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The Humming Stone · KofiTable - Mystery Box stories

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Nomusa pressed her thumb into the centre of the impefo circle,
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: leaving a mark on the cold rock. She'll know I'm
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: coming back, she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: The wind carried the scent of wild sage and something older,
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: something that tasted like memory. Thabo stood a few paces away,
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: his hand resting on the strap of his backpack, his
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: eyes scanning the path ahead. Mazulu had already started walking.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: her staff clicking against the stones with a rhythm that
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: matched the song, still humming in Nomusa's bones. They descended
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: in silence, the mountain's shadow stretching long behind them. The
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: path narrowed, then widened, then turned into a dirt track
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: that wound through fields of dry grass and scattered rocks.
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: Nomusa's phone buzzed again. Lesedi had sent another message. The
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: stone is singing. I can hear it from here. Hurry!
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: She showed it to Thabo. who read it with a
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: tight jaw. We need to find transport, he said. The
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: road to Limpopo is long. Mazulu stopped at a rusted signpost.
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: Cathedral Peak, 12 kilometers. She turned to face them, her
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: sharp eyes catching the light. There's a village at the base,
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: she said. We can find a ride there, but we
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: must be careful. The hunger is spreading. People will feel it,
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: even if they don't know what it is. Namusa nodded.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: She could feel it too, a low grinding hum that
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: vibrated through the soles of her feet like the earth
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: itself was waking up. It wasn't just the song anymore,
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: it was something deeper, something older. She thought of her mother,
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: trapped beneath the pool, and her chest tightened. Let's move,
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: she said. They reached the village by midday. It was
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: a small settlement of tin-roofed houses and a single spaza
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: shop with a faded Coca-Cola sign. A few children played
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: soccer in the dust, their laughter cutting through the heavy air.
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: Mazulu led them to a man sitting on a plastic
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: chair outside the shop, his face weathered and his eyes
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: half closed. Makulu, she said, using the respectful term for
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: an elder. We need to get to Polokwane. Can you
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: help us? The old man opened his eyes. He looked
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: at Nomusa, then at Thabo, then back at Mazulu. You're
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: the ones from the mountain, he said. His voice was gravelly,
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: like stones rubbing together. I felt you coming. The ancestors
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: whispered your names. He stood slowly, his joints creaking. My
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: nephew has a baki. He can take you as far
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: as Mokopane. From there, you'll find another ride. Namusa stepped forward.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: Thank you, she said. But how did you know we
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: were coming? The old man smiled, revealing a gap where
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: a tooth should have been. The stone in Molechi is humming,
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: he said. Everyone with ears to hear knows something is wrong.
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: My name is Gotso. I was a healer once, before
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: my hands started shaking. He held up his hands, and
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: Nomusa saw the tremor in his fingers. But I still listen,
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: and the ancestors say you are the ones who will
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: fix it. Thabo shifted his weight. We don't have much time,
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: he said. Can we go now? Gotso nodded and disappeared
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: into the shop. A few minutes later, a young man emerged,
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: wiping his hands on an oily rag. He introduced himself
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: as Chepo, Kagotso's nephew, and led them to a battered
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: Toyota Hilux parked behind the shop. The baki was old,
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: its paint faded to a dusty beige, but the engine
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: started on the first try. Nomusa climbed into the back seat,
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: her bag clutched to her chest. Thabo sat beside her,
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: his shoulder pressed against hers. Mazulu took the front passenger seat,
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: her staff wedged between her knees. As they pulled onto
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: the gravel road, Nomusa looked back at the mountain. The
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: peak was a dark silhouette against the sky, and for
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: a moment she thought she saw a flicker of light
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: near the summit, a flash of amber, like an eye opening.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: Did you see that? she asked. Thabo turned. See what? Nothing.
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: She faced forward, but the image stayed with her. The
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: mountain was watching. and somewhere beneath it, her mother was
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: still singing. The drive to Mokopane took three hours. The
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: road was rough, pitted with potholes and lined with acacia
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: trees that scraped the sides of the baki. Cheppo drove
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: in silence, his eyes fixed on the road. Mazulu dozed
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: in the front seat, her head bobbing with each bump.
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: Nomusa tried to sleep, but the song was louder now,
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: a constant hum that filled her head and made her
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: teeth ache. When they reached Mokopane, Chepo pulled over at
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: a taxi rank. This is as far as I go,
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: he said. You can find a taxi to Polokwane from here.
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: It's about an hour and a half. Nomusa thanked him
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: and climbed out. The taxi rank was crowded with people
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: and minibuses, the air thick with the smell of exhaust
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: and fried food. She felt a hand on her arm
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: and turned to see Mazulu, her eyes sharp despite her nap.
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: We need to be careful. Mazulu said. The hunger is
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: stronger here. Can you feel it? Nomusa closed her eyes.
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: The hum was a vibration in her chest, a pressure
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: behind her eyes. Yes, she said. It's like the ground
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: is hungry. Thabo scanned the crowd. There's a taxi to Polokwane,
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: he said, pointing to a minibus with a hand-painted sign.
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: Let's go. They bought tickets and climbed aboard. The taxi
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: was crowded, filled with the heat and noise of other passengers.
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: Nomusa squeezed into a seat by the window, her bag
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: on her lap. Thabo sat next to her, his body
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: a solid presence against the chaos. Mazulu took a seat
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: behind them, her staff resting against her shoulder. As the
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: taxi pulled out of the rank, Nomusa's phone buzzed. Lesidi again.
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: The stone is cracking. I can see it. There's something inside.
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: Nomusa's heart lurched. She typed back, We're on our way.
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: Don't touch it. The reply came a moment later, too late.