FRIENDS

Introduction

The story takes place in East London, 1988. Xola Mazaleni and Duma Tyaleni are the main characters. They are the best of friends, from childhood to their present age. But there is one problem. It's their family backgrounds. Xola's family can afford most things that Duma's family cannot afford. And that makes Duma unreasonably obedient to Xola. Xola hates it. He is trying his best to understand what went wrong. Even love can't get in the way of Duma's strange behaviour. When Duma finds himself attracted to Cordelia, Xola's sister, he can't do anything about it. It ends there. But Xola can see what Duma wants. Then comes the surprise of Duma's life. Xola talks to Cordelia for Duma, without Duma knowing. He then tells Duma to talk Cordelia about his feelings for her. Through Xola, Duma and Cordelia start a relationship.



Then things start going from bad to worse. Xola believes that, now that Duma and Cordelia are in love, Duma will behave normally and put their friendship before their backgrounds. Instead, Duma regards Xola as his lord. Xola thinks there must be a way to get Duma back to normal. He comes up with a plan. The plan is to put Duma to some tests. The test must be bad enough for Duma to agree. Disagreeing once with Xola will mean that Xola is on the right track to helping his friend. But it turns out Duma will do anything for Xola. He daringly takes the tests, from which his death ensues, though it is accidental. The tests are not meant to hurt or kill anyone. His soul does not quite leave his body, reason being the nature of his death, which in turn produces a ghost of Duma. Duma comes back from the dead to haunt Xola. But the haunting of Xola is a different kind altogether. Duma's soul must be set free so that there can be no more haunting of Xola. And obviously, only Xola can set it free. But he doesn't know how. And he will know pretty soon. The haunting will bring Xola to the spot of Duma's death, where Xola will die the same way that Duma died. Soul emancipation will then take place. Both Xola's and Duma's corpses are taken and decently buried side by side in the graveyard.

FRIENDS

Xola and Duma had been inseparable friends since childhood. In terms of their family backgrounds, Xola was at an advantage compared to Duma as Xola's family could afford more in comparison with Duma's family. And as a result, Duma was always obsequious to Xola. And that was bothering Xola.

At one stage Duma fell in love with Xola's sister, Cordelia and Xola encouraged him seeing that he was up to his neck in love with her. But fearing to ruin the friendship, Duma never said anything to Xola about his feelings for her. But Xola was reading the signs. He gave Duma a wonderful surprise. He told him to talk to Cordelia because fantasizing would not make her see how he felt about her. On the other hand, Xola persuaded Cordelia and and an affair was born all because of Xola.



When Cordelia once told Xola about a coloured guy from Parkside, who wanted her, whom Xola happened to know, Xola told her to forget him, he was up to no good. He told her getting involved with 2 guys at the same time was bad. The coloured guy swore to get Xola for sticking his nose in other people's businesses, and ignored the fact that he was her brother and had the right to advise and protect her.

Duma's getting involved with Cordelia made things worse. He regarded Xola as some kind of a lord and would do anything for Xola. And Xola didn't like it at all. He wanted the friendship to be normal. He thought there was one thing to do to bring the friendship to normal and to make Duma regard him as just a person, and not as a boss of some sort. The thing for Xola to do was to put Duma to some tests, to see if Duma would really do anything he asked him to do. If he did, Xola would just tell him to stop it, he was behaving irrationally. He didn't have to do everything he asked him to do. He would tell him to regard the friendship as it was in the beginning. If he couldn't do that, then theirs was no friendship.

Test One

A week after Duma got involved with Cordelia, Xola brought Duma some very sad news. He told him he was sent by Cordelia. She said she didn't want to see him any more. When the stunned Duma wanted to know why, Xola said he didn't know.

'I'm just a messenger. I was not given a reason. Obviously she doesn't want to talk to you, that's why she sent me. So don't ask her why.'

'Alright Xola, I won't. But I wish to God I knew what it is all about.' Duma was really surprised.

3 DAYS LATER: Monday.

Xola brought Duma some very good news. He told Duma he was sent by Cordelia again. She was sorry. She didn't know what came over her. She said she was missing him. Duma never asked Cordelia anything about her dumping him, never even called because Xola told him not to ask her anything. Xola thought this was unbelievable, but was determined to try again.

TEST 3

4 DAYS LATER: Friday

Xola called Duma and told him they were to meet in town at Sales House. They hung up and Duma wasted no time and left. He did not know what he was called for, so he didn't want to keep Xola waiting. There was a graduation party that Xola was invited to in Umtata. Xola was going to buy new things to wear at the party for both of them. They were going the following day. Cordelia couldn't come. She had some other commitments. And Xola never mentioned anything to her about Duma going with him because on Tuesday of the following week they were writing test in school. The following day they left for Umtata. Duma had never been to Umtata before. Now he was going to see a new place, thanks to Xola. He could easily have declined the invitation.



SUNDAY

The party was great. Duma felt so great and so wished there would be another party next weekend. The time to go back home came. But Xola decided to test Duma for the fourth time right there, right then.

'Duma, we are not going back today. We're going next Sunday.' Xola said and got the surprise of his life. Without hesitation, Duma fervently agreed with him.

This is unbelievable. Duma is mad. He is going to miss the test on Tuesday because I say we're not going. And he is enjoying every moment here. Xola thought to himself, and then pretended to have remembered something.

'Duma, I just remembered. We can't stay. We are writing test on Tuesday. We can't miss it.' Xola said and Duma agreed.

The following day Monday they were at school. Everything went on as usual that week. On Saturday Xola thought the weather was just right and comfortably hot. He decided that he and Duma were going to spend Saturday at the beach, Eastern Beach. Xola had carried everything in abundance, which openly thrilled Duma. There were few other people. They chose a place up on one of the sand hills where the denseness of the trees was making a lot of shades. The place was completely hidden from the beach with a very small amount of penetration of the sun's rays. The people started dancing to the music that Xola carried.

With steaks and sausages broiling on the gridiron, ice-cold drinks in their hands and in that splendid mood, a terrible idea was formulating in Xola's mind for the next test. The idea was to starve Duma. He could never endure hunger, to any extent, with his mind reliving those wonderful moments of the day at the beach. The following day Sunday Xola called Duma in the morning and urged him to go to the beach, and wait for him where they had lots of fun and not move an inch until he came.

Duma never asked Xola why so early. He just left. By the time Duma left his parents were still asleep. He called Duma at that time of the morning because he wanted to make pretty sure Duma hadn't had anything to eat. Xola believed that when he came for Duma at 4 in the afternoon he would find him long gone home to eat, having been unable to resist hunger, thereby defying Xola's order to wait for him until he came. And that would just be great because it would be what Xola was trying to achieve. That meant Duma would see the need not to do anything Xola asked him to do. And so Xola would tell him about the previous tests and why.



In the afternoon Xola left for the beach where Duma was. The weather had completely changed to bad. And he was not using his father's car like the previous day. But he never got to the beach. He came face to face with the coloured guy from Park Side, who had sworn to get him. He was in the company of his gang. They stabbed Xola and left him for dead. He was taken to the hospital. Duma was waiting alone in the spot of fun. He would not move despite the weather, let alone hunger and thirst because Xola had told him not to move until he came. Xola would have to remain in hospital for 2 weeks, his condition hopelessly deteriorating on the first week. He couldn't talk on the first week, with his eyes closed.

IN THE PAST 5 DAYS

In those 5 days Cordelia visited Xola only to weep at his bedside, so wishing that Duma were there. Since Xola couldn't talk, Duma's parents decided to wait until he got out of the hospital. Maybe he would tell them something about Duma's strange disappearance.

Eventually the time for Xola's discharge came and his family was there to fetch him. It was Tuesday 23rd. Cordelia had decided not to rush him on his first day home. The following day when Cordelia came from school she found Xola in bed.

'I am alright, everything is fine, thank you.' Xola said after Cordelia asked him how he felt.

'But brother, you don't look very well. But you do look better than yesterday. Brother, I have something that I have been meaning to ask you for the past 15 days. That Sunday you went to hospital Duma never slept home up to now. We did everything to find him. Wouldn't you know anything?'

'No.' Xola said. Cordelia got more worried. If Xola didn't know, who would? But Xola did know something. He was attacked on his way to Duma. He knew by then and now Duma had left because he had starved as would be expected, seeing that Xola was not coming. Now courage developed in him to go and check him though he knew it was just as absurd to even think he was there as the possibility never crossed his mind.

The following day, with Cordelia at school and his parents at work, Xola left for the beach. As he expected, when he got there, there was no sign of Duma. Now the question that invaded his mind: Where was Duma? According to his parents, they last saw him on Saturday 6th. When they woke up the following day he was not there. They never worried because it was his wont to leave without saying. But he always came back. Cordelia lost hope. Xola blamed it on his stupid tests. Duma must have died on any day between the 6th and the 15th. The 13th and the 14th days had strong winds. It was Cordelia who discovered that Duma's body was buried in the sand by the wind. That was on the 2nd time Cordelia went to the spot. On the first time, as part of his confession, only to Cordelia, Xola took her to the spot of fun of that Saturday 6th

Xola spent that Wednesday in the sitting room. He never sat foot in his room until bedtime. And to his horror, on entering, he found the position of his bed changed, the wardrobe, the dressing table and the chest of drawers all turned to the wall. The following day Thursday 25th, Xola was back at school. In his class he involuntarily turned his head in the direction of Duma's desk and saw a misty form that took on a shape of a human being seated in the desk with a book in front of it. Xola told himself it was only a light illusion his subconscious was creating as he would have expected the desk to be occupied by Duma.

At home Cordelia asked Xola if he believed in the embodiment of the spirit. Xola said he did not.

'Well brother, you know what I think? Those 2 things, the one in your room last night and today in your class, were the apparition of his spectre. In your class, it should have been a shadowy outline of his semblance. You know why it was not? According to your confession, he fears you like a god. He needs your help. His soul is locked somewhere. You are the only one who can set it free. And don't worry, the ghost won't hurt you.'

'Did you just say ghost?'

'Yeah. What are the apparitions for? You are being haunted. We must just try to figure out a way to help him. He was your friend.' Cordelia said. Her declaration of his lost friend as having come back as a ghost couldn't quite settle in his mind. As far as he was concerned, he didn't have the remotest idea what soul-emancipation was all about. On that Thursday he turned in early. When Cordelia told him in the morning of Friday that she went to his room last night to call him for his supper, but decided not to, Xola said she should have woken him up.

'I couldn't. You were not alone in your bed. I didn't wanna scare you.'

'Oh God.'

'He was lying right next to you. But what I don't get is the fact that you were not aware of his presence in the same bed with you.' Cordelia said and assured Xola that the ghost was not looking to hurt him. When Xola said he would not sleep in his room any more, Cordelia told him it was not a good idea. The ghost would find him and perhaps be disappointed that he was trying to keep away from it.

At school the same figure was in the desk and a book opened before it. Xola asked 4 different classmates if they were seeing anything in Duma's desk. All said no. His heart pounded at the thought that Duma was really haunting him.

THE NEXT DAY: Saturday 27th.

Xola was feeling and looking better to Cordelia at the table during breakfast. Nothing weird happened last night. There was no figure in his bed when Cordelia went to his room expecting to find it, except that in his dream Xola went to the door responding to the knock. When he came back his breakfast was gone. It was taken by Cordelia. Xola had emptied the box of cornflakes, Cordelia's favourite, to his bowl and thrown the box away. The remaining cereal were oats and rice crispies, which Cordelia didn't like. Fortunately, in reality, all the cereal was available for everyone. Xola hadn't started to eat when the phone rang for real. Expecting it to be his girlfriend, Xola went to get it.

After a few minutes he was back. It was Pamela, his girlfriend. Then of a sudden the fear came back in a rush. He looked at his folks who did not see him look at them. He looked at Cordelia who looked back. He stared at the bowl and the glass. Only the spoon was in the bowl and the glass was empty. Like their folks, Cordelia wasn't seeing anything out of the ordinary. But Xola was indicating by his reaction that something out of the ordinary did take place while he was on the phone. He suddenly felt a twinge of headache. He went to his room. Cordelia followed.

'Xola, what's wrong? What did Pamela say?'

'He?.It ate my breakfast.'

'What in my great-grandmother's name are you twaddling about?'

'I am not twaddling. The cornflakes and milk in the bowl are gone. The juice in the glass is gone.'

'Xola, please don't do this to yourself. Why would?.now?.just wait a minute. I don't believe this.' Cordelia said and spurted out and left Xola baffled. She went back to the table. Her parents were still eating. She sat where she sat before and stared opposite, where Xola was sitting. The glass was full with juice and the bowl full with cornflakes and milk almost to the brim. She slowly stood up not taking her eyes off the bowl and the glass. Very slowly she went to the other side of the table to Xola's chair. As she was reaching the chair, something breath-taking was happening. Her motion had drawn her parents' attention. They stopped eating and watched. The juice in the glass and the cornflakes with milk in the glass bowl were all at the same time equally decreasing in a pace that was equivalent to her motion, as if the contents of the bowl and the glass were being sucked by the slow action of an invisible vacuum cleaner, as she neared the chair until the bowl and the glass were empty, when she got to the chair and sat. Then she dropped her mouth and stared blankly, unaware of her parents who were watching, frequently looking at each other.

'Honey, what is it?' Her mother asked. And Cordelia, being so distracted, ignored her. Her father raised his voice and asked Cordelia the same question and startled Cordelia who started up with a small shrill that brought Xola up on his feet. He dashed out of his room and rushed to the dining room, in time to hear his mother ask Cordelia the same question.

'Nothing really?.'

'Yes there is. Why are you staring at your brother's food like that?' Her mother said interrupting her.

'I don't know really.'

'You don't know? You are staring at nothing? You're seeing nothing in his food?'

'?.' No answer.

'Fine, don't tell us. But we're your parents.' Her father said not prepared to beg her.

Back in his room, Xola and Cordelia were sitting on his bed in deep thoughts. After a short while, allowing the silence to reign, Cordelia spoke.

'Brother, don't forget, you starved him, and it contributed to his death. He's hungry. What happened in the dining room is very serious. I think this is the way you are going to set him free. Whenever you eat, provide another meal for him next to yours. Feed him for all the days he stayed out there waiting for you. And we must not tell those 2. I have a feeling nothing bad is going to happen.

'I say this because of what happened in the dining room. He's revealing himself only to you?.I mean his presence. Obviously he revealed his presence to me on Thursday night in your bed and now in the dining room on purpose. I mean he was my guy. Show him you never intended to starve him like that. You were on your way to him when those creeps attacked you. He's hinted to you what he wants. But it's not hunger only that will set him free. It was cold as well on that fateful Sunday. The only reason he didn't sleep with you last night is because it was not cold. Surely he's gonna sleep with you during cold nights for all those days he stayed out of there. And he won't even make you aware of it. My God! This is so weird. Sleeping with a ghost! I've never heard anything like it before?.' Her mother interrupted Cordelia. She came to tell Xola that he had a call.

50 minutes later, feeling much better because of Cordelia, Xola was on his way to Pamela's home. They were going to the movies. They had arrived at the cinema in town and had bought the tickets and had gone to their seats. While they waited for the preview they had talked about themselves. Xola had drifted to the subject of exorcism. He had asked her what did she know about exorcism. Pamela had told him it was an act of dispelling evil presence and troublesome spirits. She had told him the outcomes of exorcism sometimes were a direct opposite and sometimes it didn't work at all, depending on the strength of the spirit. Xola told himself Duma was not troublesome nor was he evil. Therefore, he was not going to exorcise his home.

After the preview the movie started. Xola had bought the usual snacks for the movie; 2 large popcorns, 2 slabs of chocolate and 2 medium cold drinks, and gave Pamela hers. He put the popcorns between his thighs, put the chocolate in his pocket and held the drink in his hand. The other hand went down between his thighs for a handful of popcorns. But his hand went down to the bottom of the container. Then he stopped breathing for a moment, shook the container, eyes staring blankly at the big screen. Then he felt the container of the drink becoming lighter as the liquid was vanishing from the container, as if sucked with a straw. With a quick movement of his hand he fumbled in his pocket only to find the chocolate gone.

'My God! I forgot!' Xola burst out unaware. Pamela asked him what he forgot. Xola lied and said he just remembered something he should have done at home. He lost interest in the movie from the start. He only watched for the sake of Pamela. After the movie he drove Pamela straight to her home, so that he could have time to talk with Cordelia. When he got home Cordelia was there, having gone nowhere that weekend.

'He ate my stuff.'

'What stuff now?'

'The stuff you eat in the movies while watching.'

'Don't tell me you didn't do what you were supposed to do. And what stuff was that?'

'Light stuff. Popcorns.'

'Why didn't you buy his?'

'That is not a meal.'

'Xola, it doesn't matter. Anything you eat, he must have. Otherwise he's gonna eat yours.' Cordelia said. Xola assured her he would never forget.

3rd JUNE

Xola had developed a tendency, whose cause was only known by his sister. Whenever he ate, just anything, he would go to his room to eat alone. A week had passed and the cold had been incessant. Pamela was at Xola's home. The lunch time was drawing closer and Xola was becoming restless. The lunch was always at 1pm. Xola left 10 minutes before One for KFC. He made a revelation that took his parents by surprise; that he was allergic to steaks, lately. Pamela remained as she was not allergic to anything.

On the first day his folks had asked him why he was taking 2 meals every time he was eating and eating them in his room. Xola had told them he had developed a strange appetite lately, that one meal at any given time was not enough. The reason he was eating in his room was shame. And on that Saturday too if he had taken his two meals to his room, Pamela would follow him and discover what his parents, and Pamela, didn't know - the feeding of Duma. And so he had to get out of the house and go somewhere to eat.

At KFC he bought two lunch boxes and two Cokes. He went to the car and put one lunch box and a coke on the seat next to him. Before he had eaten half his food, the contents in the box and the cup on the seat were gone. He smiled, threw the things out and started the car.

9 HOURS LATER, 10:30pm

Xola dreamed that the coloured guy was strangling him. Struggling to rid himself of the choking hands, he jumped up only to discover he was dreaming. His teeth were chattering, his whole body shuddering. The blankets were stuffed in the corner by the wardrobe. He slowly got out of bed and went to the blankets. The following day he confronted Cordelia.

'You said you had a feeling nothing bad is going to happen. Something did happen last night.' Xola said and told her what happened. Cordelia kept silent for a little while before she talked.

'Well, what can I say? Cold contributed immensely to his death. If you can't do something about the cold, then get the cold like he did. Unfortunately it's June. If you are gonna get cold every day, I'm afraid there is going to be a very serious problem.'

'What am I going to do?'

'Something just crossed my mind. This is the time for mid year exams. Don't write them. Go

to uncle for a while. When Duma keeps coming here and going to school and not finding you, he will give up. He will never come here or go to school or anywhere again. Don't leave in the morning, at lunch or at night. During those times he's here for his food. Otherwise you will go with him like you did when you went to Kentucky Fried Chicken. You must leave tomorrow. I will handle those two when they come back from work. So, what do you think, brother?'

'I think it's a good idea.' Xola said coming closer to Cordelia and hugged her.

Xola remained counting hours. The lunch time came. Xola went to his room with 2 meals. Supper time came. Like lunch, he went to his room with 2 dishes. After supper he went straight to bed. 2 hours later, at 10:16pm, Xola violently rose from bed shaking all over.

He had been woken by a terrible cold. Then he remembered the incident of the previous night. But when he looked in the corner there were no blankets. He looked everywhere in the room. The blankets were gone. The room was icy cold. He wore as many clothes as possible and slipped under the sheet. Soon he fell asleep and never woke up until 7 in the morning.

After he had done everything and his parents gone, he told Cordelia what happened last night.

'You see? Cold brother. I will tell mother and father to call uncle and tell him what I will tell them, which is what I'm going to tell you.' Cordelia said and told him. When she finished, she didn't wait to see him leave as it was getting late for school. They hugged and she left. After school Cordelia went straight home, and straight to her room where she found a note on her bed. It was saying he left at 11:10am and was thanking her immensely for encouraging him. He wished her good luck in her exams. Tears slipped down Cordelia's cheeks but she was not crying. She felt like tearing herself apart when a terrible thought invaded her mind that on that Monday 5th she had seen Xola for the last time. She lay on the bed sobbing and fell asleep.

3 hours later Cordelia was woken by her mother who saw that something had gone wrong. She got out of bed and said something did happen. They went to the sitting room where her father was.

'There's a serious problem. Remember on Saturday when Xola went to buy his lunch? Remember the gang that almost killed him? They spotted him and chased him but he outran them. They're going to kill him because that's what they wanted the first time. He didn't tell you because he didn't want to worry you. So he went to uncle for 2 weeks if not 3, if not 4, if not?.'

'But why didn't he tell us, at least to let us know he was going for a while even if he did not tell us the reason?'

'He didn't want to tell you personally, and did not want to leave in your presenc. He's gonna call.'

'Why would a crazy gang want to kill my son?' Her father was furious.

'I don't know. He didn't tell me. Maybe it's too personal.'

'Too personal for us?' Cordelia didn't respond. She just shrugged.

Xola arrived at Umtata and was warmly received. Nothing changed their mood, not even the reason he stated for visiting, that he was running away from a gang that wanted to kill him. They told him he made a wise move by coming over, and was welcome to stay for as long as he wanted.

4 Days Later: Friday

Xola called Cordelia and told her what wonders her idea was doing . Nothing was happening. There was peace and quiet. The following day Saturday 10th, Xola went to the cinema. The time when he left was 7:30 in the evening. The movie would start at 8pm. From Sprigg street walking to the cinema - Umtata Rama - was not more than 10 minutes. He went down Sutherland street and stopped at the entrance of Jimmy's Fruiterers. The cinema was in view with its long queue. The weather in Umtata was colder than in East London. If other people were seeing him, they would be looking at him in wonder and would be surprised just like Xola was. But nobody else appeared to be seeing him. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, Bermuda shorts and sandals while everyone else was wearing warm clothes. His back was turned to Xola, his watch on the right wrist.

On 6 May, Saturday, Xola had gone to the beach with Duma wearing clothes like those. Xola wanted to make himself believe it was utterly stupid to even think it was Duma. But there was a matter of clothes that he was wearing, the structure, which undoubtedly was Duma's. Xola thought to himself: It's Duma alright. But why is he turning his back to me? He just wants me to know he is here, not meaning any harm. Why is that? Because he fears me like a god, according to Cordelia. The apparitions have recurred. I want to see his face. If I call him he will run away. I must jump to him and turn him around.

Slowly Xola went inside and stopped about 3 meters behind the figure. Then he rushed and jumped at the figure and made a mockery of himself. He had gone right through, as if he was jumping at the shadow. He rammed into the shelf and dropped everything on the floor. As Xola was on the floor staring at it horror-stricken, the figure never seemed to have moved an inch. The watch was on the left wrist now and still its back turned to Xola. When Xola stood up, he staggered and fell. The reason was the thought that the figure had 2 backs, but indicating with its attire that it was Duma. Xola then realised that Cordelia was wrong. Duma was hating him so badly that he didn't even want to show his face to him. Xola passed out while on the floor. When he regained consciousness, he was in hospital bed. After he was told he was alright, he was taken home where he told the bewildered uncle and his wife the whole story from the beginning.

24 Days Later.

Cordelia received a letter from Xola. On the letter he had told Cordelia there was something she didn't know, which he never told her. When he went to a party in Umtata, he went with Duma. That meant the ghost of Duma was always at home watching him, not only at his home during breakfast, lunch and supper as Cordelia had stated before.

So their conversation about Xola leaving for Umtata was undoubtedly heard. And Xola was followed all the way to Umtata. Or it simply took a ride with him. Xola had written that coming to Umtata had been a waste of time and instead had made things worse. He had told her about all the familiar apparitions to those that had happened back home, which happened to him there in Umtata. He had written on the letter that Duma had revealed himself at last, and had talked to him. He had told Xola that he had been waiting for him to come. He had told Xola he couldn't rest until Xola came as he promised. And if he couldn't rest, Xola would suffer. He had told Xola to go there and set him free. Xola had told Cordelia he knew what it was all about.

Duma wanted him to stay there all those days that Duma stayed there. Seeing Xola there, having fulfilled his promise, Duma's soul would be set free. Xola had written that by the time Cordelia received the letter he would have long gone to the spot of fun of that happy Saturday. And now Cordelia had no choice but to tell her parents the truth from the beginning. Xola's parents told Duma's parents and they all went there. Xola's corpse and the remains of Duma's corpse that was hidden under the sand were taken and decently buried side by side in the graveyard.