Tumelo's Surprising Morning

Tumelo wakes up. "Heck, I'm late!" he exclaims, sitting up in bed. The constant ringing in his mind about the alarm switching off still lingered. He remembered the night before, talking to a cat, and thought to himself, "What just happened? Did I really just talk to a cat? That was crazy."

Just then, a voice said, "Wake up, you lazy boy! It's time for school, and you're already late. On your second day of school, what's happening with you?" Tumelo looked around, trying to locate the source of the voice. That's when he saw Jessie, the cat, sitting in the doorway of his room.

Tumelo jumped out of bed, feeling an unusual sensation inside him. As he stood up, he noticed something strange - he had jumped two feet into the air, almost reaching the ceiling. "This is too high! How can I jump that high?" he exclaimed.

Jessie, the cat, spoke up, "You're jumping too high, Tumelo." Tumelo landed back on the ground with a thud, causing his father to stir in his room. "Tumelo, what's happening?" his father asked, groggily.

Tumelo quickly came up with an excuse, "Uh, Dad, nothing. I was just falling." He thought to himself, "That was a stupid excuse." His father seemed to accept it, and Tumelo let out a sigh of relief.

Tumelo turned to Jessie and asked, "Jessie, why is this happening to me?" Jessie replied, "I told you, Tumelo. I told you that you would develop new powers since you met that old man, the transferrer."

Tumelo's mind was racing. He was already late for school, and he still had to get ready. He thought to himself, "I'm thirty minutes late. I didn't wake up to the alarm. How did I sleep through it?" He quickly got moving, heading to the bathroom to wash up.

The bathroom was small, with just the basics. Tumelo washed his face, brushed his teeth, and washed his hands. As he was washing up, he noticed that his body was undergoing some kind of growth spurt. His muscles seemed to be growing, and his senses felt heightened.

When he finished washing up, Tumelo felt a pang of hunger. He thought to himself, "I'll just grab something to eat at school." He headed back to the sitting room, where his father was waiting for him.

"Tumelo, you need to get going," his father said, handing him some money. "This is for taxi fare and some extra money for lunch." Tumelo's father was a hardworking man who always tried to provide for his family.

Tumelo thanked his father and headed out the door, feeling a mix of excitement and trepidation about what the day might bring.

As Tumelo rushed out of his yard, he thought to himself, "I'm really late!" With his backpack on, he walked quickly into the street. Suddenly, a dog appeared, barking loudly. Tumelo tensed up, thinking the dog might attack him.

But to his surprise, the dog said, "Hello, boy. I have a problem. How are you?" Tumelo stuttered, "I-I'm fine, thank you." The dog, a majestic German Shepherd named Magnum, stood tall, his fur a gleaming black.

Magnum explained, "Oh, you can understand me. You're some boy. You have a great destiny." Tumelo's eyes widened in amazement. "What do you mean? What problem do you have, Magnum?" Magnum replied, "I have a pain in my back. It hurts. Can you heal me?"

Tumelo hesitated, "Me? Heal you? How can I do that?" Magnum woofed, but Tumelo heard words instead of barks. "Look at the aura around you. I know you can heal me." Tumelo thought to himself, "Aura? What is this dog talking about?"

As he pondered, Tumelo's mind wandered to the strange behaviors of dogs. "Why do dogs always bark and howl at night?" he thought. "Do they see things that we can't? Are their eyes somehow spiritual?" He looked at Magnum, wondering if there was more to dogs than met the eye.

Despite his skepticism, Tumelo decided to try. He reached out and touched Magnum's fur. Magnum growled softly, and Tumelo felt a strange energy draining from his body. Suddenly, Magnum let out a triumphant howl.

Tumelo stumbled back, startled. "W-why did you do that?" Magnum exclaimed, "I was just so happy! You healed me!" Tumelo smiled, feeling a sense of wonder. "Okay, Magnum, I'll meet you again. I have to go to school now."

As Tumelo walked away, his neighbors stared in confusion. "Look at that boy talking to a dog!" one of them exclaimed. "Is he crazy?" another neighbor chimed in.

A man from across the street, Mr. Mavers, approached Tumelo's neighbor. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked, eyeing Tumelo's retreating back.

The neighbor replied, "This boy, Tumelo, he's talking to a dog! And he touched it! Ain't he afraid of getting rabies or something?"

Mr. Mavers' wife, Mrs. Mavers, joined the conversation. "Rabies isn't transferred by touch, dear. You need to be bitten or scratched."

Mr. Mavers looked sheepish. "Oh, really? I didn't know that."

Mrs. Mavers rolled her eyes. "You don't know much about dogs, do you?"

Mr. Mavers bristled. "Hey, I know plenty! I'm just concerned about the boy."

Tumelo ignored the commotion and continued on his way, eventually hopping into a taxi to head to school.

As Tumelo rode in the taxi, he couldn't shake off the events of the morning. "What's happening to me?" he thought. "First, the neighbors, then Magnum... I think I'm going to be Magnum's friend." He chuckled to himself, remembering how Magnum used to chase him. "Maybe that's why Magnum was always chasing me - he wanted to play."

Tumelo's mind wandered to the dog's imposing size. "He's so big, he could bite me and get away with it." But then he remembered the unexpected bravery that had allowed him to approach Magnum. "What's happening to me?" he wondered again.

Before he knew it, the taxi had arrived at school. Tumelo got out and walked through the gate, where Mister Bayton, the security guard, greeted him with a stern expression.

Mister Bayton, a tall, imposing man with a kind face, wore casual clothes and a bright smile. "Well, well, boy, you're forty-five minutes late," he said, shaking his head. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Tumelo looked down, embarrassed. "Sorry, sir. I know I'm late, but can I just go in?" Mister Bayton's expression softened, and he nodded. "Okay, this is the last time you're coming in late. I know things are tough for you and your parents, but you need to get to class on time."

Tumelo nodded, relieved, and walked into the school yard. The school, a sprawling complex of buildings and courtyards, bustled with students rushing to their next class. Tumelo checked his timetable and saw that he had math class next. He hurried to the classroom, where his classmates looked up at him with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism.

Tumelo's face grew hot as he apologized to the teacher, Mrs. Ndlovu. She was a stately woman with a warm smile and a commanding presence. Her dark hair was neatly braided, and her bright blue blouse sparkled in the morning light. "Sorry for being late, ma'am. I overslept," Tumelo said, feeling a bit more at ease under her gentle gaze.

Mrs. Ndlovu smiled kindly and said, "That's alright, boy. You may take your seat."

As Tumelo sat down, he noticed his classmates staring at him. Mrs. Ndlovu began the lesson, asking a question about math. "If 2x + 5 = 11, what is the value of x?" Tumelo's hand shot up, and he answered confidently, "The answer is x equals 6!"