‘He’s Sonqua!’ Twa laughed, his voice trailing eerily after them as they disappeared into the darkness.

Chapter Five

Tau and Nani rose early on the day of the celebration for Zokho and Toma, and selected a spot a few steps from Limp Kao’s hearth for the new skerm. While the others slept, they went quickly to work, digging elbow-deep holes a foot apart in a circle, into which they inserted flexible poles that met over their heads, binding branches and twigs around the structure and tying it all together with strips of bark.

‘She’s learnt bad things while she was gone. “Don’t call me Smoke in the Eyes, my name’s Zokho”,’ Tau imitated.

‘Look how Toma’s troubled Koerikei for her. And he’s good with his arrow, a good hunter. Before she came, I thought he and Karees would mate.’

‘Me, too. What will Toma do when he finds out?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘She has not been with Toma since she’s back, but her body’s changed.’

‘Of course it’s changed. She’s started her flow.’

‘I haven’t seen any blood.’

‘You haven’t seen any blood because …’

‘Exactly.’

They put the finishing touches to the shelter, then fetched wood from their own hearths and built a small fire in front of the entrance.

Zokho went dutifully with the women to the home built for her and Toma. Tau and Nani poured water from a container onto a soft piece of leather and washed her down, winding antelope strips below her knees, adorning her arms with bangles, decorating her short hair with red and white ostrich eggshell beads. When the grooming was complete, they sat her down on the special kaross.

‘You are ready now for your husband.’

‘Why do I need a husband? I’m still a child.’

The women looked at her in surprise.

‘What do you mean?’ Tau asked.

‘A husband just wants to lay with you.’

‘Of course, he wants to lay with you,’ Nani laughed. ‘What man protects you and feeds you and doesn’t want to play with your genitals? You think he does it and wants nothing for it in return? But there’s no need to worry about that yet. You will sleep on opposite sides of the fire until the first blood comes.’

‘The first blood came long ago. It stopped.’

‘How long ago did it stop?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Did you lay with Toma?’

‘No.’

The women looked at each other.

‘I think you are growing a child, Zokho.’

Zokho sat with her face in her hands and looked down at her feet.

‘What happened?’ Nani asked.

‘I didn’t want to, he forced me.’

‘Who forced you?’

Zokho looked away.

‘Someone where you were?’

‘I didn’t want to do it.’

‘Toma will not accept a white child,’ Tau said gently.

‘We can give her the leaves,’ Nani said.

‘It’s too late.’

‘Maybe it will still work.’

‘I don’t want a husband,’ Zokho said suddenly.

‘What do you mean you don’t want a husband? You have no one. Your mother is dead. There are no brothers, no uncles, only Koerikei and me. Toma can look after you. He wants to look after you. He went all that way to fetch you back.’

‘I cannot do it for food.’

The women looked at each other.

‘What nonsense is this? Of course, you do it for food. And for someone to care for you.’

‘I have someone.’

‘You have?’

‘And I don’t care for Toma.’

‘You will care, when your belly’s full. And who’s this someone you’re talking about? He’s with us? Here?’

‘He’s not of this tribe.’

‘Where’s he from?’

‘Not from here.’