CHAPTER 1

"Eat your food, Joshua!" Aunt Verona ordered in a ✔ scolding voice. He knows that if she uses his full
name, she is angry. She also always called Uncle Wally by his first name when he did something wrong.
W- A- L- T- E- R!

But that all changed after the Pardon accident.

"Aunt Verona..." He chose his words carefully. "The food is very good. Auntie knows how much I like
moose. I... just left some of the fat out. big cholesterol problem..." with the

He sounds strange to himself. He speaks louder than usual, but with much less confidence.

"Treasure." Her mouth is smiling, but her eyes are fierce. "Would your dear Aunt Verona do anything to
harm her niece?"

He stared at her prominent nose. It reminds him of Smithy, Aunt Verona's pet parrot, but he
immediately realizes that it is ugly of him. He looked shyly into her eyes and replied: "Of course not,
Auntie."

"Good. Then eat your food. Otherwise I'll send you to bed with Fiona this evening."

Across the table, her two nieces were skating. Muriel, with her carroty hair, brown eyes and freckles on
her round face; and Etta, reed bead with wampler- like white skin and reading glasses resting on her
pointed nose. Both are folding with laughter.

Fiona. Just the thought of the pink nightgown makes him nauseous, which makes it even more difficult
to eat the moose fat. The last time he was forced to wear 'hair' was a few weekends ago when he
argued with Aunt Verona about a tomato being a fruit and not a vegetable. He hurried to Uncle Wally's
bookshelf and returned with Webster's Encyclopedia to prove his point, when she was waiting for him
alone in the living room with Fiona on her lap.
"If you ever try to humiliate me in front of my two daughters again, I will make you wear this for the rest
of your life. Do you understand me?" she spat out the words.

"Yes, Auntie," he replied softly.

"Good. Now close that book."

He did as she said and was almost out the door when her voice stopped him.

"Oh, and Joshua. Just to make sure you understand exactly how serious I am, you will carry Fiona to bed
tonight."

He snapped out of his thoughts and stared at the fat on his plate. Meanwhile, Aunt Verona finally
silenced her two cousins, but not without a smile of delight

When the last piece of jelly- like fat slid down his throat, he rang

aunt Verona a golden bell. Doris immediately appears - in her familiar pure white uniform - and begins
to cover up. Doris is not her real name, but aunt Verona started calling her that because she could not
pronounce her African name.

"Doris," said Aunt Verona sternly.

"Yes, Ma'am?" she replied without looking up.

"Remember to take a plate of food for Mr. Walter."

"Yes, Ma'am." It sounds like she's heard that request a thousand times.

"Oh, and Doris." Aunt Verona looked at Josh intently.

"Cut the awful fat off the meat. It's very unhealthy."

Later that night, Josh lies wide awake in his bed. One would think it might be the unbearable heat, or
the mosquitoes buzzing around his head. But ever since his mother left him here on the farm with her
sister, he often lies awake.

"Don't look so sad, Joshie," he recalled her words that day. "It's only for two months - until I finish the
research."

Tomorrow it will be two years.

He longs for her.

"Dead if you ask me. Probably pecked by a mamba," Uncle Dave, his mother's cousin, said shortly after
her disappearance. He and Uncle Wally were busy in the

lapa sipping their whiskey when Josh overheard him.

"Blerry irresponsible woman, that Silvia. I know it may sound insensitive, but I think she deserved it. I
mean, who goes into dark Africa alone, woman- alone, to get medical tests on one- or- other-
threatened to do mousedog! And now her only son, who is barely eleven years old, is an orphan..."

Josh walked before he could hear the rest. Aunt Verona found him in the storeroom an hour later. On
the floor. In tears. She awkwardly moved closer but stopped a few meters away from him. She stood
with her hands on her hips and scratched the back of her head, but said nothing.
Then she turned frantically and said over her shoulder, "When you're done, go wash your face and get
ready for dinner."

A lump in the distance jolts him back to reality. His mattress is drenched in sweat. There is hardly a draft
in the room.

He leaned over to his bedside table and pulled the clock closer. In the bright moonlight the long ramp
shows it is shortly after midnight.

He sank back into his bed. As the Barrington family snores in the background, the circumstances of his
mother's disappearance run through Josh's mind. He feels lost. But the more he thinks about the
possibility that his mother might still be alive, the cloudier his thoughts become. He realizes he also
needs a good night's rest. Tomorrow is a long day.

It's Muriel's birthday and all the rich farmers and other celebrities from the area have been invited. And
if her nieces' previous parties are any indication, Aunt Verona will once again organize an event that the
community will be talking about for months.

Josh finally closed his eyes.

His breathing gradually deepens and it is not long before a deathly silence descends on the house.

But outside lives the night. Apart from hordes of insects and bats and owls, there is an animal peeking at
the house from the dense bushes along the lawn. He stared for a long time at the picture in front of him:
the lapa, the swimming pool and the thatched stable. And the boy's window.

For the past two weeks he has been hanging around here every night waiting for a sign, or for someone.
A sign that will make him rush back to his owner with important news. But so far there has been
nothing, and tonight doesn't look much different.

Until a movement catches his eye. Suutjies a dark figure crept across the lawn and stood in front of one
of the windows - the boy's room.
The animal immediately jumped up and sniffed the air, but it wasn't until the person turned around and
his teeth glinted in the moonlight that he recognized the face.

The hair on the animal's back suddenly stands on end and before he can growl, the man seems to
become aware of his presence and he runs back into the bushes and disappears into the darkness.

The werewolf stared at the boy's window for a long time

he decides to brave the long journey back to his owner. He heads for the forest in the distance and just
before he disappears into the trees, he hears evil laughter echoing across the plains.

CHAPTER 2

May the Lord bless you "M

And save many more years!"

There are no "hip- hip hoorays" and Josh does his best to look excited, but he's dead tired. Who can
blame him? It's six o'clock in the morning!

"Congratulations, my dear Pumpkinseed!" Aunt Verona's stern sounds as if she has been awake for
hours.

"May all your dreams come true! Here's something from Mum and Dad, of course," she said in Uncle
Wally's absence and handed Muriel a large package.

"Oh you didn't, Mammal You didn't!" she shouted excitedly.

"Yes, I did, my little Gingerbug," replied Aunt Verona proudly.

Muriel grabbed the present from her mother and frantically began tearing open the wrapping paper.

Suddenly her happy face gives way to one that looks like it smells stinky feet.

"But, Mamma, I asked for the pink ones!" shouted the round face as the blue dollhouse made its
appearance.

"I know, love, but the pink ones were all already sold out. The blue ones are just as beautiful..."

"I wanted the pink ones!" she shouted again.

"Honey, don't be ugly. Mommy did her best to

"The pink ones!" Muriel's face turns the same color as the absent dollhouse and she hits the mattress
with her fists. The veins in her neck bulge and she begins to sob between her screams. Everyone steps
back cautiously.

But as she leaned over to the shelf to throw the first book, Aunt Verona grabbed Etta's arm and fled out
the door.

Josh is left alone, cuddling a flying Winnie- the- Pooh and The Jungle Book. He hopes she gets tired soon
so he can calm her down and give her his humble gift, but when she aims for the massive children's
Bible, Josh throws the chocolate on the floor and takes the rabbit hole.

Half an hour later everything is calm again in Muriel's room

after Aunt Verona promised her a baby puppy.

"A white puppy, with black ears and a red nose," demanded Muriel through her last sobs..

"Then you can call him Rudolf," Josh joked, playfully putting his arm around her shoulder. But Aunt
Verona gave him a death stare and yanked his arm free from Muriel.

"Look what time it is, Joshua!" she said and gave a forced smile

"The guests are almost here and there is still a lot to do. Go help Doris."

He got up and walked to the door, but Aunt Verona's voice stopped him.

"Joshua!"
He turns around.

"Yes, Aunt?"

"You can just start by picking up all these books."

His eyes wandered over the chaos in the room. He is dumbfounded. He looked up and saw the grin on
her face again. He wonders for a moment what she will do if he just turns and walks away.

Then he thinks of his mother again and he picks up the first book.

The rest of the morning goes by quickly and everyone is busy getting ready for the guests who arrive at
ten o'clock. Josh and Etta are busy decorating the lapa, while Muriel lies on her bed and consumes a
chocolate.

Aunt Verona is in the kitchen, preparing treats, when someone knocks on the back door.

She unlocks the door and sees a worried face. "Doris, you're late! Where have you been all morning?
Come in right now, we've got a lot to do!" yelled Aunt Verona.

"Wait, Madam. There is something I want to ask." Doris is wet with sweat.

"What is it, Doris? We haven't got all day!"

"Yes, Ma'am. There's someone looking for work. He's my... my cousin, Ma'am. From the north. He came
last night. He's good with the garden. He wants to hear about work today," said Doris in her best english
She looks scared, but Aunt Verona doesn't seem to notice at all.

"I don't need a gardener, Doris. I need someone who can help with the preparations for the function I
mean, party. Is your cousin strong?"
Before Doris can answer, a dark figure pushes her out of the way.

"Oh, yes, Madam. I am very strong," said the raspy voice. A tattered cap hides his face.

"All right, because I need some strong arms to carry the tables to the lapa. What's your name?"

"My name?" asked the man with a crooked smile, while the sun fell on his stubbled chin.

"Yes, your name! What should I call you?" Aunt Verona asked irritably.

"Solomon - because the man who chooses wisely when he stands at a crossroads must be blessed, until
one day he becomes part of the land he came from again."

There is an awkward silence.

"Yeah, well, I have no idea what you just said," Aunt Verona replied, rubbing her nose.

She was about to send Solomon to the storeroom to get an overall, when she narrowed her eyes and
continued to speak.

"Do I know you?"

Solomon immediately pulled his cap further over his face and shook his head.

"No, Ma'am," he said, laughing. "I'm not from here. I come from a place far from here."
"Strange. You sound familiar," said Aunt Verona, glaring at him.

The ringing of the oven bell tore her away from her conversation and she hurried back to the kitchen.

She took the cookies out of the oven and heard the man laugh again.

An hour later, Aunt Verona was shouting at everyone around her like a general preparing for war.

"Move the pot to that corner, Solomon! Joshua, hang the decorations! Doris, how many times do I have
to tell you to sweep the floor!"

The three laborers toil in the morning heat. Josh is very thirsty and wants to ask for a glass of water, but
Fiona is still fresh in his mind.

He has not been introduced to the man, but can hear from his aunt's shouting that his name is Solomon.

That's a strange guy, Josh thought. He grins all the time, even if Aunt Verona is arguing with him. And
when Josh looks in his direction, he stares at him.

After a while, the lapa starts to look beautiful: the white tablecloths are decorated with silver pebbles
scattered around glass pots full of camellia thorn branches. White and gray ribbons hang from the roof
and everywhere are paintings painted by Aunt Verona herself.

To Josh, however, it doesn't look like a kid's party. There are no bright colors, no balloons, and where he
expected a bouncy castle, there is a table with champagne. If he didn't know it was Muriel's party, he
would think it was Aunt Verona's birthday.

"Everything seems fine and yet something bothers me," said his aunt with one hand on her hip and the
other tapping her nose.

"let's important. Something I forgot... Oh, yes!" she shouted, making everyone around her coo.
"How could I have forgotten! The most important guest isn't here. Josh, go get Smithy! The guests are
going to love him."

Josh gave a soft sigh and walked home. He returns with a birdcage in his hand.

"Don't be a coward, Joshua! Just bring Smithy. How will the guests be able to comfort him if he's still in
his cage?"

"Aunt wants me to take him out of his cage?" Josh asked worriedly.

"No, I want you to teach him to sing first," she replied sarcastically. "Of course you have to take him out"

"But Aunt... his wings! His wings aren't clipped and he might be able to fly away."

"Oh nonsense! Smithy will never fly away. He loves his home and his people too much!"

"Er, but.

Josh tries to muster up the courage to give his aunt the real reason why he doesn't want to touch the
bird

don't touch He still hesitated, but when her cheeks began to bulge, the words spilled out of his mouth.

"Smithy bites. He bites really hard. I almost lost a finger last time."

"Don't be a little girl. Smithy doesn't bite. He just nibbles a little. It's his way of saying hello."

Josh still hesitates, and the next moment Aunt Verona explodes.
"Joshua, I'm not going to talk again! Get the bird out!"

Part of him wants to tell her to take the bird out herself, and then just tell her what she can do with it.

He reached for the cage door.

"Careful! Don't hurt him!" her voice shrill. She stood on her toes with her hands on her chest in
anticipation.

Much to Josh's surprise, a calm Smithy climbed onto his hand.

"That's it!" cried Aunt Verona ult. "Take him out real nice now," she growled at Josh.

She held her breath, but the bird was unharmed when Josh took it out. She crossed her arms and smiled
broadly.

"See, I told you you were exaggerating. I don't understand what all the fuss is about at all."

Her words are barely cold, before Smithy slams his beak violently into Josh's thumb.

"Eina!" he shouted.

The pain shot through Josh's finger to the rest of his hand.

"Smithy, let go of Josh's hand immediately! Mommy is terribly disappointed in you!"

The parrot Ignores her and claws for a fall.

"Okay, if that's your attitude, then Mommy has no choice but to discipline you!" she said and turned
back home.

"I don't think it's necessary," Josh tried to stop her, "he'll calm down now and then."

Aunt Verona does not listen and marches on furiously.

When he looked up, Solomon was standing before him. For the first time the boy can see his face: slack
staring eyes, hair growing wildly from his nostrils and a mouth too big for the bearded face. Josh
suddenly felt uncomfortable with the strange man.

A soft, husky voice breaks the silence. "Sometimes you have to experience pain to achieve a greater
goal. Embrace the pain. Make peace with your fate."

For a moment there is no smile on the older face, just a cruel stare.

Josh's eyes went to his hand. Smithy released his thumb. Blood slowly flows from the wound, but the
pain is gone.

Solomon picked up the parrot, put him back in the cage and turned back to Josh. He reached into his
pants pocket and took out a white handkerchief. He pulled the boy's hand closer and pressed the cloth
to the wound.

After a while he takes off the handkerchief, keeps it in the air and stare at the bloodstain. He looked at
Josh and back to the handkerchief. Then he smiled from ear to ear. He glanced over his shoulder, quickly
shoved the handkerchief back into his pocket, ran across the lawn and disappeared into the bushes.
"If you don't listen, Smithy, you must. That's unfortunately how it works. I don't take pleasure in
punishing you, but..." Aunt Verona walked over and saw the parrot was back in the chew. She has just
returned from home and in her hand is a bowl of water.

"He's back in his cage," she said in surprise.

Josh, still stunned by Solomon, just looked at her meekly.

"You didn't hurt him, did you? You know how sensitive his little wings are."

Josh stared past her, finally shaking his head, then looked down at the bowl in her hand.

"Water," she said. "I read somewhere that you should throw water on a dog that bites and won't let go."
She hesitated. "I'm sure it would have the same effect on a parrot huh."

She hesitated for a moment, then put the bowl down on the grass, walked over to the aviary and
wanted to pick it up, but then saw Josh's wound.

"Your thumb!" He doesn't respond.

"The blood is flowing! We must disinfect it immediately," she said and took his hand. "I didn't know his
beak was so sharp."

Then, as if realizing what she was doing, her face changed. She let go of his hand and picked up the cage.

"The first aid kit is in the pantry. When you're done, take a shower and dress properly for the function,"
she says over her shoulder.