In the sunlit hills of Jacmel, where the morning air smells of sugarcane and sea breeze, lived two friends, Ti Malice and Bouki. Though they were as close as brothers, they could not have been more different. Ti Malice was sharp-tongued and cunning, always ready with a trick or a clever word. Bouki, on the other hand, was kind-hearted but slow to think, a man whose good nature made him easy prey for his mischievous friend.
One bright morning, as roosters crowed and women sang by the river, Bouki decided to go to market. His small plot of land had yielded a good crop of sugarcane, tall and golden, sweet as honey. With joy in his heart, he loaded his ox cart, ready to sell his harvest and buy gifts for his wife and children.
Ti Malice, who lived nearby, watched him from the shade of a palm tree. “Bouki, my friend!” he called, flashing his usual charming grin. “Where are you going so early, sweating like a working mule?”
“I’m going to market,” Bouki puffed proudly. “Look at my cart, full of the best sugarcane in Jacmel!”
Ti Malice clapped his hands. “Market, you say? Ah, what a fine idea! But the sun is fierce today. You’ll tire yourself long before you reach town. Why not let me help you? I’ll walk behind your cart and keep the flies away.”
Bouki scratched his head, hesitant but trusting. “You’d do that for me?”
“Of course!” Ti Malice said smoothly. “What are friends for?”
And so, they set off, Bouki walking ahead with the ox, and Ti Malice behind, fanning the air with a banana leaf. But the sweet smell of sugarcane soon proved too tempting for the trickster. As the cart rolled along, Ti Malice plucked a stalk and took a bite.
Crunch! Crunch! The sound echoed through the dusty road.
Bouki turned around. “What was that noise?”
Ti Malice pointed to the cart and cried, “Rats! Big rats, my friend! They’re eating your sugarcane. I tried to scare them, but they’re too quick!”
“Rats?” Bouki frowned. “On the road?”
“Yes, Jacmel rats!” Ti Malice said gravely. “The cleverest in all Haiti!”
Bouki shook his head and trudged on, trusting his friend.
Before long, another stalk disappeared. Then another. And another. Every time Bouki turned, Ti Malice had an answer ready: “More rats, Bouki! You should see how they jump!”
By the time the hot sun reached its peak, only a few half-chewed stalks remained. When the two finally reached the market square, buzzing with traders and laughter, Bouki looked into his cart and gasped.
“Where’s my sugarcane?” he cried.
Ti Malice put on his best look of shock. “Those rats are monsters! They must have followed us all the way! But don’t worry, Bouki, next time, we’ll bring a cat!”
Bouki’s face fell. “All my work is gone,” he groaned. “How will I feed my family now?”
Ti Malice put an arm around him, barely hiding his smirk. “Cheer up, my friend. At least the ox is still fat!”
Bouki sighed, too tired and too trusting to argue. He turned the cart homeward, hungry and defeated.
The next morning, he rose early again, determined to try once more. He cut fresh sugarcane and loaded his cart before the sun rose. But when Ti Malice appeared, smiling as always, Bouki said firmly, “No more, Malice! This time I’ll go alone.”
Ti Malice grinned. “As you wish, my friend. But if you pass my house on your way, save me just a bite of sugarcane, will you?”
Bouki hesitated, his soft heart winning again. “All right,” he said. “Just one bite.”
And so it was that Ti Malice, once again, got his sweetness, not from work, but from wit.
Moral
The clever live by wit, the foolish by faith, and sometimes, kindness is the easiest thing to fool.
Knowledge Check
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Who are the main characters in “Ti Malice and Bouki Go to Market”?
The story features Ti Malice, a clever trickster, and Bouki, his kind but gullible friend. -
What was Bouki taking to market?
He was taking a cart full of freshly cut sugarcane to sell. -
How did Ti Malice trick Bouki?
He pretended to help but secretly ate the sugarcane, blaming “rats” for the missing stalks. -
What does the sugarcane symbolize in the story?
It represents hard work and honesty, things often lost to trickery and deceit. -
What lesson does the story teach?
It teaches that cleverness without kindness leads to betrayal, and blind trust can invite loss. -
Where does this folktale originate from?
It comes from Haitian Creole oral tradition, particularly from the Jacmel region of Haiti.
Source: Adapted from the Haitian folktale “Ti Malice and Bouki Go to Market” in Children of Yayoute: Folk Tales of Haiti, collected by François Turenne des Prés (1967), Harper & Row.
Cultural Origin: Haiti (Creole folklore – Jacmel region)
