Carol was disturbed from her reminiscing about her childhood by Hulisani wanting to play with her.

 “Alright, alright. This is the last game then it’s time for bath” She said as they proceeded to play the hand clapping game.

The house was full of laughter and cheering. However, behind all this cheering Carol was anxious. She wondered when will the police come and pick her step father up. It has been two months since she had opened a case of rape against him. Two weeks ago, on the arrival of her cousin, Mpho, she went to ask detective Mthanga about the progress of the case. She was prompted to do this by something she witnessed between her step father and her cousin. At that time, two weeks ago, she had noted how Elias looked at her ten year old cousin. This had sent shivers down her spine. She recognised that look. She knew exactly how the attention felt like and its dire consequences. It disgusted and evoked intense difficult feelings in her. Elias had taken Carol’s cousin shopping for clothing. They were gone for an entire Saturday.

“Hey Mpho, how was shopping with uncle?” Carol had asked.

“It was good, we went to buy clothes, then we watched a movie and then went for ice cream” Mpho had excitedly narrated her day with Elias. Carol was overcome by intense emotions, and she had a physical reaction of nausea while listening to Mpho as memories flooded her mind.

“It seems like you had a great time, excuse me Mpho” Carol had ran to the bathroom. Inside the bathroom her stomach had churned, she gagged and then vomited. She recognised then that she needed to do something about Elias. She decided then that she must go back to the detective and remind him of the case whilst adding the current details. She wanted to protect her cousin and her daughter.

 I hope they just come and take him away. I don’t know what is taking Detective Mthanga this long. She thought to herself as she watched her family happy and seemingly content. They all went to bed that night with a general sense of harmony and contentment hiding the underbelly of deceitful, despicable and malicious reality.

#

Elias woke up to a loud banging at the door.

“Police!!!! Open up” an unfamiliar voice on the other side of Ellias’ door pierced the silent night. “Open up or I will kick this door!!”.

Elias first grabbed his cellphone at the bedside table. He looked at it and the glare of the screen made him wince. He looked away for a second. Then he looked back on the screen and noted that the time was one a.m in the morning. He shouted back to the disembodied voice on the other side of the door .

“I’m coming!!” whilst wondering. What do police want here? What could my son have done now?

Elias struggled to imagine that the police could be here for him. He opened the door and Rejoice was right behind him. It was not long before all other members of the family trickled into the lounge area with blankets and pyjamas.

“Elias you are under arrest for rape and sexual assault of a minor. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will and can be used against you in the court of law” Detective Mthanga took out the handcuffs and was about to cuff him when Rejoice pleaded.

“Please let him wear his jacket first”

“I………wha……..who……Caro……detective where……” none of Elias’s train of thoughts translated to completed sentences.

As detective Mthanga cuffed him he nodded towards Carol, she nodded back at him in confirmation and then he looked at Rejoice “Mam, you can follow us to the police station and bring his jacket”.

The constables took Elias and place him into the back of the police van. The house was left in silence. Rejoice looked at Carol. Carol looked back at her mom tears welling down her cheeks. Rejoice’s furrowed eye brows, narrowed eyes, flared nostrils, clenched fists pulsated with tension, rage and sucked the air out of that house. Carol realised then that she had ruffled the nest. However, she also noted something in that stare, was it shame? regret? sadness? relief? It was hard to tell. What Carol knew for sure was that she needed to move out of that house. The following day Carol moved out and The Nest of Horrors had been dismantled.