A week passes and the weather in Mpumalanga begins to change. The sky is engulfed by grey clouds and it rains almost every day. However, the rain does not deter the four friends from going back to the lake in search of the sacred fish. They walk down the hills with umbrellas, fishing rods, and bait in buckets. When they arrive at the lake, it is not as calm or as serene as it was before. 

The water levels have risen, and the friends have to dip their feet into the water to better prey on the fish. They stand in the water, getting drenched in the rain for an hour, hoping that at least one of them will catch something. But an hour becomes two and it is only then when Yoli screams out, “I think I caught one!” that their luck changes for the better.

Her friends rush to her side, and help her pull the rod and the fish out. It is heavy, almost bending the rod to its breaking point, but when at last they drive it out into the sky, the fish opens the gateway for plenty more fish. Soon the friends are surrounded by dozens of sacred fish, encircling their feet like a Ferris wheel, making bubbles at their ankles and gently nibbling at their feet and toes. 

“Oh look, they glow!” Yoli says, smiling from ear to ear, and spins around with the fish like a toddler on a playground. 

“Oh, this is going to shut my parents up!” Nkateko jokes around. “Get the wheelbarrow,” she says, as they grab about 20 fish and throw them into a large wheelbarrow, sitting them on gigantic cubes of ice. 

“I’m rich! I’m rich!” Vuyo laughs, on their way up the cliff en route to Gwevu.

They can already see the colour of money, smell it, and taste the sweet taste of riches that will put an end to all their financial woes. 

Tell us: What do you think will happen next?