Thandi was wounded. Why didn’t Aunty Musa leave her where she found her as a baby? She wondered. It hurt her badly. She thought, I must run away and never be found, maybe they would be happy.

She packed her tattered clothes and worn out blanket in a bag. She also took some food and left her home quietly. She didn’t want to be heard or seen leaving.

It was 3 a.m. when she left the house and walked down the street. Along the way she found a woman waiting for transport. She sat at the same spot only farther from the woman because she was scared. Cars passed by, but none of them stopped. A while later a lorry stopped to pick up the woman who had been standing on the roadside with her. Upon hearing that the lorry was headed for Harare she thought, Uncle Timothy will never find me there. Thandi snuck into the lorry like a thief. There were women sitting in front with the driver, she lowered her head and slept while it drove off.

Being woken up by the scorching sun, Thandi found that she was in a city. She would drop out when the lorry stopped, she thought. There were tall buildings everywhere, the driver then stopped the lorry and he went inside a shop. She noticed the women were no more inside the lorry. She had been sleeping the whole time.

She stood there scared while the street was busy with lot of people going up and down. She walked slowly watching everything in the city. She saw a corridor between two buildings and sat there while people moved up and down about their day. Thandi took her food out of her bag and ate while staring at the side street where people were moving.

“Who are you and what you doing in our territory?” a voice said next to her.

Thandi turned and saw a group of four boys.

“She got food,” another voice said.

She stood still and she was shaking scared that they would beat her. A boy who looked like the leader snatched her bag from her and they shared her food among themselves. Another one, he was tall, took her by the hand.

“She’s going to be my toy,” he said.

“No Rasta, she is ours,” the one who snatched her food from her said.

Rasta took her to their hiding place. He told Thandi to remove her tattered skirt and panties. She was frightened.

“Do as I say or do you want me to kill you?” He shouted.

Thandi removed her skirt and panties. Then Rasta climbed on top of her and raped her. The other boys came and cheered Rasta on. Then they all gang raped her. Her soul was lost, why did she have to suffer like this? She wished she had stayed at Aunty Musa’s house; though Uncle Timothy raped her, it was better than four boys.

The boys tortured her every day. She only ate at night. While they roamed around, a boy called Fire watched her so she didn’t escape. She had to make a plan soon. They gang raped her every day. The boys smoked glue and did all sorts of drugs. Rasta once gave Thandi cocaine, she sniffed it and she didn’t feel a thing when they gang raped her. The next morning, she had regrets; she had to run away again. Life wasn’t fair anymore. One day Fire was guarding her, he looked tired.

“Don’t go anywhere, I’m going to lie down for a bit, we will find you and kill you if you do,” he said showing her the knife at his neck.

She was scared, all alone and abandoned; now the gang wanted to make her suffer more. She stood up and saw Fire sleeping on a cardboard box. Thandi moved quietly until she was far. She ran, looking behind her to see if they followed.

She escaped them fast but she was hungry, hopeless and didn’t even know where to go. But she knew someone would help her. She didn’t know how the robots worked and passed while it was red, a car bumped into her and she collapsed. She woke up feeling a lot of pain in her leg. She saw that she was in hospital and felt confused. A white lady stood at the end of her bed looking at her.

“Child what is your name?” Mrs Daniels asked.

“Thandi,” she answered.

“Where are your parents? Where do you stay and why were you running in the streets?” Mrs Daniels asked holding her hand.

“I don’t have parents; I don’t know my mother and father,” she answered. Thandi went on to tell her about her being abandoned in a park as a baby, who looked after her and how Aunty Musa treated her. Mrs Daniels had sympathy and tears in her eyes.

“I don’t know what to do, I feel lost and hopeless,” Thandi said stricken. It was a pain she never forgot. She went on to tell her about the boys from the streets.

“I will look after you, I have two grown children and you are so young,” Mrs Daniels said putting her hand on Thandi’s shoulder. Mrs Daniels had a good heart and paid her hospital bills.

Mrs Daniels told the nurses, “I am taking her home with me.” When she told Thandi her plans, Thandi was afraid that they would treat her the same as Aunty Musa and Uncle Timothy did.

“Can you promise me you will love me and never abandon me?” She asked pitifully.

“I’m serious baby girl. Yes, I promise you with all my heart,” Mrs Daniels answered and gave her a hug.

Thandi was taken in by Mrs Daniels and everything went well. She now attends a school in Avondale, but her memories fade each day. Mrs Daniels showed her more love than anyone ever had. Thandi wanted a family like that. Would she ever find her biological mother with no name and no picture? She would sometimes wonder.

Mrs Daniels was a widow and treated Thandi like royalty. Thandi felt protected and safe once again, maybe Uncle Timothy was also raped as a child? She thought. She now felt at peace.

***

Tell us what you think: What do you think happens to other abandoned kids like Thandi?