THE RIVER BRIDE

What the river took

INTRODUCTION

ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A GIRL CALLED MOLEBOHENG, WHO LIVED IN THE FORGOTTEN VILLAGE CALLE PHUTA IN LESOTHO WHO WAS MARRIED TO THE RIVER SPIRIT .

CHAPTER 1

WINTER MORNINGS ARE ALWAYS SUNNY IN THIS REGION YOU'D SWEAR IT'S SUMMER .THE WATER IN THE RIVERS WAS CLEAR YOU COULD SEE THE FISHES ROAMING AROUND . THIS VILLAGE WAS RICH IN FISHES, 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 KNOW AS THE DISADVANTAGED FAMILY BECAUSE THEY RELIED ON WHAT PEOPLE CAN 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 INITIATION SCHOOL THAT WINTER .

CHAPTER 2

THE VILLEGAS HAD THE BELIEVE 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 SEND 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 WILL HAPPEN TO HER, BUT SHE KNEW THAT HER DAUGHTER IS 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 CAN 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 3

MONTHS PAST AND THE DAY OF THE BOYS TO RETURN FROM INITIATION SCHOOL APPROACHED. THE WOMEN OF THE VILLAGE TOOK 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 WERE 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 ON 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 FEW DAYS . THE WATER NEEDED TO BE CLEAN AND THE VILLAGE NEED FISHES ,SAID MAMAHLOMOLA ONE OF THE VILLAGE WOMEN. MOLEBOHENG CRIED THE WHOLE DAY AND THE NIGHT TIME CAME .THEY LEFT THE BRIDE IN A DARK ROOM WITH THE DOOR OPEN, A HALF HUMAN LIZARD COME 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 INTO THE FOUR DIRECTIONS.

CHAPTER 4

SATURDAY MORNING MOLEBOHENG WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND, THE VILLEGAS REJOICED AND LIFE CONTINUED. THE BOYS CAME BACK TO CHOOSE WIFES, BUT MOLEBOHENG'S BROTHER WAS NOT HAPPY. HE DIDN'T CHOOSE ANY GIRL BECAUSE HE BELIEVED THAT IF HE GETS 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 FISHES WERE NO LONGER ENOUGH FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY. USUALLY WHEN THE BRIDE IS TAKEN THEY TAKE 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 HAS 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 MORE THAT A WEEK, AND SHE PASSED AWAY LIVING A HAND WRITTEN LETTER OF WHERE SHE WAS , WHAT HAPPENED AND WHY THE WATER AND FISHES ENDED UP DRYING OUT. SHE SAID THAT THE WATERS WILL REMAIN UNCLEAN AND NO MORE GIRLS WILL BE TAKEN.