“Luvuyo!” he screamed in glee as he hugged the unsettled soul tightly. “I knew I would see you again!” Lukhanyiso couldn’t believe that his one and only friend was standing in front of him, again.

“Lukhanyiso, you don’t understand how lonely I have been here. I’ve spent a year wondering around this quiet and ghostly segment.” Luvuyo said as he looked at Lukhanyiso with a smile. “The fog makes us visible; we dead people are only visible if there is a fog. This is the first fog since I died.”

“What? You died! When? How did you die?” Lukhanyiso asked as he looked at his Luvuyo

“After I died, I lost all my memory except for one… and that memory is of a woman who is hugging me, we are both happy in the beach, you are around but you are playing with sea-shells; I think that woman is my mother. I need to see her; maybe I can retain all of my memory.” Luvuyo said as he took Lukhanyiso’s hand.

“I will take you to her.” Lukhanyiso turned to look at the name of the street and smiled, he then started counting the houses and stopped on the 4th house, it was blue. “Come on.” He pulled him forward.

They walked forward, “Your mother won’t be able to see you. How are you guys going to see each other?” Lukhanyiso asked.

“Well unsettled souls have the ability to connect with a living person through dreams. I can only talk to her if I enter inside her head once she is asleep.” Luvuyo said as he was pulled forward by Lukhanyiso.

“Oh, that’s great!” Lukhanyiso said, “I really missed you so much, since you’ve been gone I realised that you were the only person who played with me, I’ve been very lonely.” Lukhanyiso informed.

“Oh, well I am here now.” Luvuyo said with a smile, “I want you to have this, it was buried in Mount Myezweni, and it is an aquatic amulet. Promise me that you’ll always wear it and never forget me.” Luvuyo said as he stood in front of Lukhanyiso, holding up a necklace with a purple stone which shone a luminous light after Luvuyo took it out of his pocket.

“Wow… that is very beautiful Luvuyo. I promise you that I will always wear it and will never forget you. I couldn’t even forget you even if I wanted to.” Lukhanyiso smiled at Luvuyo.

Lukhanyiso lowered his head and Luvuyo placed the chain with the amulet on Lukhanyiso’s neck. The amulet beamed a fierce light before Luvuyo let go of the amulet. “It has been passed on to you.” Luvuyo smiled.

Lukhanyiso hugged Luvuyo; they shared one last hug before the footsteps came back from a distance.

“Lukhanyiso I need to see my mother fast.” Luvuyo said as he broke the hug,

Lukhanyiso looked back and pulled Luvuyo to the blue house and opened the gate. They marched inside the yard and stood in front of the door. Lukhanyiso opened it but it didn’t open. “Sherbet! It is locked. What are we going to do?”

“Leave that to me,” Luvuyo smiled and closed his eyes. He then walked straight into the door and disappeared inside. Lukhanyiso was amazed at what just happened, his jaw descended to the red stoep.

He then heard a click and the door opened from inside, Luvuyo stood inside the house and smirked at Lukhanyiso.

“You always surprised me while you were alive, and you still do.” Lukhanyiso complemented with a smile as he walked inside the house and closed the door behind him. “Your mother’s bedroom is below the passage, come quick.” He whispered as he walked past Luvuyo who trailed behind.

They walked silently to a door that was left open. Lukhanyiso stood in front of the door and motioned Luvuyo to enter inside.

Luvuyo entered and walked to the bed as he saw his mother sleeping, she looked like she was crying. Her face was different compared to the image of her from Luvuyo’s memory. It was her though, Luvuyo was sure of it. Tears gushed down his face as he stared at his mother. Lukhanyiso stood behind Luvuyo.

“Oh Luvuyo!” he remembered as he took out the photo of his mother inside his blue coat, “Have you seen her before? I really need her to see my father so that he can be happy again,”

“Yes I know her. She is the woman who chased you. She is outside my home just now, waiting for you. I thought she wanted to hurt you that is why I threw stones at her earlier, why I protected you.” Luvuyo said as he looked at the picture of Lukhanyiso’s mother, “Is she your mother?”

“Yes. She is my mother.” He smiled, “Sorry that I interrupted you with your moment, continue please.”

Luvuyo nodded and turned to look at his mother, he then stretched his hand and touched her forehead with the palm of his hand. His body then turned to glittering white dust which entered inside the forehead of Luvuyo’s mother.

As the seconds progressed Lukhanyiso saw how the face of Luvuyo’s mother changed from misery to glee. Her face looked younger and radiated with joy, whatever she was dreaming really cleansed away the agony. A tear even fell from her eye while she closed them… after a long time a void opened above her.

The void was white and discharged warmth and serenity onto the room, Lukhanyiso watched the void glow brighter and brighter as it attracted him, his heart was joyous. Then after the void opened on the ceiling, silvery white mist came out the heart of Luvuyo’s mother and it morphed into a blissful Luvuyo. “I guess this is it Lukhanyiso. Take care of yourself. I love you!” Luvuyo elevated to the ceiling, tears gushed down his face while looking at Lukhanyiso.

“Goodbye Luvuyo, I will always treasure the time we shared. I love you.” Lukhanyiso waved goodbye at Luvuyo as they looked at each other for the last time, until Luvuyo entered inside the void, the purple amulet glowed brighter as Luvuyo teleported inside the void.

Tears streamed down from Lukhanyiso’s face and he walked out of the house with happiness which was accompanied by sadness. He was sad that the only person he loved (apart from his father) was gone, he was happy that he had gone to heaven.

He opened the door, stepped out and closed it behind him. His heart stopped beating as a body emerged from the fog… he saw his mother.

She stood on the street, far away from the house. She wore the exact purple dress and had the same physical features as Lukhanyiso.

Lukhanyiso stood there for a minute and studied her… more tears filled his face as he looked at his mother for the first and probably the last time. He then broke into a run and charged at his mother who opened her arms as she knelt down to her son’s height.

TOUCH!

LOVE!!!

Lukhanyiso’s heart was at ease now after Luvuyo left him, he missed him already but he was happy now. Lukhanyiso’s mother snapped her head to the left then broke the lock and knelt down to look at Lukhanyiso’s dark eyes.

“Son, the fog is moving now. Take me home, before it passes Ngonyama Segment!” Lukhanyiso’s mother uttered as her voice reverberated inside Lukhanyiso’s mind, her voice was hypnotic and tranquil, “Lukhanyiso if the fog moves away I will be trapped here forever, I need to tell your father something important about us. That is why I haven’t passed on, I need to talk to him so that both our hearts can finally let go… so that we can continue. Please, take me to your father.”

“I will take you home, mama.” Lukhanyiso said and pulled her.

They both entered the mist, but Lukhanyiso knew where he was going. They reached the house and rushed inside, silently though. Lukhanyiso led his mother to his father’s bedroom and pushed the door open and they entered inside silently. Lukhanyiso’s mother walked forward and stood next to him. She then smiled and looked back at Lukhanyiso. She extended her hand and touched her husband’s forehead with the palm of her hand. She then altered to glittering white dust and entered inside the forehead. Lukhanyiso watched again the process of losing someone he loved dearly, the void opened on the ceiling and Lukhanyiso began to have mixed emotions; he was happy, angry and sad… he wanted his mother to stay longer.

The glittering dust elevated out of his body and Lukhanyiso’s mother smiled at her son after the dust morphed back into the body. “I am proud of you Lukhanyiso. Keep your father safe and make sure that you have a beautiful life. In the morning, you should talk to him about his dreams. You are so strong, I am proud of you. I love you son.” She waved her hand as her body entered inside the void and disappeared into heaven, the amulet glowed stronger again.

Lukhanyiso’s heart was shattered into pieces. He climbed on his father’s bed and cried a river as he realised his fate and how hard it was going to be. He became sleepy. The amulet glowed after Lukhanyiso closed his eyes. It cleansed all the sadness from his heart and replaced it with peaceful and blissful memories of Luvuyo and his mother. The amulet was powerful and mystical, it had powers that needed to be uncovered and they were going to be, the amulet was the only tool Lukhanyiso needed for his journey, his kismet. As he slept on that bed he knew that he was destined to help unsettled souls teleport to heaven. He accepted it and embraced his Kismet.

***

Help our first time writer: What is your Kismet? What would you do if you could see ghosts?