Chapter 4

Zizwe felt heated on his way to the prophetess. His feet accelerating on the unpleasant wind. Along the way, Zizwe had seen elders on their gardens removing weeds on crops and shaping the soil around the base of plants with a hoe. Young women and lads collecting water from a communal water supply. Some bumping into him with water storage plastic containers on wheelbarrows; buckets on their heads.

He'd not bothered to make his presence known to anyone. He'd only bothered to those who'd shown their attention who seemingly didn't have a problem with his presence. Either way, Zizwe wasn't in the mood to interact with anyone as he was stressed about what happening to his sister. He did have faith about the journey to Mam'Duma would be a positive outcome.

Finally approaching the prophetess resident, of which he got the directions from a boy who was playing with a canister car on the road, Zizwe admired the front yard. The grass attractive as a golf ground. A small garden and a tall tree borders on the front sides of the house.

"Qonqo!" Zizwe knocked verbalically as he feared a dog breed that was on the veranda, posing a gazing threat towards him.

A few seconds later an adolescent that had a nicely designed zig zag cornrows in a night dress appeared on the veranda; she wasn't very acclaiming as if she knew Zizwe's identity.

"Sawubona. I'm here to see Mam' Duma" said Zizwe.

"Small hut" the girl responded hastily as she pointed with her thumb at the back of the house.

"The dog?"

"If it was vicious it would have chased you away already" the girl turned and shut the eco miami door behind her.

Zizwe sighed hoping he won't be dealing with the same attitude from the prophetess. Now fearless of the breed, he stepped into front yard and walked aside to the backyard, passing a rural shed before approaching the small dwelling with a grass roof.

A tense low voice of a woman instructed him to come inside and leave his shoes outside before getting a chance to knock on her door.

He walked into an empty space, inhaling smoke of a licorice plant. Mam'Duma in a white sleeved dress and a black doek on her head sat on a grassmat with her legs spread down.

"Sawubona. I'm Zi-'

"I know who you're" Zizwe was discontinued from his introduction. Mam' Duma's gaze was on the burning licorice plant next to her legs. "And I know why you're here. Your devines had already spoken to me."

"What are they saying?" said Zizwe as he stepped forward then sat on the concrete floor curling up his knees.

Mam'Duma began to rock her upper body like she was seated on a rocking chair. A funeral humming followed as she waved the smoke from her face whilst Zizwe patiently waited for her response.

"She's coming" she finally replied. "A little girl will suffer for it. She's very upset with you. People are going to die."

Then Mam'Duma continued humming.

"What can be done to stop her?" Zizwe asked desperately.

"It's too late for that. And your devines had denied to show me her banishment."

"Surely you know something or anyone that can help me."

Mam'Duma paused her rocking and shifted her gaze to Zizwe. "I'll need to go to your home. If there's something that is the cause of her rebirth I will find it. I will try to make time tomorrow."

She stripped off her cross from her neck and added, "In the meantime hold on to this. I have a feeling you're going to need it."

"Thank you, Mam'Duma" said Zizwe as she took the cross from her hand." I will be expecting you."

*

Carol stirred oats with a wooden spoon in Zizwe's kitchen. Zizwe will need something in his stomach when he comes back from the prophetess. Hearing him earlier mentioning about his food being discompsed, a minute later after his departure she'd quickly went home for her few cents. She'd spent them in the Spaza purchasing canned food and some vegetables. At home she'd been a thief securing the cereal oats and some flour.

Carol had once felt a massive rush on her heart in college for a student. It was a shame he had his eyes on one of her friends, of which now they had a child together. It broke Carol's heart because if she had been honest about her feelings for him maybe she could've been the mother of that child. It took her some time to heal and forget. She never thought she could have feelings again for a man; being close to Zizwe had renovated the shattered heart and restored her feelings.

Closing the pot, Carol heard clattering and thudding coming from Aneliswa's bedroom. She didn't expect for her to be awake so soon. As far as she hypnotic, they were a saltwater crocodile. Pass out for plenty of hours. The first time on her system her parents almost had a stroke assuming she'd early joined the ancestors.

Carol opened the door. Aneliswa was indeed awake; out of her sleeping clothes. She was wearing the black dress that Carol had bought for her earlier that year as a birthday present. She gazed at picture drawings that was adhered on the wall. The first contained a scribbling of different colors of crayons. The second a sad person that had a combined head and the body while the last had two schematic figures on a hut baseline and yellow flowers.

"Aneliswa?" Carol called her out as she stepped inside the room, leaving the door ajar.

Aneliswa jerked her head; turned around at a slow pace. The effectual emotion Carol would regularly see on her face of her presence was abstracted. Aneliswa seemed disinterested, the gaze was alight of hostility.

What came next, was horribly stony voice.

"You must be a friend of my great-grandson."

As she took a step closer, the door behind Carol shut with great force startling her.

"Yes you're. You're perfect to extend my bloodline. That womb of yours is my greatest gift. You wouldn't want to disappoint, Gogo now would you?"

Though her voice came daunting, somewhere there was a hint of composure. But Carol was appalled as she held her breath. For someone she'd known for spotlight about befoulment stories of her actions, was now in a body of a nine year old. Exactly as she suspected. Aneliswa was a vessel of her spirit.

Carol didn't anticipated her that soon. Especially alone without Zizwe. She wanted to turn and run away, but she realised she had to be smart by remaining her composure. She was braver than she thought.

"N-no" said Carol."I wouldn't want that."

Carol saw a smile forming her face; raising her hand. The door behind automatically open at a slow pace. Carol wasn't less afraid. She forced herself to deny any regrets for ignoring her mother's warnings about befriending a a member of the witch's family. She'd told her one day she'd find herself caught up in a situation that she won't able to free herself. Deep inside a dark hole just waiting for the sand to bury her.

"Now why don't you go and dish up for Gogo. I smell a pleasant aroma from the kitchen. Besides, you and I will have to discuss the future of my bloodline you're going to carry."

Gogo consumed the cereal violently, like she hadn't had a meal for years; Wherever she had been it came once in a lifetime. Carol sat across the table watching her nervously, praying silently for Zizwe to return home soon. Maybe she'd feel abit comfortable with him by her side.

"Dish up for me another will you. You make delicious porridge on this generation."

Carol stood up and took the bowl with trembling hands. She dished up quickly as Gogo gazed at her cautiously.

"You don't have to be afraid of me" she said."What harm could I possibly bring you in a nine year old body."

Carol wished to believe that. She was a witch. If she was capable of possessing a body then she was capable of anything. And finally, Carol found courage to speak as she placed the bowl of oats on the table.

"Why do you want me to carry a Dumakude child?"

"You see girly. Possessing a body of a child wasn't in my plans. It should've been my granddaughter. This child's mother, but she died before my spirit could revive in her. That's all my great-grandson's fault. If he hadn't taken down my tree when it was almost time for my rebirth, I would've surfaced along time ago. I had to wait for it to grow again.

To answer your question. That child will be a sacrifice of regaining my full power." Gogo explained.

"Then I have no reason to have that child" said Carol bravery.

"Oh yes you will. I know how your parents have treated my family. You wouldn't want them six feet underground now don't you?"

Carol frowned, surprisingly as she leaned back on the chair. She remained quiet, realizing she doesn't have a choice. The lives of her parents were on her hands. For them to breathe for the rest of their days.

"So are you just going to make me pregnant with your black magic?" Carol inquired.

"No. I don't have that kind of power. You'll be impregnated by my great-grandson."

Carol wondered if Zizwe was going to agree to this nonsense. "And if he isn't wiling to have a baby with me? He won't accept your wicked plans."

"He will" Gogo gulped. "He won't have much of a choice either."

*

Speaking of which, Zizwe walked through the gate with mixed feelings rotating continuesly. The long journey wasn't entirely a failure. Carol's suspicions were confirmed. He knew what was wrong with his sister; to help her by preventing Gogo Dumakude from possessing her body seemed impossible on that moment. For having faith on Mam'Duma's uncertain arrival for tomorrow, was hanging threatenedly on a cliff.

Zizwe hate feeling helpless, and he was in need of water. Opening the front door he rushed to the kitchen calling out for Aneliswa, showing alert his presence had came back. Stepping into the kitchen, the dehydration overturned electrified excitement when he saw, Aneliswa awake, to see she was no more in pain of the tingling on her back.

"Aneliswa" he called her out in a whisper tone.

Aneliswa glanced at him slowly, "I told you I will be seeing you soon" she said, an angry frown appearing on her hostility face.

Realizing she wasn't herself, the company across the table moused her feet towards him.

"Please don't tell me it's her" he said.

"Unfortunately" Carol whispered, her eyes agitated as his.

Indeed it was already too late. Sooner than expected. It struck resentment on Zizwe that the witch had taken the only thing that mattered to him and the fact he left Carol alone which almost occupied her in a dangerous situation she couldn't have escaped.

He ambled towards, Gogo and yelled on her face, losing his temper, "You have no shame. Possessing a body of a child. Couldn't you have taken my body instead!? Haven't you made this family suffer more than enough. People hate us everywhere we go. Don't you have any compassion at all? Do you realize once people found out you're back they're going to burn us in this house alive. We don't deserve to die a tragic death like you did for god sake!"

In one second after his wrathful speech, he flew rapidly smashing against the cupboards. Plates and saucers falling upon him while some cups shattered on the floor. He was fortunate injuries forbidded to appear. Only at the back of his head that took a painful thump.

"Learn your manners boy" said Gogo.

She stood up, her left hand jostling the table aside puissantly. It was then Zizwe and Carol felt her vindictive anger.

"It's your doing I had to possess the body of your sister. If you hadn't cut down my tree she'd still be here. But now she's gone. I'm extremely disappointed in you. First male to exist in the Dumakude bloodline to be useless as you are."

Zizwe understood better about Mam'Duma's prophecy. A reason why Gogo was upset with her. He had cut down the tree behind the house years ago; that was a major delay of her rebirth.

"You're going to redeem yourself" Gogo continued, stepping closer to him as he sat against the cupboards. Her feet crunching on the broken cups. Feeling no pain at all. "And this friend of yours is going to help you. In fact, you're going to help each other. She'll tell you all about it. Right now, I got some errands I need to attend.

Once you're aware of what I need you should know the life of your sister will be on your hands. My spirit could move to any body. So I'll have a choice if she stays alive or not after my departure."

Before turning and walking away, she added, "And boy, I wouldn't try doing anything to destroy what beneath the surface of this innocence. I know where you've been."