I couldn’t believe my eyes or my ears. This man was offering me to join them in order to end the suffering.

“What?” I screamed.

“Join us in prayer my daughter, and your suffering will end,” the priest said.

I looked closely at him and his face had changed back to normal. The congregants were no longer wearing black but where normal again. The creatures were gone. I must have really hit my head hard when I fell.

My mother, with the help of the priest, helped me up. I walked to the alter and they prayed for me. He laid his hand on my head and he prayed vigorously. As he was praying I could literally feel like fire was escaping from my body. Every part of me felt hot and flushed. I tried to open my eyes but I couldn’t. And then the room went silent.

When I came to I was on my bed. I couldn’t remember how I got there or when we got home. I got up and made my way to the kitchen. I could hear voices coming from the living-room; my mother had guests.

“Oh, you’re up,” my mother said getting up to come to me. “How are you feeling?” she asked putting her hand on my forehead to feel my temperature.

“I’m fine Ma, just hungry,” I said trying to assure her.

She took my hand and led me to the kitchen. I sat down on the kitchen table and she made me a sandwich.

“So, what happened in church?” I asked as I waited for my sandwich.

“Well, you fainted,” she said putting the kettle on.

“Oh, and how did I get home?”

“Mr Thobejane brought us home in his car,” she placed the sandwich in front of me. I dug right in.

I felt like I hadn’t eaten in forever. As I ate, my mother pulled a chair and sat opposite me. I could feel her eyes burning on me. I looked up and she was staring at me, concerned.

“What?” I asked with my mouth full.

“When you were having those horrible visions,” she paused and looked deeper in my eyes. I could sense her worry and it troubled me. So I put the bread down and gave her attention. “You kept saying you don’t want to be Queen,”

I blinked a couple of times trying to make sense of what my mother was saying. I couldn’t remember that part or maybe it was when I had fainted.

“When did I say that?” I asked my mother.

“At the church and on our way back,”

“Oh,” I said, not knowing what else to say. I went back to my sandwich and mother left me to eat in peace.

I wondered about what she said, that I said I didn’t want to be queen. Queen of what? I asked myself. Maybe the demons had asked me to be their queen. After eating I went to lie down. I was feeling better than I had been in a long while but I was still tired. I fell into a deep sleep.

When I opened my eyes again I was not on my bed. I was in a dark, cold place and somehow I knew they had taken me.

“Welcome,” a man said. He was not a scary creature or a ghost looking thing, but a normal man. I was too afraid to speak so I did not dare.

“I have being expecting you for a very long time Lindo, and now you are here,” he said. Suddenly the space we were standing in changed into a forest. There were trees everywhere and the man was now sitting in a chair. It was a weird looking throne made of skeletons.

“Come I have a lot of things to discuss with you,” I still couldn’t speak, fear had griped my heart and I was afraid that if I said anything, I would never see my family again.

“Since you were born you’ve been special. And now it’s time you knew how special you really are,”

Just as he said that, there were people around us bowing down to him. They were singing and worshiping him, singing praises to him as the all-powerful one. Watching closely these people, I could see that they had the outmost respect for him and loved their master. I could feel a strange presence of love so overwhelming that I wanted to cry.

“They could be bowing to you too, Lindo. All you have to do is say yes,”

I swallowed but my mouth was dry.

“Say yes to what?” I managed to ask.

“To being the queen, my dear. To being their beloved mother,” he said waving his hand.