SONG OF SIWANO
He lurks in the shadows…waiting and watching for his victims. It so queer that mothers in the village warned their children against everything else, except he that is called Shigologolo, the wretched. They said “ Don’t go near so and so’s house because they have the evil eye ” or “don’t pass by that side of the river because the village mad man lives there ” or “don’t talk to Mukwesa or her children…they will ruin you with their bad manners”. The list of don’ts is endless. Yet, hardly anyone mentioned the wretched. Except the mad man, of course, but nobody listened to him anyway. I never thought much about it, not until the day the wretched came after me. He crept up ever so unhurriedly…inaudibly….but with such swiftness that I did not have time to react. In fact, for a moment, I was unaware of what had happened. Then the pain began and the darkness overwhelmed me. He engulfed me and I failed so miserably at setting myself free! “How did he get me? Wasn’t I looking? Wasn’t I k