Chapter 3

After the end of school on Friday noon, Zizwe and Aneliswa walked abreast back home. Aneliswa stuck her hands in the jacket pockets with a pout on her face. One of her schoolmates had once blackened again about her family past; she was backlashed about it. For her brother to be employed was a hope to lighten her mood, but the bad news became the aggravation of her anger.

"You shouldn't let them inflame you, Aneliswa. No matter what they say, it doesn't matter. You know inside your heart you're a good person" said Zizwe, trying to comfort his raging sister.

"They piss me off" Aneliswa snapped. "It only a matter of time to batter those dysfunctional skills."

Zizwe felt anxious about her temper. He immediately recalled his grandmother. He was a child then. To anyone who'd badmouth or insult her family on her presence, her hand would be quick to struck. He suspected Aneliswa might have developed her vehementleness.

"Voilence is only appropriate when you're defending yourself. You wouldn't want to find yourself suspended or shown out of the gate just because of a learner mocked you. Managing your temper is extremely important under such circumstances" Zizwe advised her politely.

"I hate that school. The learners. And I hate this place" she said resentfully as she fast walked leaving him behind.

"Aneliswa."

In the early evening, Zizwe was preparing supper when he had an unexpected visitor on his door. Babu Sgedlana was known for his traditional medicine for illness. On that occasion, he was there for his other services of sewing or repairing of shoes.

"Babu Sgedlana. Just a man I wanted to see. I need your expertise on a tree behind the house" said Zizwe as they shared a handshake.

Zizwe led the seventy year old that was using a cane to the backyard. After his earlier nightmare, Zizwe was keen to know if there was a purpose of the tree. It was fully grown again, this time it had brown shells hanging under brown leafs.

"This tree had never produced anything. I've cut it down before but now it had grown rapidly" Zizwe told the old man who was observing the tree.

"I've never seen a tree like this before" said Babu Sgedlana as he stepped closer yanking the rounded shell from a leaf. He smashed it onto the ground breaking it into half. Brown juicy liquid squelched inside.

"Truly speaking I have no idea what this is my boy. Maybe if you give it time perhaps this liquid is producing something, but I do suspect it nothing good that will come out of it" Babu Sgedlana threw away the half shell and dusted his hands.

"I understand.Thanks for your time Babu Sgedlana. Unfortunately all the shoes in the house are still in a good shape.

"That alright my boy. You know where to find me when they start acting up."

Walking away, the liquid slowly produced a thin, short worm.

Midnight, a much similar knock of the authorities jolted Zizwe out of his sleep. He pinched his weary eyes and forced his body out from bed. It was rare for a knock to come from his back door. He was caught in a bombshell when he opened the kitchen door. The aged couple again. They were bare exactly from his nightmare except their eyes were normal black.

"Bantu abadala ,what are yall doing here?" He inquired, but any response failed to come out of their lips.

For a second Zizwe assumed their age had unhooked some screws on their heads. They turned and strode towards the tree. They both kneeled and bowed constantly. As if they were praying like Muslims or summoning a villain master. Zizwe frowned as they went off and on the ground.

If they were praying for Gogo Dumakude to return, the hamlet of Mqanqala will be doomed. If it was her summoning, him and everyone else will suffer miserably. In his nightmare, the aged couple seemed to be Gogo Dumakude's servants.

Shortly after, the couple stopped the bowing and rosed from the ground and walked away.

*

Saturday morning came on Zizwe seated on the edge of his bed. His face buried deep in his hands, hardly slept absorbing a mysterious behavior he perceived in midnight. There was something about that tree that gave him a direful feeling. Something about his nightmare, perhaps it was a message to prepare for the worst.

Zizwe rosed up, stretched his arms unleashing a yawn. By the time Aneliswa wakes up, porridge must be heated and ready. The leftovers of last night's supper was to be heated up in the afternoon for lunch. Stepping into the kitchen, Zizwe inhaled an unpleasant ador. The perceivement that came through his nose was a result from decay coming from the cupboards.

It was amplifying to see the food had became a spoilage overnight. The canned food, maize meal and flour had mold grown over them, now unsuitable to ingest. The leftovers buzzing flies inside the pots and the little fruits of oranges that Carol had given them last week had fungus grown on the peels. None of it made sense to Zizwe. It agitated him as the food was supposed to last for a full month. Aneliswa's support child grant wasn't enough for him to visit a loan shark.

He sighed and criss-crossed, becoming alas of the sudden situation. Throwing away the food spoilage on a dumping area behind the house, he frowned as he saw many shelves from the tree ruptured. Half broken shelves scattered on the ground. The brown fluid spilled everywhere. It when, Zizwe angrily walked back to the house to get an Axe and get rid of the tree once and for all.

Before reaching his room, he heard a indistinct whimpering coming from Aneliswa's room. He opened the door and found her stretching her back, also trying to reach some far itching areas as she whimpered.

"Aneliswa, what's the matter?" Zizwe asked worridly.

"My back is tingling" she replied quickly in a shuddered breath.

"Let me have a look."

Zizwe slid up her sleeping vest. He was jolted to see limps on her back. Limps of worm shapes twitching and turning.

"Make it stop!" Aneliswa screeched, failing to keep her body steady.

"Okay, try to calm down. I'm gonna go to my room to get some pills for you to drink so the itching will stop. Alright?"

The only thing that came to Zizwe's mind was the sleeping pills. Carol had gave him couple months back when he was having lack of sleep. That moment they were the only thing that can rescue his sister from the terrible itching of these limps.

"Hurry!" Aneliswa cried out in alarm.

As soon as Aneliswa drifted to sleep after taking the pills, Zizwe had to move swiftly to go to Carol's house for her help as she was a qualified nurse. Though it would be a risk of her father's sjambok as he'd once warned him not to ever step his foot on his yard.

Zizwe's knuckles knocked abrutly on the door. It wasn't a second long for a big, chubby light skinned woman to open the door. Wavy hair burying her entire head. As expected, Zizwe was acclaimed with a hateful emotion.

"Why the hell you knock like a God damn policeman? You know very well you're not welcome here" Mrs Vilakazi snapped as she placed her hands on her wider hips.

"Ngiyaxolisa kakhulu. Something is happening with my little sister. I came to ask Carol if she could please come and have a look at her" said Zizwe, ambiguous if the woman would have a heart at least this once.

"Maye!" Her eyes seemed appalled. "Is my daughter your personal nurse now? Never heard of a hospital? If you cannot afford transport to go there wait for Monday for the mobile clinic."

"Mama, I beg-"

"Nayimihlola!" She was contempted. "Your Mama was a drunk. A drunk who died abusing alcohol. Uneducated and broke. I'm nothing like her. Don't you ever call me your mama again. Now take your back side and leave my premises. I don't need any evil spirit of that witch of your family."

Zizwe's heart abraded in pieces. Mrs Vilakazi's words were altogether wrong and yet accurate. Sometimes it was difficult to believe she was Carol's mother. The resemblance of the appealing attractiveness was definitely there; there was no analogy between the heart and the attitude.

About to turn and walk away, sighing disappointedly, Carol came to the door in a hurry, her wet body covered in a towel. She's been having her morning bath hearing her mother's insults.

"Aybo Mama. That's enough" said Carol.

"Carol, I'm sorry to be here. There's something wrong with Aneliswa" said Zizwe, remaining his composure after the hurtful words from her mother.

"Okay," Carol saw the agitation on him. "Give me a minute to get dressed. I will be there shortly."

As Zizwe stormed away gratefully from the premises, Mrs Vilakazi yelled behind him.

"Don't you ever come back here again or you'll feel the wrath of my husband's sjambok! And stay the hell away from my daughter!"

Few minutes later, an elastic band neatly tied up Carol's hair. White striped denim jeans walking towards Zizwe's house with a medical bag hanging on her shoulder. Men had praised and drooled over her model walk, labeling her as Miss Mqanqala. A much deserved winner to every beauty contest. Every Monday she was a volunteer at the Mobile clinic to gain experience. Sometimes at the nearby hospital once in a month. Most of her job applications had not been a success because of the experience that was needed.

Carol found Zizwe gazing at Aneliswa with instability in her room. He then displayed the limps on Aneliswa's back. Carol's mouth hung open as she saw them twitching on her sleep-- something that Carol wasn't anticipating to find.

"Oh my, God" she said, covering her mouth with her hand."Limps are the presenting problem of children, visiting hospital emergency departments. The most common cause of these limping in them is usually minor physical trauma; it nothing like this."

"She was crying claiming they were itching, badly. She couldn't stop stretching her back. She was so afraid as if she could see them. I panicked and gave her the sleeping pills that you once gave me. I didn't think of anything else that might help to stop the itching."

"Pills were a good idea" Carol replied quickly as she put her bag down and covered Aneliswa with a blanket. Then she added, "The hypnotic will knock her out for some."

"I think we have to take her to the hospital" said Zizwe.

Carol was quiet for a moment drilling her mind. Then she said, "What if this is a connection to your nightmare? About Gogo coming back to life."

"I thought you said that was impossible. And what Aneliswa got to do with her return?"

"After church last night I spoke to Pastor Msomi. I asked the possibility of reanimations and possession. He told me evil spirit can able to possess a body over a human life. And now when I think of this, what if Aneliswa is the vessel of Gogo Dumakude. She's the only female of her bloodline that is left and breathing. These are no ordinary limps Zizwe."

"And this morning all our food was decomposed. If this a connection and what you're saying is true, what are we suppose to do about this?"

As Zizwe began to pace back and forth in the room, it didn't take long for Carol to think of a solution. There was a prophetess in the hamlet of Mqanqala. People admire her for the relevant messages of her prophecies. A few realistic individuals being in contact with the devine beings.

"Mam' Duma? Quite a long walk from here. I can't leave Aneliswa alone" said Zizwe.

"I will stay with her. I doubt she'd be awake in the time of your absence. Mam'Duma will tell you if what I'm suspecting is true. And if it is, am sure she'll tell you what you need to do to stop this."

Zizwe was appeased by Carol's support, something he last had when his mother was alive before turning into an alcoholic. Always away drinking in the shebeen. Whenever she was home: to a bath, change of clothes, eat, then disappear again. It was then she had Aneliswa that made her stayed at home and avoid alcohol. But when Aneliswa was grown up, she went back to her old ways of living life. Only this time to end up in a casket.

Zizwe would wonder how life was gonna be for the past year if Carol hadn't been around to support him and his sister. Wondered how a beautiful men wanted woman would like a man like himself who offered nothing. Who had nothing. If the reality of love was there between them, perhaps a mutual feeling, surely it was something worth waiting for a perfect time to explore it.

"Thank you, Carol. I'll be back as soon as I can."