Zinhle looked through the fence but all she could see were closed curtains and doors. What if he is hiding something in there and doing illegal things like drugs, she wondered. She would sit every afternoon near the fence between the two yards. Once, she heard a cry coming from the house towards sunset.

“Karabo… Karabo… I heard a cry,” she called to him as she ran towards her house.

Karabo was sitting reading the newspaper, he looked up and sighed. He was tired of thinking about the man next door. If they kept snooping on him they would end up in trouble.

“Woman, stop interfering. Let’s mind our own business,” he pleaded.

“I heard a girl’s cry. We should help her,” she begged.

“How do you know it’s a real girl’s voice?” he asked.

“Baba, remember the girl who was raped and she didn’t get help because we ignored it? I don’t want same thing to happen to any girl ever again,” she said nervously.

Karabo stood up and hugged her. He kept patting her but he didn’t want to get in trouble because the old man had confirmed who the neighbour is. It was good to suspect without evidence.

“Let’s do this: if you hear another cry, we call the police, OK?” he said looking at his wife’s petrified face.

She nodded with hope.

*****

Tumi went to the bar and left the gate open. Zinhle watched him drive off and it was already dark. She looked for her husband is and he was still reading his newspaper. She quickly ran to Tumi’s house.

Surprisingly the door was unlocked too. She opened it slowly, making sure no sound came from it. All the inside lights were left on. In the lounge were papers on the table, the room and the kitchen were clean. She saw a closed door and tried opening it with no success.

She looked through the keyhole and saw tiny feet.

“Who could that be?” she asked herself quietly.

She checked again and remembered the cry. She heard the loud rumbling of the car and ran out. She hid in the garden and hid behind small trees, the lights outside were switched off so she took advantage. She saw the car by the gate. After he drove inside she ran inside her yard, not even bothering to lock her own gate. She breathed fast and looked frightened and was met by her husband at the door.

“Zinhle, where were you? Why are you running?”

“I saw a snake and I couldn’t lock the gate,” she lied, breathing fast.

Karabo got hold of a thick stick and went to investigate but couldn’t find the snake. He kept looking in the grass where his wife had directed him but still no sign of a snake. He locked the gate and walked slowly back to his house.

There was loud music playing from next door then suddenly it was switched off. He ignored it until he heard a voice.

“I miss my mom…I want to go home!” a girl’s voice shouted, distraught.

“Shut up, I will kill you!” a male voice said. It was the same voice from the guy next door. He listened closely.

“Please don’t hurt me…Oooooowww, it’s painful…Please stop!”

There were loud smacks coming from the house and suddenly it was quiet. Karabo now knew someone’s life was in danger.

He waited to hear more but the voices disappeared. He kept peeking through the fence, all the lights of the house were switched off. He touched his chin and realised that Zinhle was right.

“I heard a child’s voice, a girl,” he said worriedly.

Zinhle felt guilty and sat next to Karabo. He didn’t like what he is seeing, what did Zinhle do?

“I saw his gate unlocked and the house too. There is someone in that house,” she confessed.

“You invaded his house, woman. That will put us in trouble,”

“That girl is in danger, we have to help her,” she stood up angrily.

“We will alert the police tomorrow,” he said hugging her tightly.

***

Tell us: Do you think they should wait till morning to call the police?