Kganya was tired. Her mother was not coming to save her. She had to save herself. So she saw no other way out than to drink the water. She knelt down and cupped the water with her hands. She brought it to her lips and, suddenly, she smelt something funny.

“Can you smell that?” she asked the Dark Souls. “What is it?”

“There is nothing here, just drink the water,” the Dark Souls told her.

Kganya sipped a little, and she was relieved to find that it tasted like real water. She was about to drink some more when a light blasted in the darkness, blinding her.

“No!” The Dark Souls shouted.

Kganya tried to look where the light was coming from, but it was too bright, so she shut her eyes.

“Kganya! Come to me. Run!” The soft, feminine voice called for her. It wasn’t scary, and it sounded familiar to her.

“No, Kganya, don’t!” The Dark Souls called back to her. “Drink some more so you can go back home.”

“No! Do not. It’s a trap,” the soft voice said to her.

Kganya didn’t know what to believe and where to go. She was caught up in the middle. On her left was a soft voice, and on her right were the Dark Souls.

“Kganya, don’t listen to her, drink the water and come to us. We will take you to your mother!” the Dark Souls said, in urgency.

Kganya started moving to the right.

“No, Kganya, they are lying! I am Gogo Lesedi, I will take you to your mother,” the soft voice shouted.

Kganya stopped moving to the right. Which side should she believe? When she was still thinking, something grabbed her by the arm tightly. It yanked her to the right, towards the Dark Souls.

“No! Help me!” Kganya wailed, stretching her other hand to the soft voice.

The light shone more brighter than ever, even burning Kganya’s skin a little.

“No!” the Dark Souls shouted.

“Leave her alone, Dark Souls,” the soft voice shouted. “Go back to your hole!”

The grip on Kganya started loosening.

“No!” the Dark Souls shouted.

“Yes! Leave her!” The yellowy light shone brighter again.

This time it definitely burned Kganya. The grip on her arm loosened. She was free. She didn’t waste time; she ran towards the bright light.

“No!” the Dark Souls wailed at Kganya’s back.

Kganya didn’t stop. She sprinted at the direction of the light, regardless of the fact that it was blinding her and burning her.

***

“What are you doing here?” It was Dr Nathen asking Mkhulu who stood outside Kganya’s room.

“Uhm … I …” Mkhulu stuttered.

“What’s that smell?” Dr Nathen ignored his stuttering. He covered his nose with the collar of his white coat. “Is that an incense smell? Where is it coming from?”

While Mkhulu tried to think up a lie on the spot, Dr Nathen shot up straight pass him, and opened the door to Kganya’s room.

“What the?!” Dr Nathen exclaimed in shock.

The room was filled with smoke and groaning sounds could be heard.

Gladys didn’t see the door opening because the smoke in the room was too thick. Dr Nathen went to Kganya’s bedside and pressed the distress button, summoning the nurses.

“What’s going on here?” Dr Nathen shouted at the two figures in the room.

Tell us: What do you think made Kganya decide to trust Gogo Lesedi?