She sat on the wall next to the sidewalk.
She kept wiping tears from her eyes.
She was crying.
Wonder why the pretty girl is crying like that.
It saddened me to see such a sight.
I put my guitar back in its sleeve and watched her.
School children were on the lawn and a bunch on the stairs.
Noisy and loud.
Real noise polluters.
They all sounded like Americans.
Their accents.
Wondered where the people learned to speak English like that.
Definitely the TV and Hip-Hop.
Umf.
Some were really cocky.
So young and so opinionated.
But they did not matter.
The fair, white haired girl had all my attention.
I picked a flower from the small garden, just to the right of the stairs and walked slowly over to her.
She was quite oblivious to everyone around her.
I approached her from the side.
To her left, I sat on the wall next to her.
Just far enough as to not be in her space.
"A daisy for a pretty lady."
I put my hand out to her.
She looked at me.
Slightly surprised.
Quickly, she wiped more tears from her eyes.
She sobbed.
Her eyes were red.
Red.
"Daisy..."
Her voice was slightly croaky.
You could hear the sadness in her voice.
A sadness that I could not describe.
"They are my favourite.
*Sob*
Especially the white and purple."
She took the daisy from me.
Wiped more tears from her eyes, but she stopped crying.
The sniffling continued.
"I like the white and yellow too."
She smelled it.
She then looked at me.
Eyes red, but the tears were gone.
She watched me, and suddenly, as if she recognized me.
"It’s you. The handsome guy with the sexy legs."
Umf.
Handsome guy?
Uhm uhm uhm.
You're on fi-ya.
Only you see stuff like that.
Something must be wrong with your eyes.
"What's your name again?"
"Sherwin," I replied.
"Yes. I remember. My name is Marnia.
Are you also at the College?"
No longer sniffling.
"Yes. Guitar."
I lifted my guitar onto my lap.
"Hey! A guitarist!!"
She smiled broadly.
Beautiful, white teeth.
"Play me a song.
Pretty, please."
Red, red eyes.
Sad puppy face.
How could I say no?
I took my guitar out of its sleeve.
"What do you want to hear?"
At first, she just looked at me.
Then.
"Surprise me."
Her face was still very sad.
What could have upset the poor girl so terribly?
The dark-eyed, white-haired flower.
I watched her for a moment, while quickly tuning the guitar.
Loosened my fingers.
She smiled.
I started playing.
I have never played the guitar for a girl before.
Definitely not a Boer girl.
I wasn’t nervous at all.
I could barely feel the tender parts of my fingertips hurting.
I just played.
I preferred not to use a pick.
I didn’t feel connected to the instrument as much using it.
It didn’t feel right somehow.
Marnia watched me.
Shy smile.
Those red eyes, barely open.
She seemed much less sad.
For no reason at all.
I was glad.
For Britney
May you never cry like that again. It saddened my heart to see you cry like that. Remember, God loves you very much. Salaam, Khaleel
iv
My shirt was soaked at the back.
Not as much under my arms though.
Most of the sweat was from the back of my head and neck.
I could feel a slight headache.
Subtle.
Nia seemed perfectly fine though.
Not a sign that she is hot at all.
She was still standing in the same spot.
Arms stretched out to her sides.
She seemed really happy.
It was just me.
Utopia and I are one.
Whatever happens to it happens to me.
I hoped we would be in time.
Please, Lord.
Let him not get to it first.
I beg You.
“Do you like it, Nia?”
It was much easier to speak.
The trembling in my stomach had completely subsided.
Tears forgotten.
I walked to stand beside her.
“Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!
I absolutely do, Sherwin.
It’s much prettier than the Namaqualand’s.
And I love that their all mixed up.”
Nia pronounced all the words.
Sort of emphasising it with her tone.
She sounded excited to tell me.
Her doe eyes were fluttering.
“Pick one.”
I was less nervous.
I motioned with my hand to the ones on her left.
She smiled at me.
Naughty smile.
She then went down.
“Pick me, My Fair Lady!”
The voice sounded sharp.
Nia sort of got a fright.
“No, he is still young, My Fair Lady.
Pick me.
My stigma is much larger and smells much nicer than his yellow odour.”
This voice was more like a boy whose voice was maturing.
“Not!
Not true, My Fair Lady!
He is a has-been!
I smell much subtler than his heavy, purple has-been stigma!”
Nia seemed to be enjoying this.
She stroked her fingers gently through the daisies.
They immediately started giggling.
“Umf.
That tickles, My Fair Lady.
*Giggles*
“My Fair Lady.
Soft hands.
Ticklish.”
*Giggles*
Nia smiled broadly.
They giggled more.
*Giggles*
She went with her finger.
Inky.
“Me, me, me!
Me, My Fair Lady!”
*Giggles*
Pinkie.
“Pick me, My Fair Lady!”
*Giggles Louder*
Ponky.
*Giggles*
Nia picked the white and yellow.
“I am My Lady’s willing slave.”
*Giggles*
“Me too.”
*Giggles*
Then all the voices went silent.
Nia smelled it.
*Giggles*
Then looked at me.
Doe eyes fluttering.
“Come.
There is much more to see.
Come.”
I tried to sound as casual as possible.
But it was difficult.
My head was already trying to figure out a route to get us to it safely.
Her castle.
We would have to stay in The Bright.
Unfortunately we would have to go through Protected-Dreams-Forest.
And there The Bright was not.
God help us.
“Come.
Back up the hill.
T
his way.”
v
Doof doof.
Doof doof.
DoofDoofDoof!
DoDoDoof!
DOOF!!
DOOF!!
DOOF!!
DoDoDOOF!!
DO! DO! DO! DO! DOOF!!
“Please, Nia.”
Please, Lord.
DO! DO! DO! DO! DOOF!!
DoDoDOOF!!
DOOF!!
DOOF!!
DOOF!!
“Sweetpea, I beg you.”
DOOF!!
DOOF!!
DOOF!!
DOOF!!
DOOF!!
DOOF!!
DoDoDOOF!!
DoDoDOOF!!
DoDoDOOF!!
DO! DO! DO! DO! DOOF!!
“Nia…”
Lord, please help me.
Please make it stop.
It hurts, my Lord.
It hurts.
Please.
I beg, You.
DOOF!!
DoDoDOOF!!
DoDoDOOF!!
DoDoDOOF!!
DO! DO! DO! DO! DOOF!!
DOOF!!
DO! DO! DO! DO! DOOF!!
DoDoDOOF!!
DOOF!!
DOOF!Doof!
Doofdoof.
Doof.
vi
“Are you okay?”
Nia came skipping up the last bit of the hill.
“Yes. I am perfect!”
She blew me a kiss.
I grabbed it and put it to my heart.
I looked for any signs of the fire.
I did not want Nia to see it.
There was nothing.
Just the heat in the distance.
Almost like it was approaching from all sides.
Left.
Right.
Even the sky.
My shirt was now properly soaked.
It felt uncomfortable on me.
I felt like taking it off.
Umf.
Rather not.
As much as I loved Nia, I had never taken my shirt off in front of her.
Didn’t want her to see my pigeon chest.
Absolutely flat.
They don’t deserve to be called pecs at all.
But I was hot.
*Shu*
I wiped the sweat from my forehead.
The salt was irritating my eyes.
I was becoming more aware of the headache.
It was still very subtle.
But it was gaining strength, rather than call it a day.
“Where are you taking me next, Sherwin?
I would love to see more of this place.”
I just had to be sure.
“Nia?”
“Yes, Sher?”
She looked at me.
Those doe eyes fluttering.
“Do you remember what I told you about this place?”
She smiled.
Rolled her eyes.
She put the white and yellow daisy behind her right ear.
“It’s very dangerous.
There are… things.”
She makes her hands like claws and shows me her teeth like she’s a cat.
* Hrrrrrrrg! Sssssssshhhh!*
More a hiss.
“Yes, yes.”
She rolls her eyes again.
“You told me.
I should only listen to you.
Are you happy?
Don’t know why you are so worried.
Everything seems perfectly normal.
Actually, better than normal.
Oh, Sherwin.
Please.
Just show me more.
Pretty, please.”
The sad puppy face.
But immediately a broad smile.
I still had to be sure.
“Nia.
What year is it?”
“Boy, you really are being silly.
It’s 2010 of course!”
It’s her then.
How was all this possible?
I wondered if she remembers that we saw each other almost two years last.
I mean.
This Nia.
The one with me in Utopia.
I would let it be.
For now.
Nia or not.
She was the key.
And only she.
“Come.
This way.
It leads to Gritty-Stones-For-Cracked-Heels-Pass.
Come.”
I was just about to lead the way.
“My Fair Lady!
Don’t forget your hat!
It’s bright, My Fair Lady.
Take your hat!
May my love always keep you warm.”
He made a bow and held out the hat towards Nia.
It was an albino squirrel.
White as snow.
Eyes red.
Really red.
Nia took it from him.
She looked stunned.
Slowly she reached out to the squirrel.
It lifted its head up, towards Nia’s hand.
But it kept looking down.
It allowed Nia to touch his head.
She gently scratched its head.
“God speed, My Fair Lady.
Remember to wear your hat!
I am your willing slave.”
His voice was soft.
Really gentle.
It made one last bow.
Then ran up one of the trees near the tiny cabin.
Nia put the hat on her pretty head and looked at me.
“Sherwin, I really love this.”
“Come.”
vii
Nia didn’t show any signs of tiring.
She had a big smile on her face.
She has really adapted well to The Bright.
She was tippy toeing as usual.
She seemed to be whistling something to herself.
I kept looking for signs.
Signs of heat.
Signs of flames.
The fire.
My headache was now hard to ignore.
It felt as if it throbbed from behind my eye.
Both the right and left.
My back was wet.
So too, was my head.
Strange that Nia hasn’t noticed anything.
She must still think I’m sweating ‘cause of the show.
Umf.
We were not too far from Gritty-Stones-For-Cracked-Heels-Pass.
It was just right of Daisy-Valley.
Along some.
Wait and see.
I kept looking for signs of The Dark as well.
It showed up at unexpected places.
You see.
The more I longed for Nia.
The bigger Utopia got.
And.
So could his domain.
In those places that are dead.
Nia is gone.
She is disappearing.
Utopia screams for her in the fire.
It gives its all in The Dark.
When I looked again.
Nia had skipped off.
To the left.
Towards the fire.
I ran after her.
She suddenly stopped and hunched on her knees.
“Nia.”
“Sssshhhhh.”
* Sssshhhhh*
She put a finger to her mouth.
Motioned me to sit next to her.
On her left.
She pointed to a spot to our right.
“Look.”
She whispered.
I loved that.
Her whisper.
She could whisper anything into my ear.
I looked in the direction she was pointing.
“The lavender is mine!”
Screamed the black sock.
It was one of those with five toes.
It seemed to be running on three.
 
; The big toe and the two next to that.
As it reached the edge of what looked like a small pool of purple milk, it stepped onto the small toe and the toe to the left of that and lifted the other three into the air.
It then went twirling into the air as if it was a ball.
The toes all rolled in towards the heal.
It then went all toes straight.
Dwoof!
*Dwoof*
Into the purple pool.
It disappeared completely.
All you could see were ripples in the purple.
Then it poked out its big toe.
Seemed to be looking around like it was a telescope of a submarine.
As if the all clear was there, the rest of the toes emerged.
Then.
“Sta-Soft! Sta-Soft!
My Fair Lady loves me in Sta-soft!”
He had a sort of husky voice.
Suddenly, from behind what looked like big leaves of a plant, more socks emerged.
A yellow and blue sock rolled down a leaf and dropped straight into a pool of orange milk.
“My Fair Lady loves me in peach!”
Dwoof!
*Dwoof*
Just orange milk into the air.
Nia had an astonished look on her face.
She almost did not seem to be blinking.
Her eyes open.
Wide.
I was close enough to see her eyebrows.
I could see the small scar at the tip of her left one.
She had hit her head.
Clumsy.
Or dazed?
I couldn’t be sure.
I hadn’t known her all too well then.
She had invited me over for supper.
This would be my first visit to her place.
I was not nervous at all.
I enjoyed Nia’s company.
I made full use of every opportunity I got.
If she said 18:00, I would be at the door at 17:00 just not to be late.
Nia did something to me.
I couldn’t explain.
On what looked like a rock, a brown sock was sitting with a needle.
It was trying to mend a hole.
“My Fair Lady, loves me just the way I am.
Holes and all.
My Fair Lady.
She is the Brightest of them All.
Loves me holes and all.
Still I try to mend this hole.
For her, I always want to be whole.
My Fair Lady loves me just the way I am.
With her I am whole.”
"Poor, baby.
Mending his hurt feelings."
Nia whispered.
Sarcastic.
Ha-ha-ha.
I liked that.
A lot.
My girl wasn’t easily fooled by soppy stories.
That sock had it exactly right.
My Fair Lady is definitely the Brightest of them All.
She checked you out first.
Never revealed her ace.
She was cunning.
Always a step ahead.
Ha-ha-ha.
My sweetpea.
"Real Drama Queen.
Just like you."
"Hahahahahaha!!"
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
*Hahahaha!*
She looks at me with those doe eyes.
Fluttering.
"My Fair Lady!”
A small white sock shouted.
"You always come just when you mean to."
"Listen to this one.
All white and smooth talking.
Small hypocrite, I’ll bet."
That right there!
Ha-ha.
My girl’s sharp today.
The mood swings.
Ha-ha-ha.
She laughed and leaned closer to the sock, just a bit to the right of us.
It was standing on a small, open spot.
Soil, but no plants or shrubs.
Surrounded by grass.
"The grassbabies told us that you are here.
This is indeed joyous news, My Fair Lady!
We have a special surprise for you.
I remain your willing slave."
It folds and stays like that for a while.
Bowing.
"Surprise?"
She looks at the sock totally taken.
It rises.