The attack

Cynthia's aunt was still in shock and was standing at the door of her house watching any move that could follow. She was not sure what to do next, fearing that her uninvited guest were still around. She collected herself and found strength to go and check what the man left at her gate. She said s little prayer and then decide to go and check. Cynthia's daughter was giving her a hard time though. She was crying inconsolably and made hard for her grandmother to concentrate. They say babies can sense it when there is something wrong or a bad thing is about to happen. Maybe the baby could sense this thing that had just happened, Cynthia's aunt assumed. She tried to sooth her down before she could go to the gate. She did not want to take the baby with her. Rowena ( the baby) was almost six months old and she was a cute baby. It was clear that she was a mixed race. She had a fair light complexion and a tuft of curly hair. Her dimpled cheeks and long lashes made her look adorable. She was called umlungwazana(the young white woman) by the villagers. She was becoming prittier and cuter by the day. Her grandmother ( Cynthia's aunt) took good care of her.

She finally calmed down and was sucking her bottle of milk. Her grandmother finally got the chance to go and check what was left at the gate. Before she could reach the her two boys who were eight and twelve years of age were coming back from school. They were carrying their school bags and playing at the same time. The one who was twelve years was chasing the younger one. Their mother reprimanded the chaser. The one who was chased reached for the gate and he fell before he opened it. Then something strange happened. There was a sudden blowing sound and the smoke and everything went blurr. Cynthia's aunt woke up from something that felt like a deep sleep. She was surrounded by her neighbours and relatives who were trying to help her regain consciousness. " What happened? She asked those who were looking confused. People tried to calm her down because she was already showing the signs of panic.

They manage to take her inside the house where baby Rowen was now screaming like crazy. She struggled to stand up to reach out to her but people stopped her because she was still weak. People managed to calm Rowena down but the new challenge was to tell her grandmother what happened before she passed out. Her little boy had passed away and it happed within a blink of an eye. One moment he was running away from the wrath of his older brother after messing his drawing. Themba, the older brother like to draw and was skilled at it. His younger brother Thando was a playful little boy who was always running around like a headless chicken. He was not serious in anything but always wanted to play. He was always reprimanded for his careless behaviour but he was a smart little boy. His teachers always complained about his carelessness but he was doing well in his studies. Should he refrained from his carelessness, he would do better that he was already doing, his teachers claimed. He was still a young boy for crying out loud, he deserved to be given a chance as he had a potential to do better in life. But his life was cut short before he could figure things out. "What happened? Everyone was asking.

Seemingly, there was something at the gate that was left by the strange man who there earlier. He had left something that seemed like an envelope at the gate before they disappeared without trying any means to get inside. Nobody knew what was in the envelope until it blew off when Thando hit the gate while he fell when he opened it. His mother saw him flying in the air before he landed with his head on the ground. There was a dark smoke and flames and she passed out. The moment she woke up she found people around her. She remembered vaguely that he saw her in trouble. She asked with an anxious look in her face" where is Thando? People started to look at each other and no one had the guts to break the news. She starred to panic and tried to wake up and check if her was alright. People started to stop her and begged her to calm down. That is when she realised that there was something wrong. She started to scream while she was trying to break free from their grip. She screamed even more calling the name of her son. "Tha-n-d-o-o-o" she cried. Everyone was begging her to calm down.

Finally, she decided to listen to them and that is when she learnt that her child was no more. She cried so painfully thinking about her child and the way he died. The fact that he died infront of her and she could not save him destroyed her to the core of her bones. She saw him flying infront of her and she could do nothing. Everything happened so fast before she knew she passed out. Themba was still outside the yard infront of the gate. He was pacing up and down regretting everything. He regretted that he chaed her brother to the jaws of death. He felt like his mother would resent him for the rest of her life. He could not even face her. He was crying with his hands on his head." What did I do! He kept asking himself.