Hlelolwenkosi

Chapter 25

While I was about to wake up, I could feel my eyes fighting the urge to open but something was burning my eyes when I tried to open them.

" Hlelo sukuma " a voice said

Suddenly I remembered that I am actually in the river and should hold my breath for as long as possible. I kept trying to open my eyes till I felt something pulling me up. When I looked at what was pulling me I saw my grandmother but she looked very young.

" Gogo is that you?" I asked. I was confused at that moment, I didn't know where was I and what was going on like I even like I was losing my mind.

" Hlelo suka lapho, akumelanga ngabe ulapho " my great grandmother said

" Gogo ngikuphi ?" I asked

" Sisemanzini Hlelo lakukhona khona indlondlo zonke, zobumnyama nezokukhanya wena kumele ulandele mina uyeke ezinye izinto. " Gogo said

Quite frankly I was not even suffocating there was no sign that I was in the water. If someone had told me that there was life under the river, I was definitely not going to believe that person but because I am the one who saw everything, my heart couldn't believe it.

There were many huts but all of those huts belonged to their people. By belonging to their people I mean , the huts were divided but also grouped together. You would swear we were in the village since there was isigodi sakwa Dlamini, Buthelezi , Zulu and many more. When we got to Kwa Mthethwa, I was welcomed by a group of old woman who was singing and dancing and I just couldn't help it but to join them.

" We have been waiting for you my Queen. " One of the woman said

I was led to the main hut where I met the elders well that's what I was thought before I was told that the their elder is coming and I need to be dressed respectfully since I was only wearing my beads. I was then taken to the other hut which was my room and I was given a pure white dress that was beneath my knees and a white doek to cover my head.  A part of me was afraid because they way people were going on ,  you would swear that it was God himself who was coming. Two young ladies who standing at my door step. They looked very young like they were probably in their early twenties and they were wearing ibhayi legjidi and had a belt that had white shells on the head and waist.

" Sanbona " I said to the young ladies who were bickering about who was going to knock first.

" Ndlunkulu " they both said while bowing their heads

" Ngiyanicela , igama nguHlelolwenkosi please don't make me feel worse than I already feel. " 

" Siyaxolisa ukuthi sitsheliwe ngawe futhi siphiwe imiyalelo ngawe akumelanga sikugagule ngengama right now we are here to make sure you are okay and that you are aware of everything that is happening. "

" Ngiyazi kodwa angifuni ningiphathise ukwenkosi , angifuni ukuthi ningisabe. I want you guys to be able to call me out on my nonsense ngoba I know myself, I am sometimes too much and if you guys are afraid of me hayi ke I will never know when I am wrong. "

" We hear you but please don't tell anyone uNdabezitha will kill us if he finds out about this arrangement of disrespecting you. "

"( Laughing) , but you guys are overreacting and besides that how did you guys end up here and who is uNdabezitha ?"

" Uhm where do we start so my name was  Noluthando before I came here. I  lived with my parents and everything started with a headache. I used to suffer from headaches and by that time my parents didn't believe in ancestors and because of their ignorance I suffered........ "( Thunder sounds)

" Siyaxolisa Ndlunkulu kodwa kumele sihambe angifuni ukuthi basithole Sila but ungakhathazeki uma ubuya uzosithola sikulindile. Usalekahle Ndlunkulu. " They said and left

There was something about that thunder that hit because after it hit on top of the water my hair shriveled and I felt a bit weak. It didn't take a moment before I was fetched to go to the main hut where I was going to meet uNdabezitha as they call him/ her. I was really weak , it seemed like my body cells were dying one by one and it only got worse than ever when we were at the door. The elders saw my state and rushed to me with a powder that helped me. The instruction was to take a pinch of the powder and pour it on my fist's and lick it after praying. At that point I was very weak nje picking my hand up was a hard thing to do.

It only took a few minutes for the powder to kick in and I was back to my normal self well besides the nervous me but I was better.  Suddenly everyone and everything went silent and I knew that I should keep my head down no matter what. When Ndabezitha walked in everyone kneeled down as a sign of respect and mind you I thought uNdabezitha was a person only to find out that he is not but he was speaking like a human being which made me think he was vele. So here was I sitting down on a reed mat in the middle of the elders waiting to see uNdabezitha till I felt something behind me. That thing was climbing me and it was so heavy yoh I doubt it's heaviness is equal to a elephant , luckily something in me told me to stay calm because in my mind I had made a conclusion that if that's how God wants me to die then his will shall be done.

I closed my eyes awaiting for my death while that thing was rolling itself on my body until it stopped and guess what? I the dumbest person ever decided to open my eyes. Shock is an understatement of what I saw , right in my face was this huge snake facing me directly in the eyes.  My mind wanted to quickly close my eyes but my heart wanted to face the snake       after a while I remembered that it was uNdabezitha and decided to say our clan names while showing respect and I guess that worked because after I said the praises, abogogo started ululating and the snake got off me and well uNdabezitha got off me and went to his throne.

I was glad that the snake got off me because my body was starting to give in due to its heaviness and I finally understood why everyone was afraid of uNdabezitha. He is a one scary person in a way that you end losing your voice when you are with him and I must say for my first day in the water, it was a horrific day.