“What did you see in your dream, Siba?” Zinhle asked, but instead of answering, I just kept quiet because I didn’t want to tell them anything.

“Was your dream about that forest?” Thando asked.

Before answering, I looked at her with a surprised look on my face. “No!” I replied while walking away from them.

Later that day, I felt like going to the forest since everyone was inside. I walked alone, and while I was looking on the sides, I heard some noises. I sighed in relief when I realised it was the leaves. Feeling relieved, I kept walking until I saw some strange and huge tree, and something kept drawing my attention to it.

‘should I go or not?’ I thought to myself, and while I was thinking, I saw someone sitting on the tree facing the other direction. “Hello,” I greeted with a relief, knowing that at least there was someone there.

“What are you doing here, you’re not supposed to be here,” he said, still facing the other direction. Since I couldn’t see his face, I decided go closer to him. “Don’t come closer,” he said, still sitting at that tree.

“I just want to see your face,” I said, but instead of answering me, he just kept quiet. After a while, I got frustrated and walked toward him. When I finally got in front of him, my jaw dropped. I had never seen such a handsome guy before, and I just froze with my eyes glued on him and didn’t move an inch.

“It’s rude to stare, Sbahle,” he said.

“What?” I thought to myself. “Who the hell told him my name because I’ve never met him before, because if I did, I’m pretty sure I’d remember this handsome face of his.”

“How do you know my name?” I asked, and when he faintly smiled, I just looked at him amazed.

“I know you, but you don’t remember anything, I see,” he replied, looking at me right in the eyes as if there was something of his there.

“What are you talking about?” I asked him, but instead of answering, he stood up and started walking away. After a while, I heard some people calling my name, and when the voices sounded familiar, I thought it was my cousins.

“Siba! Siba! Where are you? Please show yourself,” they both called out in unison, but I just ignored them because I knew my way home.

“I think you should go to them,” the guy said, but I just looked at him with a smile on my face. Soon after that, I saw the girls.

“We’ve been looking for you,” Thando said.

Instead of answering them, I turned around to look for the guy, but he was no longer there. I searched for him, but nothing, and I didn’t even get to know his name.

“What are you looking for?” Zinhle asked.

“Nothing, so let’s go home,” I said. I continued searching for him after that, but I soon realised that he got scared and left without any notice.

“You’re lucky we didn’t tell anyone that you’re not home, or else you’d be in trouble,” Thando said.

“Thank you sis, I just wanted some fresh air,” I said.

Thando looked at me in disbelief after my answer, but she didn’t say anything. I thought she didn’t trust Zinhle because she didn’t ask anything afterwards, she just nodded. After a while, we got home and joined everyone.

“Aren’t you girls hungry?” my mom asked.

“I’m dying of hunger aunty,” Zinhle replied.

Zinhle was always hungry, and she could eat for the whole of Africa if given the chance. We laughed at her, then we had breakfast with everyone. Throughout the breakfast, though, my mind was far away.

“Oh no, I forgot to ask the name,” I said out loud.

“What name Sbahle?” my mom asked.

“Oh no, they heard me,” I thought to myself. “What am I going to tell them now?”

“Some girl we met yesterday,” Thando said.

She had saved me once again, and I thought she might know something. “I must ask her,” I thought. “But no, let me wait for her to ask about all that happened.”

“Oh, you made friends already?” my aunt asked with a little joy.

Instead of answering her, I just faked a smile. “If only you knew, aunty, that it was actually a guy,” I thought while smiling. “And a handsome guy, at that.”

We later finished with breakfast, and my cousin’s helped me clean. We went to the kitchen, and when Zinhle left, I was left with Thando. “Why did you go there, Sbahle?” Thando asked.

I knew she wouldn’t stop until she got her answer, so I wondered what to do. “I just wanted some fresh air,” I said, trying to avoid looking at her.

“Liar, I know you. So, when you said show yourself in your dream, who were you talking to?” she asked further.

“No one, Thando,” I answered, trying to walk away from her, but she grabbed my arm.

“Are you sure?” she asked with a concerned look on her face.

I looked down and gathered myself. “Definitely,” I said.

She nodded, but I knew she was just pretending to be OK with my answer. She left me standing in the kitchen, and I thought about that handsome guy again. “Will I ever see him again?” I thought to myself, because I actually longed to see him again.

Tell us: Do you think the handsome guy Sbahle met in the forest was one of the spirits her grandmother warned her about?