One hot summer day . . .

Snakes, lizards, geckos and little insects that I did not like or take any amusement in could be found in that thicket.

My mind wondered off to somewhere else called dreamland and I found myself in a huge forest or maybe a jungle. How did I end up in a jungle with my annoying brother? I questioned myself but no answer came forth.

Tafadzwa and I walked with all calm hoping not to even step on a twig. Heck, I did not even know where home was in all this green. “Maybe we should run, it’s faster that way,” this was Tafadzwa’s “brilliant” idea. Where would we take off without a show of knowledge of where we were in the first place? Was my brother seriously this dumb?

I looked at my cellphone; no network coverage. So how did we have hope to even find help, I mean screaming was not one of the best ideas in such a case. We kept on walking and I realised after an hour that we had been going in circles. I lost more hope and sat on a stone or so I thought it was.

Something moved swiftly behind us and all the hairs on my neck stood on end. I stood up slowly, turned to my brother and asked him what it was. He did not have the foggiest idea just like me. We moved from that part hoping there were no more surprises where we were headed.

While walking, Tafadzwa looked back and nudged me. When I looked back I had shivers down my spine and realised that what I had been sitting on was actually a giant tortoise and, honestly, I was no fan of nature in that manner.

A monkey swung from tree to tree above us and it took my hat. “Argh,” was all I could say. If we had known better, we would have made a run for it.
Amazingly, I had some water with me and it was annoyingly hot to even drink it. A parade of baboons moved in while we were still standing. If ever there was a time I played the game “statue” in a fair manner, it was then. None of us raised an eyebrow even when the chief with huge mane came closer. I wondered what he would take, and I was not surprised when he took Tafadzwa’s colourful cap.

As they moved on, I was not sure of us following them was such a good plan although they knew these parts of the jungle better than us. Great minds think alike! May be so in such conditions with Tafadzwa. “Why don’t we follow them, perhaps there’s a road ahead.

I was hoping that there are no more behind. I really wanted to go home so I obeyed “saka takafamba tichitevera makudo”. They split ways and it became dangerous once again to follow these deformed humans. We stood there confused once again.

Something behind us growled like a dog and we both looked back, at first I did think it was a hyena until Tafadzwa said it was a wild dog. What difference was there? It still had teeth and hopefully no claws.

I was never the one for athletics but I had to make a run for it this time around. This creature was really fast, I could exchange him for my lazy mutt. A shot rang and the dog cried and died. But who shot it?

A weird-looking old man came into the picture and I was not sure if he was for or against us at all. “Wah are you kids doi’ on this par’ of the forest all alone?” Tafadzwa looked at me and laughed, which was rude of him.

Part of it could have been a relief and excitement. I gave him a silly excuse that I thought would act like a reason till I found a good one.
Amusingly he knew everyone in our little town and their occupation too but who was he and why did he live in the most dangerous of all situations? I was not shocked to hear that his name was Nhamo.

In my mind I wondered if he had not had the chance to change his lifestyle even his own name for something better. I guessed no one outside the forest just before the town knows him.

As he talked to my brother I realised that he had resorted to live like this after his parents, wife and three children died in an accident. He literally lost all he owned except one thing. Our neighbour used to wonder who the owner of a plot next to his was and now we knew.

Just before we could cross over to where life was, I was stung on the big toe. I looked and screamed because it was a scorpion. I screamed quite loudly “Haibo wena, vhuka!”
Then at long last I woke right next to the pool, took a deep breath and looked at the hill and imagined the jungle or rather bush behind it all.

But was it possible that Nhamo really did exist? All I knew was if he did he would one day come for his plot.