“Let’s sit down and rest for a moment,” Mildred said, wiping the sweat off her brow.

No sooner had they sat down than a woman appeared from behind the bushes.

Thato jumped in surprise. She was an old woman, carrying a walking stick in her hand.

She smiled at the teenagers.

“Molweni,” she called. “You don’t live around here, do you? Are you lost?”

Thato stood up. “Good afternoon, Mama. We have walked a long way. Could you direct us to the police station please?”

“We’ve come from George, but we don’t know where we are now.” Mildred added.

“You’re in Forest Hill. That is a long way from George.”

“Where is Forest Hill?” Thato asked.

“It’s a few kilometres from East London. You shouldn’t be so far from home. Your families will be worried about you.”

“We want to go home,” Mildred cried. “Is the police station far from here?”

The old woman felt sorry for them. “My house is not far from here. My son has a car. He will take you to the police station. There is one in the village.”

“Thank you,” they said in unison.

Thato and Mildred walked beside the old woman. She moved quickly through the bushes.

For the first time Thato began to worry about what the police would make of his story. He hoped they would believe him.

But I have no other choice, he told himself. I will have to make sure the police believe me. He hoped his father and Gogo wouldn’t be too angry with him. He hoped Mildred’s mom wouldn’t be too angry with him either. He really hoped the police wouldn’t lock him and Mildred up in a cell! What a day it had turned out to be, and everything was his fault. All he had wanted to do was look at the aeroplane. Then when he saw the plane door was ajar, his curiosity had got the better of him. He wasn’t as worried about himself as he was about Mildred. She looked exhausted and ready to cry at any time.

Soon they reached the old woman’s house, among a number of houses scattered about. There was a smell of smoke in the air. The women were cooking their evening meal over fires outside their homes. Thato and Mildred were very hungry. They hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

“Come inside,” the old woman said, when they reached the door of her home. She told her guests to sit down on a mat inside her door. Then she walked to the other side of the house. She came back carrying a jug of warm milk and a bowl of mealie meal porridge with some bread.

“I’m sorry but I have nothing else to offer you,” she said.

“Thank you for sharing your meal with us,” Mildred said. “We are very grateful and very hungry.”

Thato and Mildred ate hungrily. Food had never tasted so good.

The old woman didn’t question them about why they were here in East London. She thought perhaps they might have run away from home, but now they had changed their minds. She only hoped that they would be OK, and that they would get safely home.

Thato sat in the passenger seat beside the old woman’s son. He told them his name was Ben. The old woman had given them some more food and drink.

Thato looked back at Mildred. She looked exhausted, but the food had raised her spirits greatly. It made both teenagers realise how true it was that there were good and bad people in this world.

Meanwhile Thato couldn’t believe he had made Mildred go near the aeroplane. He now knew he was only trying to impress her. And in showing off he had nearly gotten them both killed. He shivered at the thought.

Ben dropped them outside the police station, saying he would wait to make sure they were OK. Thato held onto Mildred’s hand. They both stood for a while outside, gazing at the door. If he wanted to get himself and Mildred home, he would have to go inside and speak to the police. He hoped they would believe him, and not accuse him of wasting police time.

Slowly they walked into the police station. Thato held tightly onto Mildred’s hand and tried to reassure her that everything was going to be OK.

There were four policemen standing in a group, talking. They stopped talking when they saw the teenagers. One broke away from the group and walked towards Thato and Mildred. He smiled at them both.

“Is something wrong?” he asked kindly.

Thato wasn’t so frightened any more. The policeman was friendly. Thato knew he would help him.

They sat down on two chairs facing the policeman’s desk. Thato opened his mouth to start talking but he had no idea where to begin.

Mildred squeezed his hand, and Thato knew that whatever happened, Mildred would always be there for him.

“Now start at the beginning,” the policeman said. “It doesn’t matter if you have done something wrong. We are here to help you. You don’t look like the type of young people to cause any harm to anybody.”

Thato left nothing out. He told the kind policeman everything that had happened since he had woken up that morning.

“We need to get home,” he said when he had finished. “Our families must be worried about us,” he added.

***

Tell us what you think: Did Thato and Mildred do the right thing by going to the police? How might they themselves have broken the law?