It Still Gets To Me Till Today...

Let’s go fetch some water! I can recall my brother’s voice echoing from the gate. He stood by the gate with the worn out wheelbarrow, rusty metal and peeled off green paint from years of use. He had already packed the empty twenty liter bottles and buckets in the wheelbarrow. I spotted a ten liter bucket on the ground meaning it was mine to carry on the head, something I really struggle with but I have no right to complain because it is a girls’ duty to know how to carry a bucket of water on her head. A twenty liter bucket and not a ten liter bucket, especially for a girl my age. That is what my parents are always complaining about but honestly, I am petite and my small body frame cannot bear that much weight on my head.

We hiked to the community borehole around our area, under the scorching hot summer sun of Zimbabwe. It was the summer season of course and the heat was even absorbed by the sand so much that if you did not wear some shoes, your feet would be cooked. There were no clouds in sight and the sun just stood there, shining brightly and drying up the land.

I was in my long, string strapped, red, flowy dress that fell just below my knees. Long dresses were a must; I left all my pants and figure hugging, short dresses in the Big City knowing very well that my Dad would not allow me to wear them in the rural areas, especially his house. The frustration, I swear I always feel like crying when I think about the fact that I left all my favorite clothing items in the Big City- decent, long dresses or skirts were a sign of respect for a young woman in our rural area. It shows a sense of dignity and respect. My brother on the other hand, was spared these rules. He wore his denim cargo pants and a white t-shirt to cover some skin. We both put on similar black bucket hats to cover our faces from the sun.

Along the way, we met a few familiar faces who surprisingly knew us by our names. My brother and I did not even recognize any of the people who had greeted us. We just smiled, showed kindness and waved as though we remembered them from somewhere. It had been five long years since we had been home and there was no way we would remember people we do not communicate with after long periods of time.

Upon arrival at my father’s house from fetching water at the community borehole area, my brother helped me set down the half empty bucket of water next to the other ones in the kitchen. Half empty yes- my arms and dress were wet from spills along the way back. I could not keep my head steady and so the bucket kept moving in all directions and the water would also spill everywhere. Luckily our parents were not at home when we arrived so I would dodge being shouted at for a half empty bucket. I sighed in relief. I made sure to change into another red flowy dress that also ran just below my knees but this one was short sleeved unlike the one I wore before.

We carried on with our day, tackling house chores. My brother only had to plough in the garden just outside the yard. Everything was going well, I was done cleaning and I only had to deal with the daunting pile of dishes in the bucket outside the kitchen. ‘Four people in the house but the dishes were piled up as though we had hosted an event.’ I thought, shaking my head with a frown on my face. I could complain about it but the dishes would not do themselves so I just calmed my mind and fought the thought of procrastination and got to work. After a long while I was all done, relieved to finally rest.

Our parents were still not back, which was a bit weird. They never come back home past five, especially when they had been gone since morning. They had not even called to inform us what time they would be arriving home. As the sun was about to set, my brother and I decided to go and search for my father’s cattle and secure them up in their kraal.

Everything was going alright; we had found all the cattle and we were making our way back home. We just reminisced about our school days and all the mischievous things we got up to that got us into deep trouble. It filled our hearts with joy and happiness while sharing and reliving those moments. All of a sudden my mood shifted from happy and joyful and enjoying the evening breeze to feeling a bit queasy and anxious. I soon started to feel scared, but I could not pinpoint what was actually bothering me. Why would my mood change all so suddenly.

“What’s wrong Anele?” I asked in a concerned voice. My brother’s face contorted in fear had stuttered in his speech. His eyes bulged widely from his eye sockets and his jaw slack. He let out a scream of terror and my heart nearly stopped. I followed his gaze and there I saw a scaly creature. It had a vibrant dark brown colour. Its body was large and very cylindrical, it slithered slowly on the patched grassland and Its vicious eyes were fixed on our hopeless faces filled with sinister intent-it was a snake.

We knew we had to make a run for it, so without hesitation we tried to make a run for it but… “Why can’t I move?” Confusion flooded our panicking minds. Our feet seemed to have been rooted to the ground refusing to budge from their positions. We were stuck! Tears rolled down my eyes. We wailed for help but no one came to the rescue. All the cattle had disappeared. The snake probably scared them off. When I looked up, the snake was already a few slithering feet away from us. It’s fangs clawed out and were clearly ready to bite and release its toxic poison on one of us.

“Hiss.” My heart racing, tears and snorts running down my face and nose. I was a total mess, I couldn’t think straight. My brother on the other hand just stood there, after having his moment of fear, he now stood there as if he was ready to give himself to the venomous creature before our naked eyes. He was numb and had no energy to panic nor to try and get out the situation anymore.

“No, I refuse to die like this.” I knew I wasn’t ready to die, not without trying to save both me and my brother who had already given up hope. The fear dissipated and was replaced with a bold determination to save us both. I felt a sudden surge of bravery. My heart was still beating but my mind was clear on what I was supposed to do. I quickly glanced around my surroundings and by coincidence, a stick-a walking stick far enough for me to reach caught my eye. Maybe it was the sign of hope we needed. I didn’t even want to hesitate, I grabbed it firmly in both my hands and… and…

The room Is dark, I look over to my left and my roommate is sleeping soundly. I got a hold of my phone on the dresser from my right hand side and with tired eyes I switched it on. The brightness flooded my eyes. It is 4am. My heart is still racing and I’m breathing heavily. I take a few deep breaths in and out to calm myself down. I pinch myself and rub my eyes… It was all a dream.