Sunny Side Up

Chapter 31

I was fast asleep when I heard the faint sound of  Mgani's voice.

"Umgexo... Umgexo mntanami...udinga umgexo..."
The voice repeated, growing louder and more urgent. [The necklace ... The necklace, my child... you need the necklace...]

I tried to open my eyes, but all I could see was darkness. My nyctophobia was triggered. My heart racing, I felt a wave of fear wash over me, and I couldn't shake it off.

The voice continued, "Umgexo mntanami... umgexo... Boyabenyathi... Boyabenyathi..." The words swirled around me, making my skin crawl.

Suddenly, I jolted awake, breathless and sweating. I sat up in bed, my eyes scanning the room. I reached for the table beside my bed, feeling for the glass of water that wasn't there.

I threw off the covers and stumbled out of bed, making my way to the bathroom. My mouth was parched, and I desperately needed a drink. I turned on the faucet and cupped my hands, taking a few sips of water from the basin. Then, I splashed some water on my face, trying to shake off the lingering fear.

As I looked at my reflection in the mirror, the words echoed in my mind again. "Umgexo... Umgexo mntanami...udinga umgexo..." Tears began to roll down my cheeks as I thought about Mgani's passing and the dream. I had to fulfill her last wish.

"Ngizokwenza Mgani," I whispered to myself. "Ngizokwenza isiqiniseko sokuthi ngiyawuthola umgexo, noma kufanele ngikholise uBaba to give it back to me. "
[I'll do it ....I'll make sure to get the necklace, even if I have to convince Dad to give it back to me.]

I wiped away my tears and thought about the name. "Boyabenyathi?" I wondered. It's surely a clan name and I'm definitely sure it's a Ndlovu clan name, but then Ndlovu out of all people, I don't even know a Ndlovu in my life moreover there are like trillion of Ndlovu's and I'm in Eastern Cape not KZN or something ,most of the people here are Xhosa not Zulu yohhh haike I don't know anymore.

I walked back to my bedroom, searching for my phone. I picked it up and checked the time.

After checking the time, I chuckled to myself, thinking about the dream. "Yohh Mgani, only 2:49 AM, and I've already had a drama-filled night but I'll make sure I get the necklace,"

As I swung my legs over the side of the bed, I realized I was hungry. I headed downstairs, wondering who could be awake at this hour. The living room lights were on, and the TV was playing softly.

As I entered the room, I saw a familiar figure sitting on the couch, "Buddy!" . I ran to him, throwing my arms around his neck and swinging him side to side. I hadn't seen him since Mgani's funeral.

"Marshmellow, you're strangling me!" he laughed.

I let go, walked around the sofa, and looked at him. Tears started welling up in my eyes.

"Come on, Marshmellow, this is how you greet me after three months?" Nkosenye said, holding out his arms for a hug.

I buried my face in his chest, and he rubbed my back, shushing me. "I'm sorry."

"I missed you!" I sniffled.

Nkosenye chuckled. "I can see that."

After a while, I calmed down and looked up at him with a sulky face. "I'm hungry."

He smiled. "I bought pizza. Unless you want something else?"

"No, it's okay."

We headed to the kitchen, and I sat on the counter. Nkosenye chuckled and asked, "You still do that, with extra stools around?"

"Old habits die hard," I replied, and we laughed.

Nkosenye asked, "Which pizza flavor do you want? We've got Chicken Tikka or BBQ Bacon?"