Story Time

“THE DIM LIGHT ON HER CROWN…

” BY Amantle Kobe, Gaborone Botswana

She shut her eyes tightly pretending to sleep, praying and pleading the Almighty that this would soon be over. The whispers’ from her bedroom door made a flood of tears flow down her beautiful marble black skin. “What have I done to deserve this?” she questioned her petite brain. “Feel free to do anything you want to her, but each extra minute comes with an extra cost. Rip her skin, scratch her face and bite her belly, “her evil Aunt Rosalina uttered. It had been a family norm that Lelentle had turned to a means of gathering ends meet for her family. A couple of men; young, old, rich and mediocre were her regular abusers. They would tear up her clothes, scratch her face and bite her body. Her throat was raw from screaming when the next entered. Luckily it was the last encounter for the day. “Stop it! Stop it!” Lelentle exclaimed, he slapped her face and let out an evil laugh. “You filthy rat! You think you are pretty? Who do you think is going to love you looking at your ugly face? ”Thabang, her Uncle mocked. It was only at the day of Lelentle’s birth that she encountered her first encounter with fate begun. Only three hours after the little bundle of joy’s entrance to this world, her mother Lorato passed on to paradise. Lelentle-Lorato they named her in memory of her late mother. Left to live with her drunkard father, Lelentle had no option because she suffered the consequences of her mother’s decision of deciding to marry Tumelo Lamorena, a famous business man in the great city of Gaborone. His arrivals late home for the past week had bothered Lelentle-Lorato; he did not even touch his food for the past week. What was up with him she thought to herself? Continuous coughing woke her up from her almost sleep, and she quickly dashed for her father’s bedroom. “Daddy! Daddy! What’s wrong?” she hurriedly tried to speak out. “Should I call the ambulance? “Lelentle panted in fear. With attempt to open up Tumelo’s airway with her tiny twelve year old hands, unending foam continued to erupt like a furious volcano from his mouth. “Be like your mother my love,” were the last words she ever heard from her father before letting out the last cough and closing his eyes. A week after Lelentle’s father, Tumelo was laid to rest, she found a note written to her under fathers bedroom lamp “LELENTLE-LORATO LAMORENA My life turned out to be a blessing after you were born, I couldn’t endure the love I had for you My love, my pride, My Joy where ever life will lead you never forget the LORD. Your mother and I will be your guardians from above. Stay strong My Love and raise the family name up high. You are a true Queen. I LOVE YOU.”A tear streaked down her cheek but she held the letter close to her heart. Where will she start from? “What’s the nature of the relationship between Miss.Peolwane Bontle and Mr.Thabo Kwena?” “Mr. Kwena is Ms.Bontle’s legal guardian, of which he was authorized of her care when she was only six years of age Your Honor.’ “Can you tell the court more about these violent altercations Ms.Bontle has shared with you?” “Once she came to my house with a bloody dress, her tears mixed up with her blood, when asking her what had occurred she mentioned that her Uncle, Mr.Thabo Kwena had brought over three of his drunk friends over for the night, who then invaded her room while she was asleep and then used her. She showed me one of the scars they had made on her belly and the whipping Mr. Kwena had given her for her stubbornness during the previous night. She moved further to her neck where she showed me the marks she had received earlier that morning, with a threat to be killed if she ever spoke of the events that occurred the night before, after which she quickly dashed to my house for help while Mr. Kwena was asleep, Your Honor. “Anything else?” “No your Honor.”

Continued.......

“With the powers vested in me under the Children’s Act of 2009, I rule that Mr.Thabo Kwena be sentenced to twenty-five years imprisonment and six months of community service.” Then she proceeded to hit her hammer. This was one of the cases that had made Lelentle-Lorato Lamorena, Botswana’s best judge, at only twenty one of age she had graduated with a Master’s Degree in Children’s Law from the University of Oxford. Her passion for law made her accelerate in the saturated industry where she owns her own law firm; Lamorena’s Attorney Generals. After enduring five years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse from her aunt Rosalina and her Uncle Thabang, who turned her into a family business she was later rescued by an angel, her High school teacher Mrs.Mpho who took her in as her child after she heard her story. Attorney Maylah Jones, who ruled out a sentence to her Aunt and Uncle, had always been an inspiration to help the vulnerable and abused kids throughout the country. As she entered her Mercedes-BenzG63, she set out for her penthouse by the Two Oceans shore in Cape Town. “Your love, “a song by Azana she had fell in love with played in the background in her drive from the Cape Town High Court. “Raise our family name high, you are a true Queen. I love you.” She remembered her father’s note as she parked her car in front of the penthouse she had owned together with her Husband Dr.Daniel Sophia. She had learnt that the tragic beginning of her life was not the end, but a means to unleash the diamond she was from the love that endured from her parents. “Ka nnete Lelentle-Lorato Lamorena” she whispered as she opened the door of her penthouse, translating to “Truly the Love of the Lord is beautiful.”

FROM UGANDA

CARMEN SANDIEGO;

THE BEGINNING

As a young child Carmen never really knew much about her parents. She was always told by the lady who raised her, Coach Brunt that she was found on a maize field. Though she didn’t believe it, she rarely asked question to avoid testing her patience. She had always appreciated the lady for she was all she had. Little did she know she would sooner or later realize her whole life was a lie? Carmen had grown up on a private island that had an institution .It was where the coach supposedly taught physical education. Though she didn’t know what they did at the institution she had her suspicions.

Finally when she was old enough to enroll in the institution, her legal guardian let her in on their dirty secret. It turned out to be an institution dedicated to training professional stealing .Carmen had always been cheeky .She had even earned the nick name ‘black sheep’ among the students. Though she didn’t believe in violence, she continued with the course. There she would learn all she needed to know about the art of stealing from the best criminals in the region. To be honest I truly believe that this was the beginning of Carmen Sandiego.

Composed By; Crystal Ogutu