P'tit Village by Frances Itani
Author:Frances Itani [Itani, Frances]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781443422055
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
Published: 2013-02-15T00:00:00+00:00
Soon, everyone hushes, for Madame and her daughter are going to sing Minuit Chrétien in their silver-toned soprano voices.
The Smiths return home, crunching over moonlit snow. The swamp at the edge of the field has frozen, and cattails are trapped along the surface ice. Peace sifts down over the village.
The last event of winter is Carnaval. There will be dog races, songs, snow sculptures, skating prizes at the rink. Everyone must wear a costume. The mayor and the priest will judge. Pierrette and Hercules will dress up, as will Quincy and Marlene, Amélie and Jacques. Any child old enough to wear skates is included, even the ones who have to crawl on hands and knees across the fields to get there.
Pierretteâs mother airs out her husbandâs longjohns, gets out the ragbag, begins to sew. Pierrette will be a rabbit; her trapdoor in the rear hangs down to her knees; white fluff is plastered to her leggings underneath to make a fuzzy tail.
Quincy will be Aunt Jemima; his friends call him Tante Jemeem. For a night and a day, two of the large brass curtain rings will come down from the window to adorn Quincyâs vainglorious ears. Mrs. Smith smears cold cream on his cheeks and darkens his skin with oxblood shoe polish. A bolster from the armchair is stuffed inside his jacket. On top of all, a colourful blouse Aunt Minn has donated for the occasion, and a long woollen skirt that stretches to the ankles of his black skates. The final touchâa plaid bandanna from Grandma Smithâs old trunk.
Everyone comes to Carnaval. Hervé the policeman and Poirot the barber dress up as a horse; someone plays crack-the-whip with their tail. A thin Père Noël arrives, even though it is February. He has leftover cinnamon-tasting hard candies to give away.
All the little ones receive a prize. The older children are judged. The priest favours a tramp. The mayor likes the Saint Bernard with the keg around its neck. They compromise; both the Saint Bernard and the tramp are awarded fifty cents.
The priest goes back to the church, his skirts billowing around hidden legs. Everyone comes out on the ice to sing. The men swell their chests:
Chevaliers de la table ronde
Allons voir si le vin est bon
Allons voir oui, oui, oui
Allons voir non, non, non
Allons voir si le vin est bo-o-on
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