Chapter 4 Back home

"Halt."

Ofentse turned toward the voice coming from across the river. A man clad in black and white sat on a mountain zebra. He was talking on a two way radio. Not long after he raised his head.

"The major will be with you shortly, just hold ur position." Then he added as if an afterthought, "don't worry you're in safe hands now, we're the Lake City Mountain Range Rangers and you're in Lake City territory."

He went back to talking on the radio. Ofentse turned to his left and only a short distance away appeared three riders on zebras dressed in the same black and white striped gear as the man across the river. And at the helm rode a woman flanked by two men.

"Woah," she said to the zebra, then looking at Ofentse she said, "you're a mighty large fellow." She was dark skinned with a sizeable belly which hung over her belt, and she bent toward Ofentse when she said, "Major Magubani of the Lake City Military. Division, Mountain Range Ranger's." She paused staring at him, "shoh, it's just that I'm dumfounded by your size, we've been watching you through the nox," she pointed to a pair of binoculars hanging around the neck of a young man with blonde hair.

"We thought, well certainly I thought you were huge. But not what I see before me right now." She pointed once more at the young ride, "Chip here, wasn't even close. He said you were probably very tall but thin,hiding behind that big coat of yours." She then nodded in the direction of a tan skinned older man with a brown over grown beared. "Then Harry," she had her mouth open, closed it, opened it again, "not important."

She leaned forward, and in a rather harsh tone asked, "who are you, and what do you want here especially trying to sneak in through the back door?"

Ofentse was taken aback momentarily by the sudden change, but he didn't allow it to affect his youthful confidence.

"I am Ofentse, and_"

"Where are you from?"

"I am from the lands of Ayu."

"Ayu, I haven't heard of this place? Where is it?"

"It is a long distance to the north, a vast region of plains just beyond the equator."

"And your purpose for this visit?"

"I wish to see my mother."

"You have a mother living in Lake City, what's the address?"

"Address?"

"Where does your mother live?"She rolled her eyes.

Ofentse fumbled in his pockets, and quickly retrieved yellowed piece of paper which he handed over to the Major.

She seemed to be straining her eyes, before she said, "says here, twenty one Langa drive, Bantuville." She looked up, "and your last name is?"

"Aye."

"The same as that place your from?"

"I am Aye, the place I'm from is Ayu."

"Ayu, Aye seems the same to me," she leaned back in her saddle, "what does Ayu mean?"

"It is good."

"And," she waived a finger in the air, "that other one?"

"Aye, of the land that is good."

"Is good, of good. Anyway, you gonna need a permit for that bird."

"Permit?"

"Why do you keep repeating what I say? Permit, permission to own a wild animal. Also you gonna have to sign registration of ownership."

"But I don't own the bird."

"Who owns it then, you can't deny that it was on your shoulder for a very long time as you travelled towards us. We saw it all."

"The bird is a friend, I don't own the bird."

The Major and Harry laughed, Chip sat silently.

"Okay, we need you to sign and say you accept responsibility for your feathered friend."

Ofentse relented, "understood."

"Good, how long are you planning on staying in our fine city?"

"I haven't a clue."

"You don't, well then as a precaution we'll need you to sign every seven days at the home office."

"For?" asked Ofentse.

"It's what all visitors do, only citizens are exempt from this law."

"I am a citizen."

"Then why didn't you say so? Do we have proof of this citizenship of ours?"

Ofentse bent down, and of a short while of fiddling pulled out a small green book.

"Get me a freaking smoking snow cone, this is an old identity book. Backdated, we don't use these anymore. We use the blue ones now." She handed it to Ofentse.

"Is it valid, am I no longer a citizen?"

"Cheeky bugger aren't you?" She eyed him, "yes it's valid, needs to be updated though. When did you leave our city?"

"I was not yet two, about nineteen years ago."

"What? That's crazy, you're just out of your nappies and yet built for war. And, you look like you've been through a couple already." She focused on the scar. "So, you haven't seen your mother in many filthy years. Is she alive, do you know?"

The question was one that had been bothering Ofentse from before he left Ayu. Was his mother alive? What if he had been traveling for nothing? He had decided that the question didn't matter, because the only way to find out was to make the journey. And yet, it bothered him.

"No I don't know if she is still alive."

The woman whistled, "anyway, we are going to need you to come to the office, sign and be on your way before the sun sets.

Ofentse was now very anxious. The question about his mother applied pressure on a calm mind. Is my mother still alive.

"Can I?" Ofentse pointed towards the city.

"Suit yourself."

He picked up his belongings and walked around a few trees closer to the falling water. Then slowly Ofentse's eyes were opened to the beauty and vastness that stood before him. Clouds above received shafts of sunshine from a dropping sun, showing but an ear of its full form. The valley was deep and wide, surrounded by a stretch of mountains as far as the eyes can see on all sides. For anybody the sight is incredible. But for Ofentse, it was unbelievable. He had never seen a city before, tall buildings and the like. And what he saw before him was not just a city. Lake City is a mega-metropolis with millions of inhabitants. Amber reflections from the cloud's decked the top of the mountain on which Ofentse stood; a mountain in the shape of a horseshoe that stretched a long distance before dying down to allow access into the valley. Skyscrapers stuck out of the sky reaching heights almost equal to the clouds, but not quite. They showered different hues of light dispersed in every direction of their windows.

Ofentse caught sight of images he couldn't make sense of; cars, trucks buses and motorcycles. The mountains were littered with mansions and unusually shaped buildings. He could see the river becoming a lake in the centre of the city with extensive strings of lights glowing from the numerous bridges. Immediately under his nose was a large pool where rushing water driven by gravity meticulously and consistently attacked it's fallen brethren, smoothening rocks on its way down. Just in front of the pool, his eyes settled on an island surrounded by the river that becomes the lake further on.

To his right, he saw how another river born just below him in the splashing water moved alongside the mountain until it's escape much further down. He couldn't put into words what he saw, but enjoyed every moment of the splendor that arrested his senses. He took a deep breath in, as if he could keep to savour on another day. The wind blew a little harshly on the summit causing his coat to flap in the air. It was upon these winds that Ofentse placed the words as if transport to the land of the dead.

"Papa, I have come."