“Kganya! Oh my, what happened?” Ntombi shot off her chair and went to Kganya, who was lying on the floor.

“I… I don’t know,” Gogo Lesedi stammered beside her.

“What do you mean you don’t know?! You are the one who told her to put these beads on!” Ntombi shouted at Gogo Lesedi, while slapping Kganya on the cheeks, trying to wake her up.

“Calm down, Ntombifuthi, shouting won’t help anyone,” her mother said, in her nonchalant voice.

“It is not the beads; I think it is the Dark Souls. They must have seen that Kganya was getting protection from her Elders, so they snatched her now, while they have the chance.” Gogo Lesedi was kneeling with her beside Kganya.

“So what can we do?!” Ntombi’s voice was shaking.

“Let’s make room here,” said Gogo Lesedi.

Ntombi stood up and moved the table and the chairs aside.

“Mama Ntombi, put the rest of the beads on Kganya’s neck, and also wrap her with those shawls. I’m going to the car to fetch the incense.”

“Lift her head,” Ntombi’s mother said. They lifted Kganya’s head so they can put on the beads as instructed.

Gogo Lesedi returned quickly with her materials.

Ntombi was shaking.

“Stand that side, Mama Kganya.” Gogo Lesedi moved her out of the way.

Quickly, Gogo Lesedi unrolled the reed mat near Kganya. She took out her red and white shawls and laid them on top of the mat, and started burning the incense she brought with her.

“Mama Ntombi, please call out the names of your Elders. Mama Kganya, kneel down beside your mother.”

Ntombi didn’t need to be told twice.

“Oh, Bataung, this is your daughter Basetsana, who got married to the Zwanes. I am with my eldest daughter, Ntombifuthi Zwane. Please help save her daughter, Kganya Zwane, who is lying on the floor in front of us.”

Gogo Lesedi brought the incense back to her.

“My Elders, we are at the home of the daughter you brought to me. Please guide me to fetch her from the Spiritual World.”

***

“Kganya! We have been patient with you for far too long. We are going to take you, like it or not,” the Dark Souls said.

“No, you won’t!” Kganya shouted.  She surprised herself with this bravery.

“We tried, Kganya. We really did. You could have made this easy on yourself.” The Darks Souls hit her with a black whip that came out of nowhere.

Kganya fell down and squirmed in pain.

“We really did, Kganya.” They whipped her again.

“Mama!” Kganya cried.

Suddenly, the pain vanished. She just stopped feeling it.

“What is going on?” she asked herself, standing up.

She saw beads appearing on her necks. They were glowing. A white and yellow shawl got wrapped on her body. Then a yellow light radiated from all over her.

“What? No! No! It can’t be!” The Dark Souls wailed, and they tried to whip her again, but Kganya didn’t feel anything. It was like this yellow light was shielding her.

Someone appeared on her right. It was Gogo Lesedi.

“Gogo Lesedi!” She jumped with joy.

“Oh my, what is that?” Gogo Lesedi asked her with amazement.

“I don’t know, they just appeared on me.” Kganya was smiling.

“No! Not you again,” the Dark Souls complained.

“Let me handle this. Stay here.” Gogo Lesedi approached the Dark Souls, with white light radiating off her.

Kganya stood there as she was told and watched.

Gogo Lesedi fired that white laser at the Dark Souls, but it came back to her. She quickly dodged it. “Come out, you cowards.”

The Dark Souls sounded their whip, as if they were preparing it. Kganya’s heart pounded. She was fearing for Gogo Lesedi.

Gogo Lesedi shot a white ball at the Dark Souls, but they redirected it as before, and this time Gogo Lesedi couldn’t dodge in time. It hit her.

“Gogo!” Kganya ran to her.

They whipped Gogo Lesedi, who was on the floor. Kganya still ran to her, nonetheless. She couldn’t stand by and watch while they were killing someone who was trying to save her.

She clapped her hands twice as she had seen Gogo Lesedi do, and a yellow light formed in her hands. She tried to swing it at the direction the whip was coming from, but it went sideways.

“No!” she cried at the misfire.

“Ha-ha! Ncooh, what was that? Don’t know how to fight yet?” The Dark Souls mocked her.

Kganya didn’t pay them any attention. She knelt by Gogo Lesedi.

“Are you OK?”

“No, I’m hurt.” Gogo Lesedi groaned.

“What can I do? I tried to hit them but I missed.”

“Feel your power coursing through your veins. Call out to your Elders, they will guide you through it. You are already brave, Kganya. Harness that bravery,” Gogo told her, wincing.

“I can do this.”

“Go! Show them you are the one.”

Tell us:  Do you think you are brave? In what way?