Columbus discovered… Chickcharney?

If you have the good fortune to find yourself at the beach enjoying Discovery Day (that’s Columbus Day in the Bahamas) today, keep your eyes open for the chickcharney! The chickcharney is a mischievous mythical creature known only to inhabit the Caribbean pine forests on Andros Island, the largest inhabited island in the Bahamas. They live in the tops of the tallest pines and make their nests by joining the tops of two tall pines. Chickcharnies have three fingers, three toes, piercing red eyes, and a tail. Flowers and brightly colored cloth can be used to charm them if you are lucky enough to see one. And seeing a chickcharney can result in a lifetime of good luck… if you show it respect. If you cross a chickcharney, it will turn your head on backwards! I haven’t seen anyone on Andros with their heads on backwards (and I have yet to catch a glimpse of the elusive chickcharney). Thus it is easy for me to conclude that no one on Andros has ever crossed a Chickcharney, at least as far as I can tell! Perhaps this is just one more indicator of the culture of courtesy I've experienced on Andros characterized by the Bahamian saying, May We Be Strangers No More... I have had the good fortune to frequent the beaches on Andros and they are truly beautiful. The direction of the sea breeze is explicit in the slant and sway of the clusters of casuarina trees that grow just beyond the wrack line. The water (it must be what the gemstone aquamarine is named for) is crystal clear. The sound of the surf in all its variations is white noise for the soul, both soothing and freeing simultaneously. The beautiful genteel people and pristine beaches are just two of my favorite Bahamian national treasures. As for the chickcharney, my personal jury is still out. I’ll let you know when I see one!