The Witchdoctor's Bones

by Lisa de Nikolits

  “I find the reference to three days very interesting,” Lena said, “It’s like Easter, with Jesus rising from the dead after three days.”

  Jono agreed. “Yebo. In African stories of creation, and there are many different versions of this, the three day resurrection is often found also.”

  “Tell me,” Sofie asked, “where do the Bushmen stand on reincarnation?” She played absent-mindedly with her Ganesh necklace as she spoke.

  “Ei little Sofie, haw! but you like the complicated questions.” Jono laughed. “All I can tell you is that African people believe very strongly in life before birth and in the existence of spirits, but the opinions on life after death are more varied. That is one you will have to research yourself and now, I must go to bed and prepare for tomorrow.” He took another smore offered by Ellie and tried to meet Kate’s eye but she was yawning and standing up to leave with Marika.

  “We’re going to bed too,” Lena and Gisela said. “See you all tomorrow.”

  Rydell accepted that Treasure would not be coming back and he got up to go to his tent, much to Ellie’s obvious disappointment. A lively life-after-death discussion erupted as he walked away, with opinions shouted from all sides, Stepfan and Sofie among the loudest.

  Rydell was depressed by Treasure’s disappearance. He had been preparing to talk to her the whole day. It was not fair, he never seemed to have any luck, as if his life was cursed from the moment he was born.

  Kate and Marika were startled to be woken at midnight by Jasmine. “Come quickly, there’s an elephant, I saw it, come with me.” They quickly followed her and joined the rest of the pajama-clad lot.

  “Where is Stepfan?” Lena asked. “Has anyone seen him?”

  Brianna could not find Charisse either but she kept quiet. “I’m sure he’s fine,” she said to Lena, “probably in the washroom. Let’s go and see this elephant, I was fast asleep and I want to get back to bed.”

  Jasmine led them through the camp.

  “Is someone in the swimming pool?” Sofie asked. “I can hear splashing.”

  “The swimming pool’s on the way,” Jasmine herded them. “Let’s go past and see.” She led them to the pool and shone her flashlight on the swimmers. Fully illuminated and buck-naked, both Charisse and Stepfan screamed in horrified surprise while the group stood in shocked silence.

  “We didn’t need to see this,” Brianna said, when the real purpose for Jasmine’s urgent call became clear. “You’ve had it in for Charisse all along. This was none of your business, Jasmine.”

  Jasmine set her mouth in a stubborn pout. “They deserved it.”

  “Maybe they did, but did Lena?” Gisela was angry. She turned to see Lena disappearing into the darkness and Gisela rushed after her.

  Stepfan and Charisse climbed out the pool shivering, and Brianna rushed over with their towels.

  “We weren’t doing anything wrong,” Stepfan was defensive. “It’s a hot night, we were taking a swim, that’s all.”

  “Pull the other one, why don’t you?” Richard said, “but who am I to judge? Come on, Mia, let’s go back to bed.”

  The group walked off, followed by Brianna, Charisse and Stepfan. Jasmine was left alone. Despite her righteous anger, she felt ashamed and sad, and she sat down and wept in the darkness, her body shuddering.

  To Siesriem

  THE FOLLOWING MORNING, breakfast was a quiet affair. The group avoided eye contact and the only sounds were chattering birds and clinking tin plates.

  Jono and Treasure exchanged glances and Jono’s look asked Treasure a hundred questions but she shrugged and shook her head. She had no idea what had happened and she had even less interest in finding out. Her world felt weighed down and she was trapped and afraid. There was no rescue in sight and now she had another mouth to feed, another child to school, clothe, and look after. Who would help her now? Nobody.

  She packed the pantry in silence, wordlessly stacking things passed to her by an equally subdued Harrison who had been dismayed by the incident at the pool; the entire situation had depressed him by its sad and sordid nature.

  Everyone was relieved to get back on the bus, looking forward to being buffered in their own worlds by the noise of the engine and the jolting of punished steel on the rough road.

  But when Kate climbed up, she spotted Ellie waving her over to an empty seat beside her. “I saved this one for you,” she beckoned loudly and Kate sighed inwardly; something was going on with Ellie and she was about to find out, like it or not.

  Kate glanced over at Charisse whose eyes were hidden by dark glasses, her skin blotchy and swollen. Brianna, next to Charisse, was clearly ready to challenge anyone who confronted her friend, glaring up as people made their way to their seats. Jasmine’s eyes were as equally as swollen and she looked the most miserable of the lot. Lena, sitting next to Harrison, was inscrutable apart from a certain set to her jaw.

  Stepfan glared at Harrison, hoping to get him to move but Harrison ignored him. Out of deference to Lena, Harrison did not launch into his usual barrage of chatter.

  Kate reluctantly sat down next to Ellie. “We’ve got a long way to go today and I feel very tired,” she said, hoping that Ellie would get the hint, but Ellie needed to talk.

  “Have you ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn’t have?”

  “Can’t say I have,” Kate sighed audibly this time. “I’ve been with my boyfriend forever.”

  “I’m here on this trip because I met this guy about a year ago and I fell for him just like that.” Ellie snapped her fingers. “He came to install some glass at the lab and our eyes met and it was one of those electric things.” Her face, suddenly lit with happiness at the memory, and just as quickly clouded over.

  “My friends never liked him and they weren’t wrong. He’s a loser for sure, I know that. But he did something to me I can’t explain. It’s like I was addicted to him even though he treated me so badly; like he’d come and see me for sex at two or three in the morning and I’d let him, no matter what time it was. I was just so happy to see him and I gave him money for drugs. He deals drugs, nothing serious, just some cocaine and pot and ecstasy, but sometimes he’d run out of money and I’d help him. I could never say no even though he never paid me back.”

  “Are you still seeing him?” Kate asked politely. She wasn’t overly surprised by what she was hearing; Ellie was a vacuum waiting to be filled.

  “No. But,” Ellie admitted with reluctance, “it’s more like he’s not seeing me. He dumped me for a high school cheerleader, can you believe that? When he left he told me I was never his type anyway — too tall, dark, and plain.”

  “You’re better off without him.” Kate was blunt. “He sounds like a real jerk.” She realized she was feeling the same way about Cam, and that she was increasingly relieved to be free from the relationship she had once thought she would die without. She was also discovering that she enjoyed her own company; it felt good to be doing things for and by herself.

  But Ellie didn’t hear a word. “I did things for him, with him, that I never dreamt I’d do, that I’d never had occasion to do. He was the most exciting person I’ve ever been with. It’s like I was free for the first time in my life and now everything’s so boring. The sex was off the planet, wild. We had sex anywhere, anytime, in public places, you name it.”

  More information than Kate needed.

  “And then, when you’ve had a taste of heaven, how do you adjust to normal life? It’s all such a yawn. My stupid job, my stupid life, everything’s boring. That’s why my parents paid for this holiday, to try to get me excited about life, and I work with Jasmine who made it sound fantastic so I figured why not?”

  Her face soured. “I thought it would be wild and dangerous and so far it’s just history lessons, stupid fights and being on this bus like forever. It’s as boring as the rest of my life.”

 
“It depends on what you were expecting. I’m loving every second. How flexible you are makes a difference too. You need to see the best in a situation and take it from there.”

  “Yeah, really! That’s exactly it. Make the best of things. I knew you’d understand. That’s why I wanted to sit next to you because I want to ask you something. Rydell’s a very interesting man and you’ve been sitting next to him a lot so you must know him best of all of us. Do you think he’d be interested in me? He’s very sexy.”

  “I beg your pardon? Rydell? You find him sexy?”

  “Yeah. He’s got this like, mysteriousness to him. He’s hot.”

  Kate could not have been more astonished if Ellie had told her a local ostrich was the new Brad Pitt. Rydell hot? She tried to see him from Ellie’s perspective. She supposed he was not a bad-looking man when he stopped jerking and twitching.

  “How old are you, Ellie?”

  “Twenty-three.”

  “Here’s what I think,” Kate said, knew that whatever she said would not be be well-received. “Sometimes it’s hard to see things for what they are. I understand, here you are, recovering from a broken heart and looking for adventure and a good time…”

  “Totally.” Ellie interrupted her. “Exactly. You totally get it.”

  “But Ellie,” Kate tried to explain, “there are some men one should stay away from and truly, Rydell’s one of them. He’s different to us, to the rest of the world…”

  “Who says different is bad? Different is good. Different is exciting.”

  “I can’t tell you what to do but all I’m going to say is, be careful. It’s up to you, I’m not going to advise you one way or the other.”

  “You want him for yourself!” Ellie hissed and she took off her baseball cap, thin hair plastered to her skull. “You take up all his time and attention. I’ve watched you. You always sit next to him, you’re always talking to him. You should give other people a chance to get to know him. You’re unfair about him in the things you say and I’m not going to listen to a word of it. You’re just jealous that he might be interested in somebody else. You can’t fool me.”

  Kate was taken aback. “Do whatever you want, Ellie. I won’t get in your way but don’t tell me about it or ask any more questions because I’m not interested. As far as I’m concerned, he’s all yours.” She put on her earphones and reached for her water bottle, hoping the next stop would come soon.

  A couple of hours later, Jono pulled into a gas station. “Everybody! Time to get petrol. You have got fifteen minutes.”

  Kate shot off to the washroom, then ran into the local store to buy a supply of local newspapers and chocolate. She made good use of the photo opportunity, in no hurry to rejoin Ellie.

  “Who are you sitting next to?” Marika joined her on the dusty red road. “I’m next to Jasmine who’s depressed and keeps crying although she pretends not to. I know I should be more sympathetic but they created that whole mess.”

  “I couldn’t agree with you more. I got stuck with Ellie who told me to stop monopolizing Rydell because he’s such a sexy, hot and interesting man and she wants to get to know him better.”

  “Are you serious?” Marika stopped, amazed. “Hot? I can’t believe she said that. What level of crazy is she? Even a blind man could see from a mile off what a weirdo he is. He’s the closest thing to normal when he’s around you which is probably why he likes hanging around you. Well, let her have him and vice versa. I wish we could seat Ellie and Jasmine back together and you and me could sit next to each other again but I guess that wouldn’t be very nice of us?”

  They discussed various ways of orchestrating the move but short of being rude, they realized they would have to continue with their depressed and angry seatmates. Except that when they got back on the bus, Jasmine and Ellie were sitting side-by-side, dark glasses on, no explanations offered.

  Kate laughed. “And to think we worried about our manners,” she whispered to Marika. “Look, Enrique’s gone to sleep up on the luggage rack. I’m surprised Harrison let him. It must be bumpy up there. This is one of the worst roads so far and Jono said it’s one of the longest ones too.”

  “I’m pretending it’s Namibian massage therapy,” Marika said, folding a blanket to sit on. “If you relax and don’t fight it, it jolts the bones and muscles in a way that loosens them all up.”

  “You always see the positive,” Kate laughed at her. “I’ll give your way of thinking a try.”

  The bus stopped at a crossroad that boasted nothing but miles of thick ginger sand and a single acacia tree. “Everybody! We will have lunch here,” Jono called out as he climbed down from the bus.

  “Now,” he said to the assembled gang who were stretching and yawning, “here we are, at a crossroad. In some African myths and legends, a crossroad is no ordinary road but an intersection of dimensions; a place where the world of the dead and the world of the living connect, a place where you can make choices. So here, now, you can change your life forever.”

  They pulled out the camp chairs and sat under the tree waiting for Treasure and Harrison who had waved off offers of help. Stepfan was quiet, and avoiding Charisse who was silent and withdrawn, attended to by a hovering Brianna. Richard had succeeded in joking Jasmine into a better mood and Kate made sure to steer clear of Rydell and Ellie. Ellie had made a beeline for Rydell and was sitting next to him but Rydell was lost in his own world. He was desperate to talk to Treasure and had reached the point where he could hardly sit still.

  “Jono,” Richard said, “while we’re out here, out in the middle of nowhere, waiting for lunch, how about you explain muti to us? Seems like as good a time as any, what do you say?”

  Jono opened his mouth to reply when a loud crash sounded from the back of the bus and Treasure jumped down, seething.

  “I’ve had enough! You’re making me crazy. No one gets sick on my trips, ever. I want you to leave me alone to do my work. Why can’t you do that? Why can’t you leave me alone? You and your stupid rules for everything. I’m sick and tired of you, Harrison.” She turned and stormed down the sandy road.

  Harrison emerged from the back of the bus, his expression miserable. He looked over at the group who stared wordlessly back at him. He glanced questioningly at Jono, holding his hands out to the side, as if asking Jono what he should do but Jono just shrugged. Harrison sat down for a moment, watching Treasure’s furious stride. Then he got up and went after her.

  Rydell smiled.

  “I guess we can safely assume that lunch is delayed,” Richard commented. “Which means we’ve got the time to chat, Jono.”

  “Or maybe we should get our own lunch,” Sofie stated. “Poor Treasure’s at the end of her tether.”

  “Good idea,” Kate agreed

  “I’m in,” Marika got to her feet.

  “Us too,” Lena and Gisela said.

  Jono looked at Richard. “Perhaps tonight my friend,” he said and Richard was clearly disappointed.

  “Treasure! Stop!” Harrison yelled as he ran after her. “Treasure, I’m sorry, believe me. I never meant to make you crazy. I know I can be strong-minded sometimes but I never wanted to upset you or insult you. Please stop and talk to me.”

  Treasure came to a sudden stop. She stood still for a moment, her shoulders heaving, then she dropped down in the middle of the thick sandy road and cried even harder. She pulled her knees up to her chest, put her head down and sobbed, her whole body shaking.

  Harrison sat down next to her, not sure what to do. “Treasure,” he said cautiously, “are you alright? I know I upset you by what I said about the food storage system, and I know I make you crazy but you do seem more upset than one would think. I mean, shout at me yes, but crying like this, I don’t understand. Please Treasure, please, tell me what’s going on.”

  “Fine. I will tell you,” Treasure shouted and she looked away from him. �
�But you cannot tell anybody. Do you promise? Jono knows but you cannot talk to him about it. Tell me you promise?” She wiped her face with the back of her hand.

  “I promise absolutely.” Harrison glanced around anxiously. They were sitting in the middle of the road but he thought it wasn’t the right time to mention it. He tried to focus on her as well as keep an eye on the traffic, of which, thankfully, there was none.

  “Tell me,” he said and his voice was kind.

  “I’m going to have a baby,” she wailed. “I thought I would happy and I thought I would be a strong and brave woman but now I’m only frightened. I’m very scared and I’m not happy at all. How can I afford a baby when I can barely afford the son I’ve already got? Tell me? I work twenty ones days on, four days off then twenty days on again. How can I keep working and have this baby? And I could never kill my baby; there are women who could do that but I could not.”

  She started to sob again. “But how will I live? And how will my baby live? My mother, she is old, she is the one who already looks after my son. I cannot give her a new baby too and now things are so bad in Zimbabwe, everything is very bad. I don’t know what to do, haw. And this man, the father of the baby, he told he loved me and now he won’t even pick up the phone to answer my calls. He has walked away from everything.”

  With that, she put her head in her hands and wailed again.

  “Treasure, come here.” Harrison moved closer to her and wrapped his arm around her. “Let me tell you this,” he said, while a part of him registered that her bare, sun-warmed skin was soft and smooth to the touch. “Come now, stop crying for a moment and listen to me, because I want to tell you something.”

  Treasure drew deep gulping breaths, calmed down and hiccupped slightly. She stared at the ground, despondent. There was nothing he could say that would make her feel better; he knew nothing of the hardships of her life.

  “After I left the Czech Republic, I worked in the Middle East, trying to help with rebuilding and I’ve seen men and women and babies survive in conditions that no one would believe possible. Which doesn’t mean it’s easy, it’s not, but what I do know is this: we survive. We survive because we have to, and because we must, because it is our human instinct to try to stay alive for as long as we can. The fight for life is like a flame that cannot be extinguished except by the most terrible of tragedies.”