If you want to be a mega millionaire, you need to know how to steal . I mean you won’t be doing petty thievery as a rich man but you will break a lot of rules . You will bribe . You will evade tax .

The Big Boys were a group of young street kids who were glue and marijuana addicts . They stole just to sniff glue and eat . They were in a different league : stock theft . Cradock has a lot of animal farms and a live sheep , which is what they specialized in was worth then nearly R700 , which was two weeks of food and glue . The Big Boys lived in a decrepit , abandoned house and they shared everything.

The first few times you ventured out to steal a sheep were thrilling and adrenaline rushing . Unlike the other boys , you did this purely for the fun and food . You were never interested in drugs and despite your step-mother’s lies , you stayed away from substances . One night , the gang descended upon farmer Stan’s home to steal a sheep . Stan was a very cruel Afrikaner man known to shoot thieves . His home was just after a lake . The lake was surrounded by reeds , which were perfect for hiding . Managing to grab the sheep , Stan was alerted to the gang’s presence and a porch torch lit up the whole lake . It was time to run . When the gun started to sound , the reeds , as if alive , lay down over you and hid you while bullets wheezed by . Turning around , you saw something you’ve never told anyone . Right in the middle of Stan’s lake stood a mermaid and it faced away from you . You saw its back and long hair . Turning away , you ran for your life . Later in life , you will find out that if the mermaid had turned and seen you , you would have lost your mind forever. You would have gone mad , picking papers and speaking unintelligible nonsense . According to African mythology , a man who sees and is seen by a mermaid goes insane .

The next day , you knew you were done with Cradock. You called your mother in a public booth, telling her you were ready to come back home . Her cousin , an uncle to you fetched you at the bus stop with his rickety bakkie and as you rode away , you threw your hat to the wind through the window and got a little smack when you put your feet on the dashboard . You laughed all the way home.