INTRODUCTION ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A GIRL CALLED MOLEBOHENG, WHO LIVED IN THE FORGOTTEN VILLAGE CALLED PHUTA IN LESOTHO WHO WAS MARRIED TO THE RIVER SPIRIT. CHAPTER 1WINTER MORNINGS ARE ALWAYS SUNNY IN THIS REGION. YOU'D SWEAR IT'S SUMMER. THE WATER IN THE RIVERS WAS clear, and YOU COULD SEE THE FISHE ROAMING AROUND. THIS VILLAGE WAS RICH IN FISH, FRESH WATER, AND SOIL. MOLEBOHENG LIVED WITH HER FAMILY OF 5 WHICH INCLUDED HERSELF, HER MOTHER(MMALERATO), HER TWO YOUNGER SISTERS ( LERATO AND MOLEMO), AND HER OLDER BROTHER (THOLANG). THIS FAMILY WAS KNOWN AS THE DISADVANTAGED FAMILY BECAUSE THEY RELIED ON WHAT PEOPLE COULD OFFER THEM TO MAKE A LIVING., MOLEBOHENG'S FATHER WAS KILLED BY A GROUP OF MEN WHO WANTED HIS LIVESTOCK. THE ONLY THING THEY COULD MAKE MONEY WITH WAS TO GROW CROPS AND FISH TO SELL TO TOURISTS WHO VISITED THAT PLACE.BOYS WOULD NORMALLY GO TO INITIATION SCHOOL DURING THIS TIME AND COME BACK DURING LATE SUMMER. MOLEBOHENG'S BROTHER WAS ONE OF THE GROUP OF BOYS WHO WERE GOING TO THE INITIATION SCHOOL THAT WINTER.CHAPTER 2THE VILLEGAS HAD THE BELIEF THAT WHEN THE BOYS WERE ABOUT TO COME BACK HOME A GIRL SHOULD BE CHOSEN AS A SACRIFICE TO THE GODS TO THANK THEM FOR THE SAFE RETURNS OF THE BOYS. ONE SUNNY MORNING MOLEBOHENG WAS SITTING WITH HER SISTERS WHEN HER MOTHER SENT HER TO GO TO THE RIVER AND FETCH WATER. SHE TOOK HER BUCKET AND HEADED TO THE RIVER, WHERE SHE FOUND GIRLS FROM HER VILLAGE WASHING. SHE GREETED THEM AND DID WHAT SHE WAS THERE TO DO, ONE OF THE GIRLS SAID " YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE ", MOLEBOHENG STOOD THERE IN SHOCK AND ACTED AS IF SHE DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING. THE GIRL REPEATED HER STATEMENT AND SAID " YOU ARE GOING TO COME BACK TRAUMATIZED LIKE THE OTHERS WHO WENT MISSING ", MOLEBOHENG WENT HOME AND TOLD HER MOTHER ABOUT WHAT THE GIRL SAID AT THE RIVER.HER MOTHER ASSURED HER THAT NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN TO HER, BUT SHE KNEW THAT HER DAUGHTER WAS NEXT AND WISHED THAT HER DAUGHTER WAS NO LONGER A VIRGIN BECAUSE ONLY VIRGIN GIRLS WERE CHOSEN. MOLEBOHENG'S SISTERS KNEW ABOUT EVERYTHING AND THEY WANTED TO GO AND TELL THEIR GRANDMOTHER HOPING SHE COULD STOP EVERYTHING, BUT THEY WERE TOO YOUNG TO CROSS THE RIVER SINCE THE WATER WAS TOO MUCH FOR THEM.GIRLS IN THE VILLAGE DIDN'T WANT TO PLAY WITH HER BECAUSE THEY WERE SCARED THEY MIGHT GET CHOSEN TOO. MOLEBOHENG WAS EVEN SCARED TO GO FETCH WATER AND ASKED HER SISTERS TO ACCOMPANY HER SINCE SHE BELIEVED THAT THE WATER SPIRITS MIGHT TAKE HER.CHAPTER 3MONTHS PAST AND THE DAY OF THE BOYS TO RETURN FROM INITIATION SCHOOL APPROACHED. THE WOMEN OF THE VILLAGE MADE A DECISION THAT MOLEBOHENG IS THE CHOSEN ONE AND SHOULD BE MARRIED TO THE WATER SPIRITS. THEY WENT TO MMALERATO TO TELL HER THE NEWS, EVEN THOUGH SHE KNEW THAT THE DAY WOULD COME BUT SHE NEVER THOUGHT IT COULD COME SO EARLY. THE NEWS WAS NOT PLEASING TO HER EARS AND SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY TO HER DAUGHTER. MOLEMO AND LERATO WERE THERE WHEN THE VILLAGE WOMEN CAME AND THEY STARTED TELLING THEIR MOTHER TO SEND THEIR SISTER TO THE OTHER VILLAGE, SINCE THEY HAVE ALREADY CHOSEN THEIR GIRL THERE. THERE WAS NOTHING TO DO OR NO TIME TO RUN, BECAUSE LATER THAT EVENING THE BOYS ARE COMING BACK HOME.THE FOLLOWING DAY IT WAS FRIDAY WHEN MOLEBOHENG WAS DRESSED AS A BRIDE AND WAITING FOR HER HUSBAND TO COME AND PICK HER UP. IT WAS BELIEVED THAT THE HUSBAND WOULD COME AT NIGHT TO FETCH HIS BRIDE AND WOULD RETURN THEM AFTER a FEW DAYS. THE WATER NEEDED TO BE CLEAN AND THE VILLAGE NEEDS FISH, SAID MAMAHLOMOLA ONE OF THE VILLAGE WOMEN. MOLEBOHENG CRIED THE WHOLE DAY AND THE NIGHTTIME CAME.THEY LEFT THE BRIDE IN A DARK ROOM WITH THE DOOR OPEN, A HALF-HUMAN LIZARD CAME IN HAVING A LONG TONGUE THAT LOOKED LIKE BAMBOO. IT ROAMED AROUND THE ROOM AND TOOK MOLEBOHENG., BEFORE IT WENT OUT WITH HER IT ROTATED HER FOUR TIMES IN THE FOUR DIRECTIONS. CHAPTER 4SATURDAY MORNING MOLEBOHENG WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND., THE VILLEGAS REJOICED AND LIFE CONTINUED. THE BOYS CAME BACK TO CHOOSE WIVES, BUT MOLEBOHENG'S BROTHER WAS NOT HAPPY. HE DIDN'T CHOOSE ANY GIRL BECAUSE HE BELIEVED THAT IF HE GOT MARRIED AND HAVE A GIRL CHILD SHE'LL END UP BEING LIKE HIS SISTER. MONTHS BECAME 2 YEARS, THE WATER WAS SPARKLING AND THE FISHES WERE MORE THAN BEFORE. ONE MONDAY MORNING IN THE FIRST MONTH OF WINTER, THE BOYS WERE SUPPOSED TO GO TO INITIATION SCHOOL. THE WATER WAS LESS THAN USUAL AND NO LONGER SPARKLING., THE FISH WERE NO LONGER ENOUGH FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY. USUALLY, WHEN THE BRIDE IS TAKEN THEY TAKE a FEW DAYS, BUT THEY NEVER CARED ABOUT HOW LONG MOLEBOHENG WAS GONE.THE WEEK PAST AND THE WATER HAS LESSENED IN THE STREAMS, MOLEBOHENG CAME BACK HOME.SHE WAS LOOKING PALE, HER SKIN WAS VERY COLD SHE BARELY WALKED AND TALKED. MMALERATO WAS HAPPY., SHE LOOKED LIKE SOMEONE WHO HAD BEEN MOLESTED BY AN UNKNOWN CREATURE. HER OPENINGS WERE OPEN IN A WAY ONE COULDN'T EXPLAIN., IT SEEMED LIKE SOMETHING WAS SUCKING OUT HER BLOOD AND ORGANS. UNFORTUNATELY SHE DIDN'T LIVE FOR LONG.