Cock-a-doodle-do! The roosters of Kha-Thedza crow! I know it’s 6 o’clock in the morning. I heard the roosters crow. Phedzi I don’t want to get out of bed. Let me sleep just for a bit, I think to myself. Gugu will wake me up, he always does. “Rhonewa!” Gugu Khakhathi calls out to me. I intentionally don’t respond,  I still want to sleep a little bit more. Can you blame me?  “Rhonewa Manyanga, wake up!” He shouts. Yhuwi, once he calls my name and surname,  it’s serious!(hee hee). I struggle to get out of our titanic ship which we call a bed.

 ‘Our bed’ is at the corner of our 1 room house . I thought I would sleep a bit longer but it only lasted for 5 seconds. Just 5 seconds, Yhuwi! Getting out of bed, I see that  Gugu Khakhathi has prepared everything for me, my bath water, my uniform is nice and clean. As I prepare for school, He cooks porridge for me using the the paraffin stove. It’s always porridge for breakfast (sigh) but I appreciate what we have. I am done preparing for school now. It took me 30 minutes. Of course, I am the cleverest 12 year old boy in the world. Kids my age take years to prepare by themselves (hee hee). 

“Rhonewa, muthanga come and eat your breakfast before it gets cold.” Gugu Khakhathi says. I sit on my green medium-sized plastic chair and eat my breakfast. Ebho, I am so fed up of porridge, I will just gulp it down quickly. As I gulp it in spoonfuls , I look within our 1 room. It’s green walls, our titanic ship of a bed at the corner of the room, our 2 green medium-sized plastic chairs that face each other in the middle of the room, our green medium-sized plastic table that lies between the chairs, our paraffin stove behind the door,  not to mention the giant window next to our door. I’m bored by all of this. I take my last gulp looking at my favourite thing in the whole room. The Holy book, I love the Holy book!

 Whenever I have to leave for school, my friend, Sharon comes by. She comes by so we walk to school together. She’s also 12 years old, loves jokes, has a kind heart and is a great friend. She then on enters our door, “Rhonewa,  we have to go to school. Are you ready? I am, I love Wednesdays!” She says. Oh well, I must leave, I hate school. I wish we were going to church instead (sigh). “Ari thuwe Sharon.” I say to her. We leave for school.

“Muthanga, how was school today?”  Gugu Khakhathi asks me as we talk whilst having dinner on our table. What’s a 12 year old boy who hates school supposed to say? “Ai, it was fine Gugu. How was your day?” I respond. “Mysterious” He respond to me. One thing about Gugu Khakhathi he loves being mysterious, it’s strange at times. I ignore his strange self and go to sleep. I hardly slept… I had an unpleasant dream… In the dream a strange man with a strong, muscular body led me to the forest… I couldn’t  see his face.  I tell Gugu about my dream. “The spirit of deceit is near.” Gugu Khakhathi said to me…