Tumelo trudged out of Roodepan Primary School, the last bell still echoing in his ears. As he walked through the gate, a sudden pain shot through his back. He winced, turning to see Jacob, his eyes gleaming with malice, a stone still clutched in his hand.
Tumelo and Jacob were classmates in Grade 6, but their similarity ended there. While Tumelo struggled to make friends, Jacob revelled in his popularity.
Tumelo's mind reeled as he stumbled backward. "Why me, again?" he thought, despair creeping in. He felt like he was drowning in a sea of troubles. The constant bullying, the struggles at home, the weight of his mother's illness...it all bore down on him like a crushing weight.
Tumelo tried to walk away, but his feet felt heavy, as if rooted to the spot. He couldn't run, couldn't escape. Jacob's voice cut through the air, "Hey, Tumelo! Come back here!" Tumelo's heart sank, his palms growing sweaty.
Jacob approached him, his long strides eating up the distance. Tumelo's eyes darted upward, meeting Jacob's sneer. Jacob towered over him, his muscles rippling beneath his skin like a predator's. His hair was long, his clothes a testament to his wealthy upbringing.
Tumelo was a tiny boy with a brown face, brown eyes, and short hair. His voice was barely audible, often laughed at by his peers. Yet, despite his fragile appearance, there was a spark within him, waiting to be fanned into flame.
Tumelo's voice trembled as he pleaded, "Jacob, please, I need to go home. My taxi is waiting, and my home is far away." Jacob's expression didn't change; he simply raised an eyebrow, his eyes glinting with amusement.
The air seemed to vibrate with tension as Jacob's hand shot out. Tumelo flinched, anticipating the blow. Jacob's palm connected with his cheek, the sound echoing through the air like a crack of thunder. Tumelo's eyes watered as he stumbled backward, his hand instinctively rising to cradle his throbbing cheek.
Tumelo felt the slap, its sting searing his cheek. The slap was hard, harder than he'd expected. Jacob's eyes seemed to gleam with a malevolent light as he sneered, "Shut up. Did I ask you to talk back? Just give me the money."
Tumelo trembled, his eyes darting toward Jacob's friends, who stood by, watching with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. "Jacob, you know I don't have—"
But Jacob cut him off, his voice rising. "Did I say you should talk? I just said give me the money. Or do you want another one of those?" He gestured to Tumelo's cheek, where a red mark was already forming.
Tumelo's heart sank. He thought to himself, "He's going to beat me again." And then another slap came, followed by another. Three times, Jacob's palm connected with Tumelo's cheek.
Tumelo's thoughts swirled in despair. "Why is he beating me up like this? What have I done to deserve this?" He silently pleaded, "Oh God, please come and help me."
As he stood there, his face swollen and his eyes brimming with tears, Tumelo's expression reflected his fear. "Okay, okay," he stammered, handing over the money.
Jacob sneered, "Yeah, yeah. If you'd given me the money the first time, your face wouldn't be so beautifully swollen." His friends laughed at Tumelo's misfortune, their jeers cutting deep.
Tumelo thought to himself, "What am I going to tell Daddy this time? That I ran into a pole? Was robbed?" He knew he couldn't tell the truth – that Jacob had beaten him up again.
As he watched Jacob walk away, Tumelo's anger simmered. "Just you wait, Jacob," he thought, his eyes narrowing in determination.
Tumelo handed over the money, and Jacob issued a parting warning: "Tomorrow, you should bring some nice food. And don't forget, you don't talk back to me when I'm talking to you."
As Jacob got into his uncle's car and drove away, Tumelo watched, feeling the dust kick up by the tires settle on his face. He thought to himself, "It's me again, walking home alone."
The words of Nelson Mandela echoed in his mind: "The road to freedom is not easy ." Tumelo wondered when his own road to freedom would begin.
Tumelo made himself right, fixing his clothes and wiping away tears. He began his long walk home, thinking to himself, "Oh, my house is far. He trudged through the town, where people bustled about, cars honking and driving by.
As he walked, Tumelo's tiredness grew. His feet ached, and his cheek still stung from Jacob's slaps. Just as he was about to give up, he met an old man on the road. The old man looked at him with kind eyes and said, "Young man, can you please help me here?"
Tumelo's initial skepticism gave way to curiosity. "What should I help this old man with?" he thought. "Is he drunk or what?" But something about the old man's demeanor put him at ease.
He walked closer to the old man, who was sitting on the ground next to the road. "Uh, sorry. What can I do for you?" Tumelo asked.
The old man smiled weakly. "Can you please pull me up?" Tumelo hesitated for a moment, wondering if the old man was going to grab him. But something about the old man's gentle tone reassured him.
As Tumelo pulled the old man up, he felt a strange sensation, like a jolt of electricity. He looked around, wondering what was happening, and saw two birds fluttering around them. A rabbit emerged from the nearby bush, its big brown eyes looking up at Tumelo.
The old man smiled, his eyes twinkling. "Young man, seems like you've got a lot on your plate now. Your destiny is going to be great. Look around you – the animals, they love you."
Tumelo thought to himself, "This old man is delusional." But as he looked into the old man's eyes, he saw something there that gave him pause.
"Old man, where do you stay?" Tumelo asked, trying to make sense of the strange encounter.
The old man chuckled. "I stay wherever I please. I walk every day to find nice souls like yours."
Tumelo looked at the old man skeptically, but the old man just smiled and said, "Today, from tomorrow, things are going to be different. You'll see."
As Tumelo watched, the old man turned around and walked away. But instead of walking down the road, the old man jumped into the nearby bush and disappeared.
Tumelo's eyes widened in amazement. "How did he do that?" he wondered. He looked around, but there was no sign of the old man. It was as if he had vanished into thin air.
What was that how did that old man ,get so fast ?