard a weird sound from which the water was coming, like a flute. I raised my head silently, looking everywhere, but I saw nothing. I moved to try to satisfy my curiosity. I walked around the spring to see where that weird noise came from. I feel crossed by fear and doubt. The silence seemed too frightening to me. I did not see anything. I didn’t understand either. What is this mystery? Only the sound of the birds and the river’s waterfall, not far from there, could reassure me so far. I continued to fill my calabash while humming a song. After filling the calabash, I closed it with a stem of corn.

When I stood up to leave, I heard the same sound. This time, having the impression that the sound came from within the spring, I looked insistently at the outfall of the spring to capture with my eyes the slightest fact and gesture of something, but I still did not see anything. To my great surprise, the water became dirty under my eyes. Invaded by fear, I placed the