*My Gift*
02
I have a headache. I felt it the mi opened my eyes and when I look around I’m in a foreign room. My vision is blur but I can still tell that this is not the room I’m used to.
I’m trying to sit up but it hurts from my head to my feet. When I look around I can tell I’m inside a hut and it looks beautiful and I can’t help but look around in admiration.
My eye land on a spear and something inside me says go to it but when I try to get out of bed I drop to the floor and my leg hurts the most and that’s when it hits me-that I was bitten by a snake when I was walking in the woods. I now feel like crying because I’m in this situation because of my curiosity. I can now feel the salty water run down my face and when I look down I’m only wearing a tshirt and my p@n-ties.
I feel panic invade my body but I don’t feel any pain on my private part like Nandipha said I would feel on my first time.
“Wenzani?”-what you doing
I hear a voice behind me and it’s the chocolate de-eper voice from the woods. I don’t think I would ever forget it because of how unique it is for a girl. I turn and she is standing there looking at me. She walks closer to me and gives me her hand in indication that I should take it and I do.
“Ouch”
I cry out as I feel the pain shoot up my feet.
“Phephisa.”
She says helping me got get ontop of the bed. Now that I’m settled in bed I feel less pain on my leg.
“Thank you.”
I tell her and she just nods her head going to the dresser and comes back carrying a white container and the color of it makes it had for me to see the content inside.
She sits on the bed and brings my leg closer to her.
“What you doing?”
I ask her as I sit up properly to see what she is doing .
“Wena nesingisi. Its herbs they will help you with the poison from the snake, what where you doing in the woods?”
She says in a calm voice and I just look at her not saying anything because I know that if it was my mother she would be shouting at me none stop going to her friend and telling her and even exaggerating everything.
“I asked you a question wena!”
She says a little loud and I get scared because her voice becomes more de-eper like she is growling. She is still looking at me and I can tell that she won’t back down from the answering.
“I was taking a walk.”
I say in a low voice because it now sounds stupid when I’m saying. I wonder if it sounds stupid to me how it sounds to her.
She looks at me and just nods her head and take the content inside the container-its green and brown then she applies in on my leg.
It burns and I cry out trying to move from her but she is holding me into position and I can’t move. I can feel the salt flavored water run down my cheecks and I can’t stop them even when I wipe them away.
“I hurts.”
I say while crying she just looks at me and says nothing and continues to hold me in place.
It’s now after five minutes and I’m now numb. The girl has not said a thing to me just holding me so that I don’t move even my tears have dried up on my face.
“That should do.”
She says standing up and I think I had forgotten her voice for a few minutes and missed it for whatever reason.
“Where I’m I?”
I ask her and I know it might sound stupid since it should have been the first thing I asked when she came in the hut.
“In my hut.”
That’s all she says before she walks out the room and I’m now left alone not knowing what to do.
The pain from my leg is now better allowing me to get up from the bed.
The only thing in this room is the bed and the dresser at the far corner next to the door and then near the bed there are big drums and smalls ones and a few beads next to them.
I find my feet moving towards the big drums and I find myself kneeling next to them. They are covered in animal skin and they feels soft and rou-ghat the same time.
I hit it and it makes a low sound which encourages me do hit it har-der than I did the last time.
“Wenzani?”
I hear a voice behind me and I’m fast to stand up and look behind me and I’m net my a foreign face which has a frown on its face.
“Nothing.”
I say in a low voice looking at him and he just chuckles.
“ULwandle uphumile do you want anything?”
He asks me and I figure out that the girl is Lwandle.
“I would like to go home.”
I say going to sit on the bed at look at him.
“You can’t Lwandle didn’t say you would.”
He says and I feel like screaming because I have nothing to do in this hut and it’s starting to get to me.
“Then I don’t want anything.”
I say and he just nods his head he moves his hands like he wants to say something but stops himself and that when I catch a glimpse of the read and white beads on this wrist just like the ones that Lwandle had around her ne-ck and wrists.
“You need to eat.”
He says and I just shake my head indicating that I don’t want any food. He just nods his head and goes out closing the door behind him.
I’m now left alone again and I hate the fact that I won’t be able to go home without Lwandle’s approval and I’m sure my mother is worried sick where ever she is.
………………..
I feel like someone is watching me and when I wake up I find Lwandle looking at me. I decided to sleep because I was starting to get frustrated with being in this room and not doing anything. I sit up and also look at her.
“Why don’t you want to eat?”
She asks me and I didn’t think that guy would go and eat me out like that. I thought it was between me and him.
“I’m not hungry.”
I say- I would have not answered her but I remembered what went down when I didn’t answer her and I didn’t want a repeat of that. I hate being shouted at because when someone is shouting at me I feel like crying an when I cry my breathing changes.
“You didn’t eat the whole day today bese uthi you not hungry”
She says and she sounds like she is getting angry. When I look at her now I notice her grey eyes and how they compliment her slightly brown tone.
“I just want to go home.”
I say to her.
“You still not in good shape maybe tomorrow you will be fine and I went to your house and told your mother where you are so don’t worry about that.”
She says looking at me.
“How did you know where I stay?”
I ask her because I don’t remember telling her where I stay and I’m very sure she did not find me near my house.
“I just knew.”
Is all she says before bending next to the bed and taking a plate-a metal plate.
Who still uses metal plates in this time of living. There is rice and beef stew and I can now feel that I’m hungry.
“Thatha idla”-take and eat
She says handing me the plate and I just take it so that there is no commotion between us.
I start eating and the food is nice who ever cooks is a really good cook I must say.
“Are you a sangoma?”
I mouth does it again. Where is works against my brain and I talk without thinking about what I’m saying.
“Cha I’m not.”
She says surprising me because I didn’t think that she would answer me.
“But the..”
I say and stop my self midsentence because I don’t want to offend her in anyway.
“But?”
She asks me.
“The drums and the beads.”
I say in a low voice and I don’t think she heard me.
“I can communicate with abadala.”
She says and I’m surprised that she heard me.
“Ohhh.”
Is all I say before I continue with my eating. After sometime I’m done eating and I give her the plate.
“What should I do while I wait to get better?”
I ask her after she has taken the plate from me.
“Rest it will help you heal fas-ter.”
She says like what I just said is not important.
“I have been sleeping since I got here I’m getting tired.”
I tell her.
Can I go with you?”
I add when she says nothing.
“You want to go with me?”
She asks laughing a little and I see her teeth. She has braces and they make her look even more beautiful.
“Yebo I’m bored lana.”
I tell her and she just nods her head and walks towards me. She gives me her hand and I take it and balance with her as I move from the bed and stand up.
I’m not wearing any shoes but she starts walking with me balancing with her and we walk out the hut.
I close my eyes a little because of the sun being too bright for them and when I open them I look around and we are at the far end of the compound. I can see a big house up the compound as we start walking.
“This place looks big.”
I say as the main house is coming into view.
“Yah I guess.”
She says and I can see a figure coming towards us and when the person comes into clear view for me I can tell it’s the prince.
“OMG you the princess uLangalibalele!”
I say loud moving from her. It does not make sense because the guy who came into the room earlier said she was Lwandle.
“You will hurt yourself come let me help you walk.”
She says in a calm voice and I shake my head. I can’t believe I’m inside the royal house.
“Sisi is she better?”
The prince asks looking at me.
“Cha but she is getting better.”
She tells him and comes to me and helps me walk. I don’t have any energy to say anything because this revelation is shocking me. We keep walking and they are chatting up a storm like I’m not next to her till we are inside the royal house.
She helps me sit on the couch and it feels really comfortable than the bed.
“I’m coming.”
She says and walks out and now I’m left with the prince.
I hear ululation behind me and when I look is the queen with the king.
“You finally brou-ght a wife home.”
The king says and I’m shocked.
.
.
Tbc