Our arrival at Sindi’s home is welcomed by tears from her family. Her home feels like a haunted place. It is eerily unwelcoming. Her family seems to be dressed in pain. 

Sindi’s sister, Zinhle, takes us inside through the back door and leads us to one of the bedrooms. Two elders – a man and a woman – enter. Zinhle stands next to them with Sindi’s phone in her hand.

“Children, you’re aware that our family has lost a child. We plead with you not to keep any secrets. Tell us everything you know,” says the old man.

Zinhle translates the messages Sindi sent me from English to isiSwati for the elders to understand. 

“What did Sindi mean by all the texts she sent you?” The old man is looking straight into my eyes. I have never witnessed such pain.

I explain what happened but carefully leave out the part about us destroying the tombstone.

The old man shakes his head and is quiet for a while. He sighs and says, “You must tell your parents what happened, so they get you cleansed. You need to wash away the black cloud that could possibly be upon you.”

Zinhle leads us out. At the gate, she hands me a piece of paper. “I found this in Sindi’s room. I don’t understand what is written on it. I thought I should give it to you because it has all your names on the back. Let me know if you understand what it means. But don’t open it here.”

I open the message when we arrive at Toni’s home and read it aloud.

‘All to die except for one, to family then the rest. Only the excepted remains, until I’m given back what is my possession

Ecaf yelims’

“Any ideas, guys?” I ask my friends.

“I don’t think it has any meaning at all,” Zola says.

“‘All to die except for one surely means that all of us are going to die except for one,” says Kabelo.

“But we all survived, except for Sindi. It means that none of us is to die, except for one,” says Toni.

“Yeah, that could be something,” I say.

“What about ‘to family then the rest. Only the excepted remains until I’m given back what is my possession’?” Toni asks.

“I think I have an idea!” says Charity. “Guys, we did destroy Smiley Face’s tombstone.”

“He must be really angry,” says Zola.

“Yes. We took away his possession, and he wants it back,” says Charity.

“We have to replace his tombstone,” we say simultaneously.

“But where in the world are we going to find a tombstone?” asks Kabelo.

“They’re so expensive!” says Charity.

“But it’s not like he had a special tombstone, guys. We need to find a few blocks and some oil paint for the inscription,” I say.

“Even if we’re right, I feel like something will go wrong. We need to ask for help. We have to find someone who can interpret the meaning for us,” Toni says.

“I think I know someone who can help us. My father’s friend has a spiritually gifted son. Maybe he can help us,” says Charity.

“Okay, guys. Let’s go before the sun sets,” says Toni.

We walk thirty minutes and finally get to the place. The spiritually gifted son, Ndumiso, is in his early twenties. We explain what happened in full detail.

“So will you be able to help us, Ndumiso?” Charity asks.

“I’m not sure,” says Ndumiso. “Can I see the letter?”

I hand it to him. He reads it, then closes his eyes. He starts trembling and speaks in a deep voice that is definitely not his. “The words in the letter are a message from the one who has cursed all of you. You are all going to die, except for one. Then all your families will die, together with the rest of your community. You need to replace his tombstone. The last word is his name written in reverse. Now get away from here! I don’t want him detecting you in my home!”

“He can do that?” I ask.

“Of course, he can! Leave before you cause me trouble!” Ndumiso bellows.

We run out of the yard. On the long walk back, our minds are swarmed by questions. What’s next? How much time do we have before Smiley Face’s next attack? Who is next in line?