That night, Lelethu cannot catch a wink of sleep. Gogo Dinga’s and Andisa’s words replay in her mind, bringing forth terrifying conclusions in the darkness. She twists and turns for some time before an idea pops into her head. Lelethu sits up, reaches for her phone and scrolls to Google. She searches for info about the fire, something she should have done sooner. It takes a few tries, rephrasing of words and skipping past useless articles to find it. It’s a small snippet:
“A fire erupted in a local store in Carolina, Mpumalanga. To the devastation of the community, it claimed the lives of Nelly Maseko (30) and her son, Ntando (10). An investigation into the source of the blaze is underway.”
At the bottom of the page is a picture of her father and a tall woman with dimples and laughter in her eyes. In front of them is a small boy with a goofy smile and wide eyes. He is a more fragile and happier version of the haunted man who strolled into town yesterday. Solomon’s first store stands behind them.
A rustle outside disrupts Lelethu’s research. She wants to believe it is just the wind, but her ears prick up when she hears it a second time. She slides out of bed and peeks out her bedroom window. It is a moonless night and it takes a moment for her eyes to adjust. Then she spots it – the dark figure that seems to have materialized in their backyard. Lelethu stares at it for a long time, watching the person stand motionless and imagining him staring right back at her.
Just as she convinces herself that it is a figment of her imagination, the figure moves. A small flame appears as though a match has been struck. She catches a glimpse of a smile before the person tosses it onto the ground. The flame instantly catches on the dry leaves in the yard and a fire erupts, casting a bright glow into the night. She can see him clearly now – Ntando. Lelethu screams and backs away from the window. She dashes out of the room, collides headfirst into her father.
“Fire! He started a fire outside!” she cries.
Her father sidesteps her and runs to the dining room door. He struggles momentarily with the keys before he opens the door and runs out. Lelethu follows close behind. To her surprise, Ntando is nowhere to be seen but the fire is quickly turning into a blaze. Joyce emerges a moment later, fumbling with the belt of her gown as she rushes out. Solomon wrestles the hosepipe from its hook on the side of the house and douses the flames.
Once order has been restored, he turns to Lelethu. “What did you mean by ‘he started a fire’?”
“It was Ntando, I saw him out here,” she confesses.
Her parents exchange a worried glance.
“You mean the stranger?” her mother asks.
“I mean Ntando! Baba’s son!” Lelethu becomes hysterical. “He’s alive! He was standing out here! I know what I saw!”
Her father’s sweaty face contorts in anger and pain. “Ntando is dead! I don’t know what kind of sick joke this is but I don’t want to hear another word. Get back into the house while I find the real person who is responsible,” he shouts.
Lelethu stares at him, then silently marches back into the house and finds her way to her bed. She listens to her parents footsteps circling the house. As she rests her head on her pillow, she knows they won’t find him.
Tell us: Why did Ntando start a fire at the Maseko house? What would you do if you were Lelethu?