SOMETHING IN THE WATER

 

SOMETHING IN THE WATER 

BY  MATSHIDISO P TALENG 

Every evening when Mathapelo came home from playing with her friends her dress would always be muddy, her mother would always ask her where she’s been playing. ‘’By the river Mom’’ she’d reply. Mathapelo was only 7 years old and her mother didn’t like the idea Of her playing by the river, but because she was going there with other older kids, she let her  Be. Mathapelo was a shy young girl and had an imaginary friend that went with her everywhere. At night when the family would sit in the lounge and watch television, Mathapelo would be in her room playing with ‘’Pinky’’ the imaginary friend 

Her older brother Kamo who was 12years old, would always come in Mathapelo’s room and tease her by throwing away the   tea set she had prepared for her and Pinky, telling her that she should stop her nonsense because Pinky didn’t exist. Mathapelo would go crying to their mother and asked her to tell Kamo to stop. But now, Nthabiseng (The mother) was still worried about this imaginary friend.

The next day, Mathapelo went to play by the river again, only this time she went Alone. She was playing and singing to ‘’pinky’’ as she was busy singing, she heard a voice  Singing along with her, she stopped singing to listen carefully,

the voice stopped singing. She Looked around and there was no one, the river was a bit far from the neighbourhood and  

There was a very long grass therefore no one would be able to see her when they were passing 

By, the grass was long and scary, so you’d wonder what it was like during the night, more So; why would a seven year old find this place nice for them to play at? Mathapelo realised that she was alone, so she continued to sing, she heard the voice singing with her again, She stopped, then sang again, this time she wanted to sing so that she hears where the voice  Was coming from, she heard the voice, she slowly got up from the rock she was sitting on, 

And followed the melodious voice, the voice became louder as she came got closer, the  voice 

Came from the river, Mathapelo was not even aware that she was now going into the river  Because of this voice. And then she suddenly heard her mother calling her name. she got

Frightened a little because now she was zoned up to this beautiful melodise voice that was  Singing along with her, she even got scared as she saw herself in the river. She stood there  Looking scared wondering how she got in there. Mathapelo quickly got out of the water and 

Ran home. ‘’Where have you been, don’t you realise it’s late?’’ Nthabiseng asked ‘’I’m sorry mommy, I was by the river’’ she said 

‘’But I went to your friend’s house and he says he hasn’t seen you today’’ said Nthabiseng ‘’I went alone mommy, actually I went with Pinky’’ She said 

‘’Don’t you ever go there alone ever again, you hear me’’ Nthabiseng shouted ‘’I’m sorry mommy’’ she sobbed 

That night, Nthabiseng went to bed angry and scared for her daughter, wondering what if Something had happened to her. 

The next day, it was Nthabiseng’s off day and she decided to go see Gogo Noma across the  Road to find out about that river.

She found Gogo Noma sitting alone in the sun, sowing a jersey for her grandson. ‘’Good Morning Gogo, how are you today?’’ Nthabiseng greeted her while finding a nice Comfortable space on the lawn next to her to sit on. 

‘’Hello my child, what a nice surprise to see you here, is everything okay? How are the  Kids?’’ Gogo Noma asked her 

‘’The kids are fine Gogo but I’m very worried about Mathapelo, she’s doing strange things  Lately that I just don’t understand, that’s why I came here to see if maybe you can’t help me In figuring out what the problem might be’’ She said 

‘’Okay, talk to me, what is she doing?’’Gogo asked 

‘’Well Gogo, she likes going to the river these days, at first she used to go with her friends  And now suddenly she’s going alone, she also has this imaginary friend and ever since she  Had this imaginary friend. Mathapelo has become rebellious. I’m scared for my daughter  Gogo because I heard that there’s something in that water that just takes people and kill them,

So I’m at work every day, her brother is always with his friends, the schools are not open  yet, 

So there’s no one to actually watch her’’ said Nthabiseng  

‘’So you want her to come stay here for a while?’’ Gogo asked 

‘’Yes Gogo, please and make sure that she doesn’t go out the gate’’ pleaded Nthabiseng ‘’I don’t have a problem at all my child, but if you must know, there’s nothing that can harm  Mathapelo in that water, Mathapelo has to undergo an initiation’’ Said Gogo Noma ‘’Initiation? What do you mean?’’ asked the confused Nthabiseng 

‘’Yes, she has to become a sangoma, in that river there’s what we call a ‘’Ndau Spirit’’ so  That spirit is the one spirit that keeps making the child to keep going there, she goes there to  Visit the ancestors; even that imaginary friend that you’re talking about, it’s not imaginary,  It’s an ancestor, Mthapelo sees the ancestor vividly’’ said Gogo Noma 

‘’But Gogo, we don’t believe in those things and besides, Mathapelo is still way too young to  understand all of this’’ Said Nthabiseng 

‘’She might be young, but spiritually she’s not’’ said Gogo Noma

You could see by the way Nthabiseng was looking at Gogo Noma that she didn’t want to hear  

All of that because that was the last thing on her mind and she didn’t want to admit that her  daughter had a calling. 

Gogo Noma was a sangoma so, a part of Nthabiseng wanted to believe what Gogo was telling Her, but she was in denial because as she said; they don’t believe in ‘’those things’’ ‘’Your Daughter has to go there whether you like it or not, she’s still going to disappear for  

Months and when that day comes, you and your family shouldn’t cry. In fact even now as we  speak, she is not at home’’ Said Gogo Noma. 

‘’No, she’s at home, I left her with her brother’’ She said 

‘’I wasn’t asking you’’ said Gogo Noma 

Nthabiseng quickly went back home to check if her daughter was there. ‘’Kamo where’s your sister?’’ she asked 

‘’I thought she was with you’’ Said Kamo 

‘’No I left her sleeping in her room’’ she said 

You could see the panic in her eyes, not knowing what to do, she then ran back to Gogo  Noma’s house

‘’She’s not there, Mathapelo is not at home’’ she cried 

‘’don’t cry, they won’t bring her back’’ Said Gogo Noma 

‘’So what do you suggest I do?’’ she asked 

‘’We wait, right now let’s go to your house and wait for her to come back’’ Said Gogo Noma 

They went back to Nthabiseng’s house and waited, Nthabiseng was staring at the door all the  time hoping to see her daughter walking in. 

At the river, Mathapelo was sitting on this huge rock by the river, singing. This time,  ‘’Pinky’’ taught her some few songs. 

As she got to memories the songs, she started singing this one particular song repeatedly It was a traditional song that she fell in love with instantly, as she continued singing this song She started hearing drums and as if there were other people singing with her, she followed  

The voices, not realising that she was walking in to the river, Pinky was holding her by the  hand as she was walking into this river. 

The voices became louder and louder as she was going further in to this water, she saw  something glittering in the water, as she leaned down to try and pick this thing up from the  inside of river, something strange happened.

She saw herself in a room, with a woman she doesn’t know and Pinky sitting next to this  woman. The room was slightly dark but they had a candle on. 

‘’Welcome, my child, you finally arrived’ ’Said the old woman 

‘’Who are you?’’ Mathapelo asked 

‘’I’m your grate grandmother Khalisabantwana’’ said the old woman  

‘’Okay, but what are you doing here with Pinky? pinky is my friend’’ Said Mathapelo 

‘’This is Nolwandle, your guardian, she has been protecting you all this time and making sure  that you come here to me so that I give you this gift’’ said the old woman 

‘’A gift, what gift’’ she asked 

Khalisa gave her these tiny beads that were transparent, and she put them around her arm  wrists, feet and neck. 

‘’From now on, your name is no longer Mathapelo, your name is Nolwandle, and you are  going to heal people, but first you’re going to go home and tell your mother that we are going  to take you again for some time, then she will have to save some money and prepare a  ceremony for your home coming’’ said the old woman 

‘’But why are you going to take me Gogo? For how long? Why are you giving me Pinky’s  name? I want my mommy’’ Mathapelo cried 

‘’I’m giving you this name because initially it is yours, we sent Pinky to you so that you get  comfortable with her till you agree to come to us then she can hand over the name that we  borrowed her’’ said Gogo Khalisabantwana

‘’I want to go home’’ Mathapelo cried 

‘’Don’t cry my child, you are going to be rich and have everything you ever wished for in  life’’ she said 

As she said that, the drums started playing again and Mathapelo blacked out. 

She woke up in her home, Her mother, brother and Gogo Noma were there trying to wake her  up. 

‘’Thank God you woke up, are you okay?’’ her mother asked 

‘’Yes mommy, I am fine’’ said Mathapelo 

‘’Baby girl, where have you been?’’ she asked her 

‘’The river mommy’’ she said 

‘’What did I say about that river Mathapelo?’’ she asked angrily  

‘’Nolwandle, my name is Nolwandle now’’ said Mathapelo 

Nathabiseng looked at Gogo Noma 

‘’Good evening Gogo Nolwandle, how nice to finally meet you’’ said Gogo Noma while  kneeling down to her

‘’What’s going on? And why do you have beats all over you?’’ the confused Nthabiseng  asked 

‘’This is what got me to the river mommy, it’s what Gogo Khalisabantwana had for me, but  she said I should tell you that they’re still going to take me, and you must prepare a ceremony  for my homecoming when I come back’’ Said Mathapelo 

‘’Gogo Noma, can you please explain what this child is busy saying to me’’ said Nthabiseng ‘’Do you know this Gogo Khalisabantwana?’’ Gogo Noma asked her 

‘’No, I don’t’’ she Nthabiseng 

They asked Mathapelo to describe this Gogo Khalisabantwana to them, Mathapelo described  her 

Nathabiseng, got up and went to fetch a very old family photo album, and showed Mathapeo  this other picture in there. 

‘’Did that Gogo look like this one?’’ She asked her 

‘’Yes mommy, that’s her, that’s Gogo Khalisabantwana 

‘’MY GOD! That’s her, that’s my mother’s mother’’ Nthabiseng said shockingly ‘’Well, there you have it then, this Gogo is not a stranger to you guys’’ said Gogo Noma ‘’Mom, what’s happening?’’ Kamo asked

‘’Kamo, your sister has to become a sangoma’’ said Nthabiseng 

‘’But how? She’s still young mom, don’t let her go there mom, please don’t’’ Kamo pleaded  ‘’Spiritually, she’s not’’ Said Gogo Noma 

‘’So what’s the next step now Gogo?’’ Nthabiseng asked her 

‘’Right now, since you’re now calm about the situation and accepting it, we can now wait for  them to take Gogo Nolwandle and we stay behind to prepare for the ceremony’’ Said Gogo  Noma 

‘’I doubt I’ll ever get used to be calling her with that name, so what actually happened for  you to go to the river again after I had reprimanded you to?’’ she asked Mathapelo 

‘’Pinky told me to, she said Gogo is calling me’’ said Mathapelo 

‘’I told you that there was no imaginary friend here’’ said Gogo Noma 

‘’I am defeated, you know Gogo. This Gogo Khalisabantwana, was a sangoma too and I  remember my mom always liked to tell me about her and how great she was with people, I  can see that there is no turning back nor running away from this at all’’ Said Nthabiseng 

‘’It’s good that you’re not refusing anymore about this, now everything from now on will run  very smoothly, you’ll see’’ said Gogo Noma 

Days went by and Mathapelo was still there, Nthabiseng had called more of their extended  family and explained the situation.

Others didn’t understand but others were supportive of everything, so since they didn’t know  the exact date that Mathapelo was going to leave, they just decided to do a little ceremony,  just to ask from the ancestors to guide and protect her through the journey. 

Everything went well and people in the village came in numbers, they lived in a very small  village, so things like this was not things you would just tell anyone. 

It was something very sacred, therefore it had to be kept a secret. So when people asked what  the ceremony was for, they’d just say they’re giving thanks to the ancestors. 

That evening after the ceremony was over, Mathapelo was crying about a terrible headache,  her mother gave her some medicine and took her to bed. 

As the night went, the weather started changing, there was a lot of wind, a very cold wind  that later created a heavy rain and thunderstorms, it was a mess. 

Nathabiseng quickly closed all the windows and the door, Kamo helped him. so because  Kamo was scared of lightning, he went to his mother’s bedroom for his mother’s comfort.  While Mathapelo was sleeping peacefully in her room and didn’t hear anything. 

When it had finally stopped raining, everybody came outside to see how bad the rain had  ruined other people’s shacks, Nthabiseng went to check if it didn’t ruin anything in  Mathapelo’s room, she found out that Mathapelo was not in the room. 

She went to check if she wasn’t in Kamo’s room and she wasn’t. then right there and then she  knew that they had taken her. 

She went straight to Gogo Noma and told her 

‘’That storm wasn’t just a storm, it was the ancestors coming to fetch her, so now you know  what to do and what not to do right?’’ Asked Gogo Noma

‘’Yes Gogo I do, I don’t tell anyone in the village until the day when she comes back’’ She  said 

‘’Yes, that’s exactly what you do’’ Sid Gogo Noma 

Months passed by so fast and before they knew it, it was time for Mathapelo to come back  home 

This one night, Nthabiseng had a dream, she dreamed of her grate grandmother giving her  strict instructions on how they should go about preparing for the ceremony. 

In the morning she went to Gogo Noma to tell her about these instructions 

‘’Gogo, I had a dream, they told me that my daughter’s coming home on Saturday’’ she said  excitedly 

‘’Saturday? That’s quick, will you have money to buy a cow?’’ Gogo asked ‘’Yes, I do have the money Gogo, I’ll take from my savings’’ She said ‘’That’s wonderful, so did they give you any instructions?’’ Gogo asked 

‘’Oh, yes, they told me that on Saturday morning, before the sun comes up, I go to the river  with just a few sangomas, and then when we get there we start singing and beating the  drums’’ she said 

‘’True, that’s what should happen. Okay it’s safe to start inviting people to the ceremony  now’’ said Gogo

Nthabiseng left Gogo’s house excited and went door to door telling everyone to come to her  house on Saturday, there was a ceremony happening. 

On the day of the ceremony, the selected sangomas were already at Gogo Noma’s house  since Gogo Noma was also a sangoma and she’s the one that called them, so they all slept at  Gogo Noma’s house together with Nthabiseng. 

At dawn, they all went to the river and started singing and beating the drums just as they were  told. 

In a few minutes of singing and beating the drums, there was a sudden cold breeze, with a huge mist, they almost didn’t even see each other, but they kept on singing 

Just as the mist was gone and now it was clear, they saw Mathapelo laying down on the other side of the river 

One other sangoma went to fetch her, they came back and all went home, everybody was at  the house ready to welcome them 

When they got home, there was too much joy, people were singing and ululating. Mathapelo was now a complete sangoma 

She danced and sang all her favourite songs that she was taught while she was in the water. 

Her mother was the happiest woman on the planet that day, the cow was slaughtered, there was sorghum beer and lots of food, so people drank and had a wonderful feast. welcoming home their beloved Mathapelo, who was now to be called Gogo Nolwandle.