Magical Creatures

Magical Creatures

I know what you you're probably thinking. This is a story full of magical elves and perhaps mermaids perched on beautiful rocks singing kumbaya or whatever it is they sing. If that's your kind of story, then this is not for you, so you can put this down right now and be on your merry way. The creatures in this story may be magical, but they are by no means sweet, kind or even that good-looking. Kind of the opposite really. Anyway, as most stories do, this one also began on a sunny day. A very sunny day to be I might add, with a sweltering 43 Deg. Celsius. I was sitting in my room, a jumble of electronic wires at my feet. My creation was coming to life. And no, not some miniature Frankenstein, something way simpler. A motor. Why would a fourteen-year-old like me spend his pastime building electronic gizmos from junk television sets and radios? Well, that's because a guy like me did not get to have many friends. Why, I imagine you asking? All in due time my good friend. Just stay with me. Back to the story. It was probably my 50^th attempt, but I had lost proper count around my 20^th. I searched among the wires for the natural wire. This was it! Connecting the natural wire would bring my little contraption to life. At least I hoped it would. I crossed my fingers behind my back as, with a shaking hand, I brought the two wires together. 12 volts of electricity flowed through the wires from the car battery I had hooked up and the rod started spinning!

That probably doesn't explain why I ended up sprawled on my back, with steaming clothes. I quickly stood up and tore the clothes off. I inspected my bare skin, searching for burns I desperately hoped wouldn't be there. I let out a sigh. The acid had gone no further than the clothes. I looked at the motor. It hadn't spun. That had been wishful thinking. Instead, I had connected both terminals to some the same wire, creating a short and effectively bursting the battery. "Oliver Mthokozisi de Villiers!" my mother stormed into the room, hands on her hips. "What in the heavens is going on here?!"

"I..."

Okay. Let's take a short break. Now is probably a good time to point out that I was, in fact, colored. A Zulu mother, and an Afrikaans father. Strange? I know. I often wondered about it myself. But that's' the way it was. As if this wasn't strange enough for me, my father died before I was born, so my mother took me to her home village. That's not so bad, you say? Well, my friend, imagine spending everyday alone just because you looked different and had a funny surname. It wasn't so bad as a kid. No-one minded much. But as I grew older, the distinction became clear. As much as I sounded like everyone else, I looked different and had a funny surname. Very few people could ignore that. Anyway, this is not about my lonely, pathetic life, it's about magical and dangerous creatures, so let's go back to my mother's piercing stare.

"I..." I repeated, the rest of the sentence refusing to make its way out of my mouth.

She held up her finger, "I don't want to know. Look at yourself! Sort this mess out, I have an errand for you."

"But ma, I was just...."

"No, no, no, no buts. Clean up," my mother turned back towards the door.

"But ma," I cried, a last desperate attempt. "It's hot outside!"

A backhand slap landed on my cheek, pain radiating from the point of contact. I reeled back, trying to blink hot tears away. "How dare you talk back to me young man?" her voice was dangerously low, as if another slap would follow it. "You will do as I say, siyezwana?"

I slowly nodded; my eyes pinned on my feet. When my mother got really mad, she always spoke in her mother tongue. She turned back around and walked out of the room. I looked at my failed contraption and kicked it, sending it skidding across the room. I ignored the sharp pain on my toe and started to gather the wires. Who does she think she is? I thought to myself. God?! I walked out of the room, following her. She stood in the kitchen, fishing for something in her purse. "Here," she said, handing me a R20 note. "I need some milk from the spaza shop." She seemed to have completely forgotten about the slap. Or maybe she just hid it well. I pulled the note out of her outstretched fingers and headed to the door. "And Oli..."

I turned around. "Make sure you're out of the forest by sunset."

I turned back but then she suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders and stared into my eyes. "Promise me."

"I promise Ma."

For a brief second, I could see something in her eyes. Was that fear? Then the feeling passed and she let me go, returning to her pots. I grabbed my bike from the garage, and with a few items stuffed in a duffel bag, I made my way to the shops.

Now, for those of you who might not know, village spaza shops are anywhere between 500m and 5 km away. In our case, the shop was about 3 km away, and the path snaked through the side of a mountain. I closed out little gate and climbed onto my bike. My t-shirt, already soaked with sweat, clinged tightly to my skin. I dragged the back of my hand against my forehead and set off. The path snaked through the side of a mountain, with a dense forest, covering the whole of it. I slowed down as I entered the forest, enjoying the sweet air and the momentary shade. Birds chirped in the distance, their melodious sounds adding to the scenery. The path led me past a huge dam, perfectly still, with clear water. A haze seemed to be hanging in the middle, but that was probably the sun. I stopped, admiring its hypnotic surface for a while. Time seemed to stop as I stared at the surface, rippling quietly in the gentle breeze. A sudden beep broke the silence. I glanced at my watch. Five o'clock. I had been standing there for almost 45 minutes. I had about an hour before sunset. I climbed back onto the bike and rode on.

A few minutes later, my bike rolled through the gates of the shop. The shop itself was a mudbrick building., with a single window in front. I wheeled my bike towards it. The window swung open and there she was. Tall, dark-skinned, with hair tied back in a ponytail. A goddess. Her name was Queen, and I had had a crush on her ever since primary school. I felt my knees going weak.

"Unjani? Ngikakusiza ngani? "She smiled. My throat suddenly felt parched. My mouth couldn't move. I could only stare. "What can I help you with?" she said, switching to English. The words rolled flawlessly out of her mouth. She glanced at the R20 note. "I am assuming you're here for milk?"

I nodded, finally glad that I could answer, even though it was only a nod. She left the window, walked to a fridge-freezer at the back of the room and pulled a 1-liter bottle of milk. "Here you go," she said, handing me the milk and the change. "Thank you," I managed to mutter. Although I am pretty sure it sounded more like a choking bird than actual words. I jumped back onto the bike and cycled out. A quick glance at the time told me I had 15 minutes before sunset. I cycled furiously, urging my legs to go faster. I finally reached the forest, my lungs screaming for air. Only a shred of sunlight was left, then it also disappeared. It's not dark yet, I rationalized. But the sun had already set. There's nothing to be afraid of, I said to myself. Ma was just paranoid. I passed the dam. Only an hour earlier, it had looked peaceful. Now the silence and stillness were menacing. I shifted my eyes to the path ahead, and they widened. Something was blocking the path. Something long, cylindrical and very thick, like a large steel drum. I got closer, my heart hammering against my ribs. It was only a log. I could make out the slightly burned charcoal sides. I let out breath I didn't realize I was I holding. I nearly laughed at my own silliness. Then the log moved. I stopped the bike, thinking that it was only a trick of the light. Then it moved again, inching forward. Suddenly, the charcoal started to change, growing in size until it was fully grown armor plates. Reptilian. My eyes followed the log to the other end. The log was rising. Or more accurately, the snake, or whatever it was, raised its head. Its eyes locked on me. The large pupils shifted between blue and green. "Run!" my mind was saying. "Run!" But my body was fixed in place, disobeying every instinct to move. I was transfixed. I couldn't move my eyes away. The large creature slowly slithered towards me, not breaking eye contact. "Hheyi!" someone shouted. I couldn't tell where the voice was coming from. "Suka lapho! Get away!" The creature turned its head, finally breaking its hypnotic stare. An old man stood behind a tree on the other side, leaning on a walking stick. He turned to run away, but with surprisingly quick movements, the snake was upon him. The man stumbled and fell to the ground. The snake opened a large mouth, exposing knife-sized incisors, venom dripping from their tips. The they punctured through the man's chest. Blood squirted out. The man didn't even cry out. His heart stopped pumping long before his brain could register what had happened. A metallic, coppery scent wafted into the air. I shut my eyes, trying to convince myself that I was only dreaming. When I opened them, the snake was turning it's head towards me. I shook myself out of the hypnotized state and grabbed my bike. I jumped on and started pedaling the other way. I glanced back--a big mistake. The front wheel caught on an upturned rock and the bicycle lurched forward, launching me into the air. The duffel bag was flung onto the ground. I was more unfortunate. My body slammed against a cold surface....and went straight through. I had fallen into the dam. It was only when I saw bubbles rushing up against my face that I realized I was screaming. I closed my mouth and stopped flailing around. And then a painful realization hit me. I couldn't swim! I was sinking! I forced my mind not to panic. There had to be a way out. And how deep could the dam be? I looked down, trying to spot the bed. Instead, I saw a strange green glow emanating from the depths of the dam. It seemed to be approaching me at an unbelievably fast pace.

Stop. Let's take a deep breath. I know you're probably wondering how I was still alive. I mean, I was in a dam, I couldn't swim, I was holding my breath, being pursued by a murderous giant snake and about to be eaten by whatever was approaching from below. I still wonder myself. But if I could take a guess, I'd say my subconscious took over, firing up every survival instinct in my body. My conscious mind simply observed, struggling to believe that all of this was happening. And why was the dam so clear? I don't know. Secrets of nature. Okay. Everyone calm? Alright, back to flailing around hopelessly.

A glint of something sliver confirmed my worst fears. The light was glowing from the creature. It must have followed me into the water. I flung my arms about me, hoping to find any sort of purchase on the sides. One of my fists struck a hard surface I grabbed on, pulling myself up. I didn't know how far down I had gone, but my lungs were already hurting. I gritted my teeth and climbed faster. I didn't dare look down. I settled into a rhythm. Pull, slide. Pull, slide. A minute passed. Or maybe it was two. I wasn't sure. But there was one thing I was sure of. I was running out of breath. I couldn't hold it any longer. And even worse, I could feel the water currents below my feet. The snake was drawing closer. I opened my mouth to scream, and my face burst through the water level. I sucked in huge galps of air and tried to quickly drag myself out. I wasn't fast enough. I felt a vortex, pulling me down. The creature had opened its mouth. I gripped hard on the rock face. Suddenly, the water surged upwards as the creature slammed its mouth shut. I was carried onto the bank, but not before one of the fangs had grazed my exposed leg. I howled, tossing myself onto dry land. There was no pain. Not yet. Adrenalin was still coursing through my veins. I picked myself up and limped to my bike. I grabbed my bag and climbed on. It took me a while to notice that it had started to rain. Large drops that stung my skin. A huge gust of wind blew past, seemingly coming from nowhere. I risked a glance back, and what I saw knocked the breath out of my chest. The creature was rising out of the dam, a huge pair of wings driving large currents of air all over the place. The creature rose higher and higher until it disappeared above the canopy of trees. Something in my mind told me that it hadn't given up. I pedaled forward, with no idea where I was going. To make matters even worse, thick mist was settling all around, reducing visibility. I was effectively blind. I rode on for a few minutes, my sobs drowned out by the howling wind and the rain hammering the ground. Then suddenly, I heard a pair of hoofs approaching. A horse. At last! I thought. Someone had found me. My heart sank as the horse cleared the mist. There was no rider. And the horse seemed very strange. In the place of hoofs, it had large claws and when it opened its mouth to neigh, a hiss came out instead. I swerved my bike to the left just as the horse jumped up, talons missing me by centimeters. I was toppled to the ground once more. My leg was bleeding terribly. Why wasn't I feeling any pain? "Lie down," a gentle voice said in my head. "Lie down and all of this will go away." Then the one part of my brain that was still functioning normally realized something. There must have been a sedative in the creature's venom. That's why there was no pain. That's why my body wanted to shut down. The venom was slowing down all my bodily functions. Another thought crossed my mind, as I sunk to the ground, accepting my fate. Mother! I pictured my last moments with her. She had known. I remembered the fear in her eyes when she warned me about the forest. And suddenly, an idea sparked into my mind. My mother had said to make sure I was out of the forest by sunset. I struggled into a sitting position and reached for my duffel bag. I searched inside and pulled out a flashlight. The creature/horse was making its way back, dragging a massive tail on the ground. I waited as it drew closer. I could smell the blood on its breath. Ensuring not to stare into its eyes, I switched the flashlight on and light bounced out, illuminating the creature's face. It screeched and staggered backwards. It was just as I had thought. The creature couldn't stand bright light. I pulled myself up, hope surging into my drugged brain. I couldn't stick around. I didn't know how long the creature would remain disorientated.

I dragged my bike and my duffel bag deeper into the forest, looking for any sort of shelter. But it wouldn't be long until my body gave up entirely. I had already lost too much blood. I stumbled into a small cave and crashed onto the floor. No, I told myself. I couldn't give up. Not yet. I inspected the torch in my hand. It was already dimming. The batteries were dying. They weren't fresh. I tore the duffel bag open and searched for any source of light. I had lost my phone, probably in the dam. I reached further into the bag and my hands closed around a smooth, metal object. My motor. I had planned to work on it once I reached the forest but I had been distracted by the dam. But what good could it do me? I was about to toss it aside when I remembered something from my physics class. The motor could also double as a generator! A plan formulated in my head. It would take a miracle for it to work but it was my only shot. I unscrewed the bulb and tore through the wires connected to its terminals, exposing the copper underneath. I hooked them onto the motor's wires and stuck the other end into a small hole at the center of the back wheel. I scraped some tree sap from a nearby tree and filled the rest of the hole with the sticky substance. It wouldn't set but hopefully it would be hard enough to make the rod spin. The tell-tale hissing sound broke the silence of the cave. I hoisted the bike onto a small rock, leaving the back wheel floating in the air. I used my duffel bag to support the makeshift flashlight. I climbed onto the bike, holding my hand against the cave wall and waited. I didn't have to sit for long. A green glow appeared as the creature, now back in the form of a giant snake, slithered into the cave. I started pedaling, pouring every ounce of energy I had into my feet. The bulb lit up faintly, then turned brighter as I doubled my efforts. The creature retreated into the shadows. I grinned, satisfied that my plan had worked. But my legs couldn't keep going forever. I started to slow down. My head was growing faint and my eyes were losing focus. I knew what was happening. My mind was ordering my body into shut down. I tried to remain conscious but I couldn't. The last thing I saw as I went crashing to the ground was a bright floodlight at the mouth of the cave.

When I came to, I was lying on the ground, my mother's face in front of mine, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Ma..." I managed to utter, before sinking back into the darkness.

Now, I am sure you can imagine what happened next. My mother carried out of the forest, the floodlight keeping the monstrous creature at bay until we got home. It took me a full month to recover from the ordeal. But I was never really the same again. My leg never fully recovered and I had to use a walking stick for the rest of my life. I also grew terrified of all animals, particularly horses and most large birds. And occasionally, I would wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat from nightmares.

Years later, when I told people about my story, they wouldn't believe me. Heck, I still can't believe it myself. But if weren't for my mother, indeed if it weren't for the Lord Almighty, I wouldn't be alive today.