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Everyone in Yoff knew that the rainy season was the time of year when many
people drowned. Whether someone knew how to swim or not made little difference.
Moreover, the whole of Yoff’s beach, except for Kassoub, had been declared
a dangerous zone where swimming was forbidden.
One day Ngoné decided to go swimming near the Diamalaye Mausoleum,
a spot reputed to be very dangerous. She recklessly went into the water despite
the warnings of some fishermen seated in the Mbars on the beach.
“Hey, jang-bi! Don’t go in the sea. The current is very strong.”
“I know how to swim, so leave me alone,” she replied. And she
went on her merry way, plunging deeper and deeper into the water. The water
came up to her thighs, then to her waist, then to her shoulders. Her worried
grandmother called out one last time, urging her to come out. But Ngoné
did not listen.
Suddenly, as if by magic, a big wave seized her, raised her, and then threw
her down head first, singing,
“Xale-bu dul dëgg, ma gaax ci moom”
Everyone ran to the place where she disappeared in the hope of seeing her,
but no trace of Ngoné remained. So they decided to go to her parents’
house to prepare the funeral. But underwater, Mame Ndiaré, the village’s
protector spirit had heard the evil wave’s song. She freed Ngoné
from the evil spirit’s grasp and gently set her down on the beach’s
fine sand, covering her with waak. At the touch of this soft bed, Ngoné
fell into a deep sleep, snoring like a steam engine.
One of the fishers from the Mbar on his way home from fishing saw her, knelt
beside her, and noticed that she was alive and sleeping peacefully. He ran
as fast as he could to tell her family, and they immediately came, finding
Ngoné still dozing.
When awakened, she recounted her misadventure and the intervention of Mame
Ndiaré. Then she promised to always follow the elders’ advice
from then on.
Waxu mag du fanaan all.
Sooner or later, you will realize that the elders are right.
