The Most Painful Experience

A Story From Richard Kineti of Zimbabwe

The sky was covered with a blanket of clouds. I decided to go hunting but my parents did not allow me to do this.

I decided to escape so I took all my hunting weapons and got into the nearby forest Manjongonya. The moment I reached there, I started moving, as though I had lost something. I spent more than two hours without seeing anything. At first I thought of returning home but later I sabotaged this thought and I proceeded with this mad business.

Only two steps from where I was standing my dog, Zvirido started bucking, my heart began to sink, it seemed as if it was going to leap out of my chest. I focused on the area for the first time but I did not see anything, my dog began to bark loudly. The moment I look for my weapons, which were on the ground, the animal was advancing towards my position. I focused the area for the second time and I realised that the animal was a lion. I started running away from this dangerous situation but the animal was running after me. I shouted for help but no one heard me, I was only hearing the echoes of my voice.

Luck was on my side, I jumped into a muhacha tree which was very big and soon the animal disappeared. At first I thought that probably I was dreaming, I pinched myself whether that was so. I opened my eyes wide with terror and my shoulders rose agressively. I found myself in a dirty blanket, lice moving up and down like cars moving in Cameroon Street.

Soon after the animal disappeared I alighted from the tree and got myself home. The sun shone brilliantly before it was swallowed by its mother, it was blood red, blunting and blurring all the objects that had looked sharp in the sunshine.

Soon after the sun set the sky was again covered with dark black clouds which brings rainfall. The earth grumbled with earthquake and lightening splits the darkness into quivering shreds of light.

On my way home I was running like a hungry cheetah. A stick tripped me up and I staggered forward and collapsed.

The moment I overcame this dangerous situation I thought I was helped by my ancestors. I started walking when I saw that our home was a hundred metres near. To my surprise I found my dog sitting on the door of my boysky. From that day I noticed that when going hunting I need to plan but not to do like a lost goat and I noticed that I must follow my parents instructions.

A man of secret plans and clever tricks!!!

There will be more stories from Richard, who is 18, in hospital in Zimbabwe, after losing his legs in an accident. If you would like to write to him his address is Dyke Streams, P.O. Box 190, Mvurwi, Zimbabwe.

He writes.......How are you over there, here I am fine. My wounds are healed but the doctor at the orthopaedic centre told me that they are not healed inside, so that the artificial legs cannot fit, it's the only thing that makes me be in the Hospital. The story I wrote reminds me Zvirido, and it made me draw a picture of how he used to look when he was preparing to chase other dogs.

With thanks to Erin Macdonnell who wrote about the Mbira and the Dom people ( July Issue), for introducing Richard.