Later that night at home, Athandwe couldn’t resist her mind from thinking about the woman who introduced herself as Doris Mnguni. She spoke disturbing words. Basically what she meant  Elizabeth was a witch. To think she could harm her own grandchildren. Athandwe felt her heart boiling anger. The woman could’ve told her more information, but when she saw Elizabeth walking towards them, the woman told Athandwe her address and left the cemetery in a hurry. She needed answers. Driving to Southern Caroline was only fifteen minutes. She took the keys of the land rover from the coffee table and left the house, lying to her children that she was going to get pizza.

Arriving at Southern Caroline, house number thirty seven on EVE road was a double storey house. Outside lights exposing the whole of the front yard. She rang the bell on the gate, and told Doris her identity. She was surprised that Doris lived in a big house alone. Especially for someone at her age. But of course, Athandwe wasn’t there to be asking about her personal life. All she needed was answers for her accusations she made at the funeral.  

“Coffee?” Doris offered as she ushered Athandwe to the lounge.

“No thank you,” said Athandwe, gazing at the pictures in frames on the wall.

She was married. There were pictures of her wedding when she was a young woman like herself. Family photos of two elders who she assumed was her parents. Pictures of her when she was a little girl. Others in swimming costumes and mostly from primary school. Athandwe suspected Doris didn’t have any children as she saw no pictures of them.

Doris was a fan of ballerina. Posters of individual dancers and dance groups displayed next to the photos. Perhaps she might have been a dancer in her prime.

“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting you,” said Doris, both sitting on thonet rocking chairs facing a morden open hearth. “You didn’t seem convinced of what I told you this afternoon.”

“You need to tell me everything about you said. The demon in Elizabeth. That you didn’t think it was going to happen again. Happen what? Why would she hurt me and my children. It doesn’t make any sense to me,” said Athandwe, looking at Doris curiously.

“That’s the reason I gave you my address. To explain everything,” said Doris. “Many years ago, before Elizabeth met Jonathan’s father, It was the three of us. Elizabeth, Thulani and myself. We were close friends since high school. Always did Everything together. No one could ever break our friendship that time. Even the people we dated couldn’t even try,” she chuckled softly. “The three of us had a plan. We wanted to start our business, so since high school to college we had been saving a lot of money. It still wasn’t enough to pursue our dream. It became a little depressing for all of us. That’s when Thulani decided to take the money and gamble to make more for all of us, without informing us about his action. Unfortunate he lost it all,and when he told us, it broke us, and that was the end of our friendship. Elizabeth was so angry at him. She cursed all the bad things that could happend to him. Later that day, Thulani was found dead in his home,”

Doris sighed and shut her eyes, recalling how stressful and painful it had been to lose a friend. Their friendship might’ve been over; she still loved him dearly. Even myself I didn’t know the story of the three friends as my Elizabeth not once she’d ever talked about her past friends.

She opened her eyes and continued, “It was believed it was a suicide. I believed it too, until the same thing happened to Jonathan’s father years later. I read the statement of Jonathan’s father’s colleague. He told him Elizabeth caught him on his love affairs. Cursed and chased him out of the house, that’s when Jonathan’s father came to him for a sleepover that night. The same night he died. Found dead in his kitchen. Stabbed then slit his throat. Also believed it was a suicide. That’s when I believed Elizabeth was behind the murders.”

“How could she’d killed them when it was both suicide?” Said Athandwe.

“Whenever Elizabeth gets really furious someone ends up dead. It might not be her physically, but I’m certain she is possessed by a demon. A demon that awakens when someone had upset her. I’m certain it the demon that killed Thulani and Jonathan’ father. And now her own son. Surely Jonathan must’ve pissed her off somehow.”

“Come to think of it,” Athandwe dwelled on thoughts. “After he talked to her mother he called me and he was crying telling me his mother was angry and won’t able to help him. He said she said some awful things to him, like, wishing him to burn alive in hell.”

“And those who witnessed his death said they saw him running in that parking lot in flames am I right? You think this is all a coincidence. You need to face the truth. Elizabeth have a demon inside her. Why would she curse, and that curse actually happens?”

“This is ridiculous,” Athandwe was in denial. “Have you ever confronted her about it?”

“No. After Thulani’s death we hardly spoke. And it something that I haven’t been certain about for years. Listen, there is a spiritual person who knows about these things. She’s legit. She’s like a psychic. We can go together and find out.”

Because Athandwe was intrigued and felt the need to protect her children from their mother in law, she agreed to visit the psychic. She was located outside town in a wooden house. Far away from people and the nosy facilities. Arriving on her property, it almost seemed a household of a witch. An enchanting wooden house. Athandwe wasn’t comfortable of being there, feeling like they were trespassing; Doris convinced her the truth was at those premises. 

The pychic was an Indian middle aged woman. She was wearing a colourful turban, which is said to help protect the wearer from the psychic negativity of other people. Also the pressure of it changed the pattern of blood flow to the brain. She wore a black stripped black long dress, and black clothing created an aura of mystery and drama, and helpful on focusing attention on the performance.

“Mishka Mahabeer?” Asked Doris, as she didn’t know her appearance.

The pychic looked at the two women silently. She turned and ascended the stairs. Doris wagged her head to Athandwe as a sign to follow the pychic. Rows of lit candles on tables and walls brightened the house. They stepped in a small room where there was a long table and chairs. A blue crystal bone set on a small stand atop the table, linked to self-expression, intuition, and spiritual consciousness.  It was used to attempt to predict the future or otherwise divine hidden information.

The pychic sat on the chair besides the window, and the visitors sat across her.

“We’re here-”

“I know exactly the reason you’re here,” the pychic cut Doris from her sentence. “There’s been a demon close to you both, and you’re here to find information about it. Well, I can assure you it real.”

Athandwe and Doris glanced at each other. Indeed she was someone who had a special mental ability, for able to know what they’re thinking. The pychic closed her eyes and the crystal ball filled with orange smoke. The color of the smoke was an indication of what was to come. That color was indicated troubled emotion, blockages, frustrations, and anger. An image of a demon appeared. It had a feature of a mythical beast. Unnatural dark shades of a red skin, with a scaly texture, walking on a ground full of human skeletons.

“There are two types of these demons,” said the pychic, her eyes visualizing the dark. “This one you see, is the shadow Demon of grief. Possessing anyone who feel sorrowful when they lose someone they love.”

The image vanished and another one appeared. Another Demon. It had a distorted and intimidating face, with sharp angular features like pointed fingers and the piercing eyes were glowing with malice. Flying in the offspring of arali.

“The shadow Demon of anger. It awakens through intense negative emotion of it vessel. Which I assume this particular one you’re interested to know about.”

Athandwe and Doris exchanged glances again, aware it was the particular that was living with my Elizabeth. Doris squeezed Athandwe’s hand on the table, as the information was troubling them both.

“Both of these demons are invisible presences who are highly intelligent. They are religious wayfarers and can be relentless in their verbal attacks. They take over the shadow while their vessel is sleeping.”

“So are you saying anyone who is possessed by these demons doesn’t know they are possessed?” Athandwe asked.

“No. They don’t feel the demon inside them. That’s the reason exorcism cannot work on them,” said the pychic.

“Then how can you get get rid of it?” Asked Doris.

The pychic finally opened her yes and said, “The only way to get rid of these demons is by killing it vessel. And that you have to do when they’re awake, as the demon is asleep at that time, if you’re lucky.”