Nomathemba arrives home in a daze. Dlangamandla is pacing up and down the kitchen, going through the first aid kit.

“Whats wrong, where’s my child?” She shouts

“She’s sick. I don’t know.” Dlangamandla snaps, carrying the entire box of pills upstairs to their daughters bedroom.

Nomathemba walks in too, she finds her angel wide awake. Her eyes look sunken, she’s lost weight. How? In just one day. She looked fine when she left for school.

“Baby? What’s wrong?” Nomathemba cries.

Mayibenathi tries to speak, but her voice is hoarse.

“Don’t speak, angel. Drink this.” Dlangamandla helps her drink two pills.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know, her school just called me.” Dlangamandla blinks the tears away. 

He stomps off, going to his forbidden room. 

“Not Mayibenathi!” He cries.

“We let you bond with her. It’s time we took her.” The snake laughs.

“Please, anything else. Take me, just leave my daughter alone!”

“Either you kill her, she’s already sick. Put her out of her misery. Or we’ll take her, I’ve already made her sick. By nightfall, she dies.”

“I won’t kill my daughter.” Dlangamandla shouts

***

Dlangamandla stomps outside, forgetting to lock the room.

Nomathemba goes downstairs, sees the forbidden room open. Wide open. She holds the handle.

“Come see what you’ve been feeding all these years.” A loud, evil voice booms.

Nomathemba quickly shuts the door and runs back to the daughter.

“Nana, we have to leave.” Nomathemba shouts, pulling back the sheets.

“Mom, my body hurts. Where’s daddy?” Mayibenathi cries.

“It’ll be fine. Let’s go, baby.” Nomathemba lifts her out of bed.