Three nurses came running into the room. They stopped staring. Then they quickly opened the windows, banishing the smoke. It was a surprise that a fire alarm didn’t sound.

When the room cleared, a body could be seen on the floor. It was Gogo Lesedi.

“Where is the security?” Dr Nathen shouted.

Mkhulu and Gladys stood there like robots. They were busted and there was no way out of this.

“Are you okay?” One of the nurses shook Gogo Lesedi as she lay on the floor. She just nodded, coughing. Her eyes were red and she was shining with sweat.

“Thank goodness you have arrived,” Dr Nathen addressed the two security guards who had entered the room. He pointed to Gladys and Mkhulu. “Detain them.”

Kganya started coughing too. She was waking up. Both Mkhulu and Gladys released an audible sigh.

***

Five minutes later, Ntombi arrived in Kganya’s room. Although the room was now spotless, her nose still caught something funny. But she hardly noticed it because her daughter was awake.

“Mama,” Kganya called out to her with a dry voice as soon as she stepped inside the room.

“Oh, Nnana, you are awake!” Ntombi hugged her daughter. “We were so worried about you. You scared us.”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

“I’m just happy you are fine. She will be fine, right?” She turned to Dr Nathen who stood at the other side of her daughter’s bed with two nurses.

“Um, yes, of course. She doesn’t show any signs why she shouldn’t be,” Dr Nathen responded in a rather nervous tone.

“You don’t sound too convincing, Doctor.” She gave him a serious look.

“Um, that’s because some things just happen by themselves, and are hard to explain. We could say … that the rest is what helped her.”

Doctor Nathen was stuttering so much that what he was saying didn’t make sense to Ntombi. She figured that he actually didn’t do anything to help her daughter, and that was why he was stuttering.

“I am still confused, Doctor,” she pressed on.

Dr Nathen looked at the nurses beside him as if he was looking for confirmation of something.

“What? What are you keeping from me?” Ntombi couldn’t handle the secrecy. First it was Gladys and Mkhulu, now it was Dr Nathen and the nurses?

Dr Nathen swallowed hard and told her everything that happened earlier, in one long rush. His forehead was glistening with sweat.

“What!” Ntombi let go of Kganya’s hand in anger. “Where are they?”

“Ma,” Kganya called her. “They saved me, she saved me.”

Ntombi took Kganya’s hand in hers again. “What do you mean? Saved you from what?”

Kganya hesitated. “From the evil voices that trapped me in the nightmares. They wanted me to drink some water, but suddenly she appeared and fought them with a light and saved me.”

“Oh, Nnana. I’m so sorry you had to go through all that. But all is okay now.” Ntombi hugged her daughter.

***

The trio sat in the security room, scared that they would be sent to jail.

“At least we managed to save her, hey. That should count for something,” Gladys said, in a nervous tone. “Do you think Ntombi will understand that we did all this to help her daughter? To help her?”

“Calm down, Ma’ Skhosana,” Mkhulu calmed Gladys down. He looked at Gogo Lesedi, and with gratitude, he said, “Thank you for saving her.”

“I didn’t do anything, I was merely an instrument, used by the Elders,” Gogo Lesedi replied to him in a humble tone. “Truthfully speaking, I have never come across Dark Souls that had strength such as these. They almost consumed me, and now I just want to sleep.”

When the door opened they all looked up in anticipation.

It was Ntombi, and Dr Nathen was behind her.

“Ntombi I—” Gladys tried to explain but Ntombi raised her hand to stop her.

“Don’t. Let me be the one to apologise.” Ntombi lowered her head as she continued. “If I had taken your advice earlier, all this wouldn’t have happened, I wouldn’t have put my daughter in great danger like this.”

Gladys hugged Ntombi.

“It’s okay, friend.”

After hugging, Ntombi turned to Mkhulu. “Mkhulu, I am so ashamed of my stubbornness. All I can say is I am sorry.”

Mkhulu came closer to Ntombi with those gentle steps, reminding everyone that he was the oldest in the room, and hugged her.

“It’s okay. As long as she is fine, we are all fine.” Mkhulu told her in an embrace.

“Gogo Lesedi,” Ntombi turned to the last one in the trio. “Words can’t begin to describe how happy I am that my daughter is safe and sound. And even though I didn’t believe in your ability, I do now. So I am so sorry for kicking you out as I did the other day.”

Gogo Lesedi bent her knees a little and softly clapped her hands twice. “It’s my pleasure to have helped where I was needed.”

“Thank you very much,” Ntombi said to her again.

“So, are we under arrest?” Gladys asked Dr Nathen who was standing behind Ntombi.

“No, the hospital management doesn’t have to know about this. Plus, we can’t afford this getting out. It would be bad for the image of the hospital.” Dr Nathen said the last sentence with a smirk.

“Can we go see her?” Gogo Lesedi asked.

“Yes, of course, but only if you promise that there will be no incense burning this time around.”

The whole room burst out in laughter as they filed out to see Kganya.

***

“Thank you for saving me,” Kganya had thanked Gogo Lesedi about four times now, but to her it didn’t feel enough. If it hadn’t been for Gogo Lesedi, she would have still been stuck in that place she called the Spiritual World with those evil voices she called the Dark Souls.

“Don’t worry about it. Be glad they won’t bother you again.”

“So I will no longer see those monsters in my sleep?” Kganya asked, not really ready for an answer.

“One thing about the Dark Souls, they are persistent, but after what I did to them, with the help of my Elders, they will think twice before coming after you.” Gogo Lesedi smiled at her. “If they do, though, I will be with you every step of the way to fight them alongside you.”

Kganya looked at her mother and smiled. She believed everything Gogo Lesedi just said to her. She had been there, after all, when she was fighting the Dark Souls. She had seen how brave she was. Gogo Lesedi was never scared. She fought them, and managed to save her from their grip. Gogo Lesedi was her hero. Kganya couldn’t wait to get out of here and tell her friend Lethabo everything.

“Hey, why are you thanking only her? We are the ones who sneaked her in here,” Gladys remarked, jokingly.

“And I nearly got tackled by the doctor outside this room,” Mkhulu added.

They all burst out in laughter.

Kganya appreciated all of them. They were her family.

Question: What did you think of this story?

The End