On the 13th of August, when everything seemed normal, my sister placed a pregnancy test in front of me. We were going back and forth, the truth refusing to ever leave my mouth and when it finally happened - when it was finally revealed, my world changed forever.
We hurriedly walked, hands intertwined, to the nearest clinic. She wasn’t angry, she wasn’t shouting. We just walked, arrived and got rid of it. I never apologised to her. I never should have lied to her. I never thanked her. We never spoke about it again.
She smiled and laughed with mama, and I felt awkward knowing what had happened. How was she so calm? So relaxed, so her. I couldn’t bring it up, she never let me. I had to smile, laugh and hope that there wasn’t a void that was once filled inside me.
On the 13th of August, when everything changed, I noticed my sister crying in the middle of the night. We had gotten rid of it. It was somehow finally over but she wept with her eyes tightly closed like the same void that was within me was in her.
I didn’t fall back into sleep, I couldn’t fall back into sleep. I laid there and wept silently with her. We didn’t look at each other, we never held each other. Our backs and feet were all there ever was to contact as they faced each other.
She eventually fell asleep and I wanted to but I couldn’t. It was then that I felt that it wasn’t ever over.
On the 18th of August, when everything felt like it was back to normal, mama walked into my room and slapped me across the face.
She had tears, uncontrollably running down her face and my sister followed behind her with no sign of any emotion on her face.
“O setlatla!” the words rang in my face. I blocked all the other words that came after and stormed out, feeling the walls sucking me in.
She promised! It wasn’t verbal but she acted like it never happened. She laughed! She smiled! We never spoke about it!
How was she so evil? So vile, so her.
On the 20th of August, when everything was completely shattered, I watched my sister pour water into the bathtub.
She was humming softly and without thought, I smashed her head. I placed the brick back on the floor, immediately stopping the door from shutting.
The blood came quick. Everywhere, all at once.
I walked out the bathroom and stood still. Watching, watching and watching until I just couldn’t.
“Boitumelo!” My mother’s voice was loud. I ran into the bathroom, pushed the brick further in and shut the door.
What had I just done? So stupid, so unlike me.
On the 25th of August, when everything was no more, I screamed as loud as I could, hoping that someone would save me.
I kept seeing the blood everywhere, all at once in the jail cell and I couldn’t stop it. It wouldn’t stop.
It felt like she was there. Screaming, begging like I was. Wondering what she had done to deserve such a cruel death.
“O setlatla!” the words kept ringing as if mama was close by.
She promised! It wasn’t verbal but she did! And she had broken it! She hummed! She showed no emotion! She lied!
On the 30th of August, when I was barely hanging on, I dreamt of my sister and a little boy I had never seen.
She wasn’t angry, she wasn’t shouting. We slowly walked, hands intertwined, to a bench close by. I wanted to apologise to her, I wanted to hold her.
She picked the little boy up, placed him on her lap, smiled and held my hand.
“Sello o tla dula a nale wena.”
The End.
About the Creator
Ofentse🌸
South African Based Writer 🇿🇦❤️
“Simply writing to hold onto my sanity”
~ anonymous.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Violence Begets
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Comments (25)
Wows! That was expertly written! I can see I missed this when it was first published, but I'm so grateful I got to read it now. A rich and emotive top story! What does the last dialogue sentence say translated to English if I may ask?
Coherent. I love the flow of your story, very creative.
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This awesome keep it up
I read this yesterday and was so blown away, I had to sit on it. This is truly stunning writing. The multiple refrains "so her" "she promised, it wasn't verbal, but she did" "o setlatla!" really give this piece a poetic, almost song-like quality. I am completely enraptured by the way you tell this story, almost without being direct about anything at all. It's indirect enough to know what happens, but the emotional weight is placed at a distance, such that the reader is crying while being pushed away. Does that make sense? It's an unusual interplay between narrative distance and first person voice, yet it works perfectly. I can't even be mad at our speaker at the end of it all. She is hurting, just like everyone is in this story. And, I must say, I love that you included the dream at the end. That closure was like breathing after being suffocated for several minutes. To me, including the little boy forces the reader to confront the realities of how violence leads to more violence, how one act can cascade into the destruction of relationships. Yet, you redeemed all that, even still. Amazing, amazing! Absolutely well-deserved Top Story. You wrote a masterful piece, here.
What I want to know is why people are ALWAYS in a hurry? Even on the weekends. Hurrying and worrying do not add ONE second to your life. So, maybe they're not Jerks. They are just idiots. The world is full of those
you write so well hats off....
wow, that was intense and captivating to read
I honestly was just hooked from beginning to end. I am at a loss for words really. Just incredible heartbroken but yet so captivated by that. Fantastic work. Really Well-done. New Follower here.
This was intense. Well done!
Wow that was intense! The flow of the narrative was intoxicating, and it carried me through seamlessly from paragraph to paragraph. I loved the multi-day nature of it, almost like a diary.
Wow! You are so very gifted. What a joy to see this brilliant story represented here. You alone merited this win. Ah! This story was worth my fight and heartache to see more Black stories highlighted on TS. Congratulations my dear.
Masterful build of tension... Great storytelling! 👏
You have a gift and a half. When you publish your book, I'll buy it.
your writing craft is exceptional... the story creates a chill. well done.
Brilliant storytelling. The timeline was a very nice touch, especially with the "whens" for each date. Well done and congratulations!
Woah, that was a lot in such a brief piece! Loved the progression of dates. Very well done! 👏🏽💫
I loved this story about tough choices. Congrats on your top story!
An amazon, powerful and fascinating story! Very nice! ❤️
What a powerful story! I couldn't help but ask ChatGPT about the key word, and that's what it produced, "In the context of a mother saying "setlatla" to her daughter who just had a secret abortion, the term could be a derogatory comment implying that the daughter is "barren" or "unfruitful," much like an unproductive tree. This usage might carry a heavy emotional weight, suggesting that the daughter has failed to fulfill expectations related to fertility or motherhood." Is this correct?
That was a whirlwind, not too much, not too little, just enough. Thank you.
Congratulations on Top Story!!!❤️❤️💕
It was an amazing story! can you read my story too?
Brilliantly written and so powerful! Congratulations on Top Story! 🤍
Crikey, this is so succinctly potent, great work.