After school, Sbu and the newly named Airtime went around to Songezwa’s house. It was three blocks away from Sbu’s house, and it was quite a lot bigger.

Song’s mother had gone to university overseas, and met her father there. He was a Korean doctor, and he’d moved to South Africa with her mother when she’d returned home. But they’d broken up when Songezwa was very young, and he went back to Korea, and Songezwa had grown up alone with her mother.

They knocked on the door of the house, and Songezwa’s mother opened it. Sbu was surprised to see how tired she looked.

“Hello Mama. Is Songezwa around?”

“I’m afraid not, no. Song and I just had an argument.”

“Do you know where she is?” asked Airtime.

“I don’t know. She could be at Mr Erasmus’s house.”

“Really?” said Sbu. “Our teacher?”

“Yes, she’s been doing extra lessons with him. Didn’t she tell you?”

Sbu shook his head.

“If you see her, please tell her to come home, ne? Tell her I’m not angry any more, I’m just worried.”

She gave them directions. It was a short taxi ride to Mr Erasmus’s house, and on the way, Airtime was doubtful.

“She’s not going to be there,” he said. “Mr Erasmus said he was looking for her.”

“Ja,” said Sbu. “But I want to find out more about these extra lessons. I’ve never heard of them.”

Mr Erasmus lived in a one-story house with peeling green paint. They knocked on the front door, but there was no reply, so Sbu tried the side gate. It was open. They walked along the narrow path between the house and a high wall, and found themselves in a concrete-floored courtyard around the back of Mr Erasmus’s house.

“Are you sure we should be here?” said Airtime.

“Sure,” said Sbu, but he whispered.

One of the doors in the courtyard lead into an outside room. There was a glow coming from inside, like a TV set. Sbu walked towards it.

“Hey!” shouted a voice behind them.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? What do you think has happened to Songezwa?