LEAP - The journal of a street kid

The Awakening

The night was dark, the house quiet. The only sound that pierced the silence was the faint rustling of the leaves outside and the distant howling of wind that seemed to carry the weight of old secrets.

Sisonke lay in his bed, the covers twisted around him, his body drenched in sweat. It had been another restless night. The nightmare clung to him like an oppressive fog. He couldn't remember the specifics, but the feeling was undeniable—a suffocating weight, like someone was on top of him, pressing him down, trapping him in a world of helplessness. Every time he tried to scream, the sound was lost in the vast emptiness.

His heart raced. The darkness in his dream seemed to bleed into the waking world, and for a moment, he wasn't sure where the nightmare ended and reality began.

Suddenly, he gasped, his breath catching in his throat. He wasn't alone anymore.

A shadow stood at the foot of his bed, a figure bathed in the dim glow of the moonlight seeping through the window. For a split second, Sisonke's heart skipped, and the old familiar fear gripped him once more. Was it real? Was this some sort of ghost, some lingering remnant of the trauma that had stained his soul?

He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his blurry vision.

Then, the figure spoke.

"Let me help you," the voice was soft, soothing. It wasn't like the harsh commands or coldness he was used to. It was warm, comforting.

Sisonke's gaze locked on the figure. She was a woman—strangely familiar, with the same dark skin, the same sharp eyes, the same face. It was like looking into a mirror, but one that reflected something he couldn't quite place.

"Let me help you," she repeated, stepping forward. "I will protect you, Sisonke."

Her words wrapped around him like a gentle embrace, and somehow, in that moment, he felt safer than he ever had before. It wasn't her presence that calmed him—it was the knowing in her eyes, the certainty of her being. She wasn't just any woman. She was him—but something more. A woman who had lived through everything he had endured, someone who had fought through every wound, every scar, every tear. She was everything he wished he could be.

In the silence of his room, he nodded, unsure of what he was agreeing to, but somehow knowing that this moment was his turning point. It was as if the very core of his soul recognized the truth in her words.

"I will protect you," she whispered, her voice a promise. She reached out, touching his hand, her fingers cool against his feverish skin. Then, without another word, she faded away.

Sisonke closed his eyes, the warmth of her touch lingering long after she disappeared into the shadows. He felt... different. As if a shift had taken place inside him. Something deep within had cracked open, releasing a flood of clarity, strength, and an undeniable sense of purpose. He drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The next morning, the sun streamed through his window, casting golden rays across the room. Sisonke stirred, groggily blinking awake, his body still heavy with the remnants of the night. But as he sat up, something was off—something was new.

He stood up from the bed, his legs feeling steady, more grounded than they ever had before. His mind seemed to hum with a strange energy, a quiet buzz that told him he was different. He felt... clearer, more confident. He could feel his thoughts moving with a fluidity, his words flowing like a current, sharper, more articulate.

As he stepped into the bathroom to wash up, he noticed something else. His face—there was a subtle change, a softness to his features that hadn't been there before. His eyes held a certain depth, a calmness he hadn't known in years. It was like he was seeing the world through a new lens, one that made everything feel sharper, brighter.

And then, there was his voice. When he spoke to himself, his tone was different—richer, more resonant. It felt like there was a new layer to his being, something feminine, something he couldn't quite name but recognized immediately. The same boy who had once trembled in fear, who had hidden his true self from the world, now stood with an undeniable presence.

For the first time in a long time, Sisonke looked at himself in the mirror and felt... whole. There were no more cracks in his identity, no more confusion about who he was or where he belonged. This was the beginning of something entirely new.

When he joined the others for breakfast, they noticed it immediately. He wasn't just quiet Sisonke anymore. He was more than that. The way he moved, the way he spoke—it was as if he had suddenly come into his own, shedding the husk of the boy he used to be and stepping into something more powerful, more certain.

As they sat together, Thandi glanced at him curiously.

"You're different today," she remarked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Sisonke looked at her and smiled—something he hadn't done in a long time, not genuinely. "I feel different," he said, the words coming out with a natural ease, an unfamiliar but welcomed confidence.

Later that day, as they sat around in the common room after school, Sisonke felt the shift within him grow. He felt the calm, feminine energy of the woman in his dream still resonating through him, guiding his actions, his thoughts. He moved with a grace he had never known, a serenity that put everyone at ease.

Even his interactions with the others had changed. The way he spoke to Thandi was different, softer, but with an authority that seemed to come from a deeper place. He wasn't trying to prove anything; he simply was.

By the time the evening arrived, Sisonke stood at the dining table, his back straight, his head held high. The children gathered around, ready for dinner, but as they did, they couldn't help but notice the subtle yet powerful shift in the air. There was something in Sisonke's presence now that demanded respect, a quiet strength they had never seen before.

When it was time for their nightly routine, as always, the group gathered to sing and pray. But this time, it was different. Sisonke, who had always been a silent participant, now found himself leading the others. His voice carried with a clarity and control that made the others listen. The words of the song—simple, yet profound—seemed to flow through him, as if he was channeling something beyond himself.

When it was time for prayer, he stood, more confident than ever. The words he shared were different than what anyone had heard before. They were thoughtful, wise, and filled with a warmth that enveloped the room. His prayer wasn't just a ritual; it was a plea for protection, for strength, for the world to see them—not as broken children, but as people who were capable of change.

That night, as the children sat down to dinner, there was a new energy in the room. It was the energy of a boy who had become a young man, a man who no longer hid in the shadows of his past but was learning to stand in the light.

Sisonke had changed, and with that change, he was beginning to understand the true power of who he could be. He no longer had to hide or pretend. The woman from his dream, the soft yet powerful energy, had awakened something deep within him—a feminine strength, a clarity, and a voice that would no longer be silenced.

For the first time, Sisonke could truly say he was ready—ready to face the world and embrace the future that awaited him.