Magic is as unexplainable deed or event that leaves people speechless. Even though that may be true, I feel it is much more than that. My country, South Africa, is one that is not less than miraculous but when people hear magical they think of the Table Mountain, the Case floral region, Tsitsikama, etc. Not knowing that the smallest and neglected hold the greatest of magic. My hometown, Toleni, is therefore the magic of the world around me.

I might sound melodramatic but I know it is true. The village I grew up in gave me enthusiasm and excitement for a lifetime. This is not because I was just born a child glowing with life and eyes sparkling with passion, but it was miraculous around me. When you walk by my village you can already see it is out of the ordinary. It is because it was blessed by mother nature with the healthiest forest surrounding it and the bluest skies on a summer day. The livestock are as healthy as one would be in their childhood. Mountains and hills are like the most astonishing work of art ever created by mankind, arguably the best sight of the village.

My village is just a breath of fresh air, literally. The scent of it is so heavenly that if an air freshener company could capture it, it would make millions. It has a natural forest scent that the flowers, trees and other plants have a fair share of contribution. It is even better after a rainy day as the amazingly intoxicating smell of the wet soil give grace with its presence, but I cannot talk about something more enchanting than the scent by the clear river where animals and humans share a common love for nature.

The one key element in my village is nature, but I cannot freely talk about it without its symphonies, because nature defines not silence. Being surrounded by a forest was the greatest gift of life as we are lucky to be charmed by the nature’s sounds. No night is ever dull and silent because creatures of the magnificent night caress the villagers’ ears with the most splendid of lullabies. You can never get peace and sweet harmony like the enchanted land I call home.

A village without people cannot be called a community but an abandoned land and nature without people to conserve and care for it perishes. Luckily my village was blessed with the most amiable of all people. From the youngest to the oldest everyone is full of life and love. People are so interdependent that you would swear everyone is related. When walking by you would hear a child saying, “Molo, sisi (good day sister)” because respect and humanity is the virtue of the community. The elders are the pride of the village, their anecdotes flow with wisdom and their advice shows us the way. Who wouldn’t want to live in my village?

Magic means much more in action and my village is the proof. From the rivers, hills, forest and people, every part of my village is significantly enchanting. Be it a breath of fresh air or nature to blow your mind, it is just the magic my village possesses. This goes to show to find magic you need not the biggest of places, but if you look closer, you might find the magic of the world around you.

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