“Baby I need to talk to you about something,” Dumisani said looking at his daughter like he was going to cry.

“Yeah, what’s up dad?” Melokuhle wasn’t even looking at him.

“I’m afraid you can’t enter the show.”

“What? Why not?” Melokuhle asked in anger.

“Your mom said you need to focus on your studies. And besides, you’re my daughter, so that will look like nepotism. The judges won’t like that,” explained her father as he tried to comfort her.

“So whatever mom says goes? Kanti who is the man in this house?” she was hurting and tears filled her eyes. Melokuhle did not wait for her father to answer that question. She took off and went to her bedroom in anger.

She locked her bedroom door and called her confidante.

“Palesa, can I sleep at your place tonight?” Melokuhle asked Pales sounding serious.

“Yes, of course you can. But why do you want to sleep at my place tonight, if you don’t mind me asking?” Palesa asked also with a serious tone.

“Mom won’t let me enter the competition. I want to show her how much this means to me.” Tears filled Melokuhle’s eyes as soon as she said that.

“What?” Palesa was not shocked by this; she just didn’t know how to respond. Melokuhle’s mom was the stricter one between the two parents.

“Palesa! I said mom won’t let me enter the poetry show!” Melokuhle said shouting.

“Tjo! That is bad, but running away from home is not the right way to deal with this.” Palesa said calmly. She was used to Melo’s tantrums.

“Palesa, are you going to help me, yes or no?”

“Yes, I’m going to help you.” Palesa said sadly.

“Thank you.” Melokuhle said.

Melokuhle hung up without even saying goodbye. Then she packed some clothes in her back pack and snuck out through the window into the night.

***Else Where ***

Thembeka, Melokuhle’s mother, was on her way to work when her cell phone rang. “Hello Sisi,” Thembeka answered when she saw who it was calling.

“Thembeka, how are you?” Dumisani’s sister KaMajola asked.

“I am okay sister, your side? Thembeka replied.

“We are okay. Tell me is Melokuhle okay?” Asked her sister in-law without wasting time.

“She was just angry that I refused to let her enter some poetry show, but she will be okay. Why do you ask Sisi?”

“I had a really bad dream about her last night. I thought I should tell you. I know you are her mother but please don’t be too hard on her,” said KaMaJola thinking about the terrible dream.

“Tell me about your dream Sisi please,” Thembeka was now scared, really scared. She knew that KaMaJola’s dreams were real. She would tell you she had a dream about something and it would actually happen.

The one thing that worried Thembeka the most was that she didn’t see her daughter this morning when she left for work. Now her stomach started to turn.

***

Tell us what you think: Could something have happened to Melokuhle when she snuck out? What supernatural beliefs do you believe in?