When Darkness Crumbled

Unraveling the Past

Haunting Mysteries and Secrets

After Polidor (my great-great grandfather) lay dead in the ground after the duel, the family was left in incessant quarrels.

Secrecy and mystery shrouded the lives of the three brothers, Maximliem, Ivanof, and Henri. They were stewards and plantation owners of the land at Grand Sable. They were committed to their assignment, becoming consumed with their role and powerfully fierce. In the end the land owned them.

It has been said that when one is born in Mauritius, the umbilical cord of each child is immediately moved from the mother and is grafted to the ground where it takes root and becomes fertile and grows.

Although all three brothers, all chronic womanizers, have tried to hide their past they left us some clues. The startling secrets behind their lives ultimately push one into spiritual and moral questioning.

Purposed to strip Henri from his share of the estate, a plot was devised between Maximliem and Ivanof. Something sparked jealousy. They worked indefatigably together and built up their networks to monopolize power in order to retain and acquire more property and to win control. We know there were isolated skirmishes and clashes of personalities. Clearly some damages had been done.

On his death bed Maximliem pleaded with whoever would listen to him. He had a final confession to make, specifically to Henri. Perhaps all throughout his adult life his conscience was seared, but now maybe it was awake and was haunted by ghosts and old dreams which echoed through his final moments. He could bear the pain no more. Now with a burning conscience, will he beg for his brother's forgiveness?

Maximlien acknowledged his guilt of deception, forgery and robbery to his brother. After his confession, he received his last rites and soon died a ruined man. The growing mystery and tapestry of secrets escalated.

Henri was in a state of shock upon hearing his brother. How could Maximliem and Ivanof have betrayed him so shamelessly?

Henri had a winning manner about him. He was quite content in his position as an officer in the police force. He did not want to engage in yet another bloody feud to claim his inheritance, He realized there were more layers to the story than could have been imagined. His wife, Angelina, Grandmere Da, was a tenacious woman who was determined to challenge and fight for her husband to the bitter end by claiming his share of the land he had lost in the brothers' plot. Grand Sable became a battlefield once again.

Grandmere Da dug in her heels once the "genie was out of the bottle". Too many issues had smoldered for so long. She had become the self-proclaimed leader of the Lamy clan. She indeed had become the guardian of the realm. She was to redeem what had been lost through deception and forgery.

Furthermore she would have influence on the entire running of the plantation and La Grande Mason, which was merely the showpiece of the plantation. She was in charge of all the domestic operations of the estate, and being strong-willed, she had never wanted to give up the reins of governing the plantation. Finally once her health declined she willed the plantation estate to her only child, Lia Desfosses.

La Grotte at Grand Sable

As you enter the estate at Grand Sable, a flamboyant tree with its showy red flowers and palm trees greet you. When the sun sets, this becomes an oasis, a refuge for the weary. A large grotto was built conspicuously on site many years ago.

I always remembered it being there while growing up. Kids were not allowed to play near it. Even the large collection of dogs stayed away. The grotto wasn't far from the main house. The several palm, flamboyant, and frangipani trees around it overlooking the blue ocean at a distance made it an inviting place for those in need of repose. It was a place of reverance. Many took time to worship and meditate at thi site.

After we left Mauritius, several attempts were made to demolish this grotto, and while doing so, many have mysteriously lost their lives. The demolition project was abandoned.

The local people are supersitious and if you believe in superstition, the local people have made a connection to this mystery. They see spirits and ghostly figures prowling around the "grotto". In their mind, the old folk's restless souls are still roaming the land. "Lizie trouve namm. Pa ca pav fair sa avec nos gra parent," the locals say. This translates from Creole, "We see supernatural things like ghost and spirits of the old folks. You can't do that to the grandparents."

My dad associated this phenomenon with the "guardian of the realm, Grandmere Da."

Some people have suggested that the large numbers of dead infants, who after their short passage on earth, were buried on this very site. Construction of the grotto disturbed their gravesite. According to local beliefs, you must bury your dead far away from your house. If not done with the proper magic and incantations, the dead may come back.

There are no identified graves for all the premature deaths that occurred in the family. The fathers burried their own dead children whereever they saw fit.

The whole story has never been told. Our ancestors have left us with unresolved mysteries forever buried with them.

As I unravel the past of my ancestors, I have come to believe evil forces keep pursing the brothers' offspring from the womb to the tomb, where the rules of civilazation no longer apply. The unending saga continues. It manifests itself in pecular ways in my generation.