A VOICE IN THE DARK

The scorching heat of the sun was so intense that everyone remained indoors in the small village of Khwai. There was a deep silence as if there is a death of a highly respected official. Dineo was lying under the shade of marula tree with a disturbed mind, her thoughts all over the place like a confused cockroach. Suddenly she was caught up by a deep sleep that her eyes became so heavy to control. ‘Stop!’ Please stop there, I want to give you something.’ Dineo stood still, afraid to look back. ‘Who is this person stopping me in the middle of the bush?’ Many unanswered questions triggered her mind, but still the fear of looking back to see who the person might be, overwhelmed her.

As she stood there glued to the ground, she could feel that someone is behind her. Her knees began to tremble and her teeth biting against each other as if she was standing in the middle of a snow. The voice came nearer and nearer, when suddenly she felt a hairy hand touching her. ‘Get out! Somebody help!’Dineo cried out several times for help, fighting with her hands with someone she cannot see, only the shadow like a human being. The hairy figure overpowered her, and as it was about to throw her to the ground she shouted once again. The hairy animal smiled at her with dirty teeth trying to bite her arm. ‘What! Dineo woke up sweating as if someone poured water over her body, looking around and only to realise that she has been dreaming.

Life was not normal for Dineo as each and every day for her was like a nightmare, real torment in her soul and her physical body. No one could tell what the problem was, but the spiritual expect were always advising her mother to take her to church for a solution. The old woman tried by her own strength to help her daughter, all was in vain as they kept on referring her to different places without proper help. Some people even advised her to go to graves and call out the names of her ancestors, may be it could help her cease the situation. Mrs Nakedi was no longer the same cheerful woman she used to be, well known in her home village. She began to lose weight because of the problems suffocating her daughter. People in the village began to bad mouth her, calling her all sorts of names saying that she might be the one bewitching her daughter and pretends as if she does not know the cause of the problem. Her husband passed away a year ago due to a horrific road accident that happened to him while on the way home from work.

One evening as Dineo was taking a bath, she hanged her clothes on the line in the bathroom. ‘Whoa! Whoa!’ There was an uncontrollable noise coming from nowhere. At first she thought it is just her imagination, but the noise grew louder and louder. She slipped and almost broke her leg in the bathtub. ‘Mum! Please come over here I am scared.’ Her mother shouted at her telling her how tiresome she is. ‘You are always telling us you hear and see things, but when we come there we find nothing, I am sick and tired of all this rubbish.’ This time it was just noise, and after she called out to her mother the noise eventually stopped. She continued with her bath without realising that her clothes are nowhere to be found. ‘I think I’m normal, all my five senses are working and my mind can recall things I did. My clothes were just here on the line hanging, but I can’t find them. They disappeared.’

Even though Dineo was going through all this troubles in her life, she never lost heart or undermined herself in any way. She believed in herself and used every opportunity to do things that will change her life. She had potential and very talented. Academically she was performing very well, but the spiritual attacks made her to be average. At times it can happen inside the classroom. She will start running around chasing something that only she could see, screaming and quarrelling demanding an answer to all that was happening. One day as she was running around, disturbing an on-going lesson saying there is someone standing in front of her, impeding her to see what is written on the board, her teacher held her by the hand and took her to the staffroom. ‘This is extremely going out of control, other students are going to fail just because of you, how dare you disturb my lesson? Do you think I’m paid for nothing?’ Dineo was speechless, with answers but not knowing how to explain them. No one believed her and they started teasing her telling her to visit mental hospital to see a psychiatric for a treatment.

Bad dreams were very severe that at times she would wake up in the middle of the night, wondering if she is alive. She would move around in her room stretching her arms, legs and even speaking to see if she is normal. One certain night, it was raining heavily and she decided to go and sleep with her mother. That night everything was worse than before. She had sleepless night, screaming for help. Her thighs were scratched with something sharp like a razor blade, hair messed up and lying naked on the floor. The sleeping gown she was wearing was lying far in the corner. There were spots of blood on the sheets, and her mother was speechless feeling sorry for her daughter. ‘I wish I could help, but it is beyond my control,’ she whispered.

Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Mrs Nakedi bathed her daughter and took her to a spiritualist. She was deeply moved by what she saw, and thought maybe she will get help. The matter was so severe that even for her it was getting difficult to rest or eat food. She could not clearly explain what was going on in Dineo’s life. She was given some herbs to use in her bath and also sprinkle on her blankets while sleeping. For a week the situation seemed to be better. She slept like an angel without any disturbance. One night things changed again, this time around it was absolutely different and severe. The voice was rough and sounded like that of her late father. Dineo was coming out of the kitchen when she saw a hand, yes; a human hand. The hand slapped her right in her face and the plate of food she was holding fell down and the food split on her night dress. ‘I need your flesh, why are you so stupid. Don’t you understand?’ The voice roared at her. With full power, the hand dragged her outside the house. ‘No escape today you fool,’ thundered the voice. Dineo was filled with remorse for herself. Tears were pouring down her face, lost hope; her voice was not coming out any more. She tried to call out for help but her mother locked herself inside the house, fearing for her life.

God hears those who shout out to Him for help. He rescues those who are drowning in the mist of problems and situations. Dineo lost hope; she wanted to die because there was no solution to all her sufferings. After being dragged to a place she did not know, in the darkness with only weird voices and shadows, by the power of God she did not die. Even though her skin was cut all over, she managed to escape. She was found lying beside a grave yard in the morning by passers-by. Dineo spent almost a week without speaking or eating. Her mother began hating her, thinking that she has brought a curse in the family. How can a mere young girl bring a curse to the family, she was suffering and her suffering needed a solution, that’s all. Some situations can only be understood spiritually, and it is only a spiritual help that they can be solved. Mrs Nakedi looked at Dineo’s problems with her physical eyes, and she started hating, despising and calling her own daughter with bad names, instead of finding out what the cause of the problem was.

‘Please doctor come with me, I think Dineo must be hospitalised. She is totally disturbed and her problem is affecting me as well. It is a mental problem, she is going crazy.’ Mrs Nakedi said with a depressed voice. Dineo was then admitted at a psychiatric hospital, getting medication each and every day. This was a waste of time because medication was not helping at all; the situation only grew worse and worse every day. There is nothing worse than taking medicine for something that you are not suffering for. That was the case of Dineo, drinking eight pills per day, two tablets four times a day. It was a nightmare for her. After two weeks still hospitalised, Dineo was watching one channel on Television while on her hospital bed, it was a church channel. The pastor was talking about the greatness of God and how capable he is in making the impossible to become possible in the lives of those who believe. ‘You might be going through challenges in your life right now, doctors cannot help, traditional doctors cannot help as well, but listen to what I am telling you in this moment, God is here right now to change your situation. You must believe and His power will be manifested in your life.’ These were the words of the pastor to the viewers, coming out with boldness and confidence.

‘I seriously need this,’ Dineo whispered in her bed, sitting upright not to miss anything that was being said. She had a strong conviction that her situation will change. She believed even though it was the first time for her to hear such strong message about the power of God. She once heard about God, but it was just words without proof. This made her to think that maybe it is just a myth so that people may not do wrong things. This was her secret, she did not tell anybody about the decision she wants to take, neither her mother nor the doctor in charge of her. ‘One day will be one day,’ she thought.

The weather was calm, with a gentle breeze so peaceful that will make one to relax and forget about the troubles of this evil world. It was a Sunday morning and there was a little movement of people going back and forth. Some were going to churches while others were going to work. Dineo thought this was the right time for her to sneak out, to go and find out about what the pastor was preaching. She needed a new chapter in her life, a life with direction and meaning. She opened the door slowly, tiptoeing so that no one will hear her, even those who were admitted with her in the same ward. ‘This is my chance, I have suffered it’s enough, either what the pastor was saying is true or not, but I am going there to find out if my life will still be the same.’ She murmured quietly.

There is power in the word, and when decision is taken no one can stop that including the devil himself. It happened like that with Dineo, she was decided to go to church and experience the power of God in her life. One, two weeks elapsed and she was getting stronger and stronger in her faith. The first time she stepped in the house of God, she was relieved from a heavy burden she was carrying all along. God set her free from all the spiritual attacks. She totally became a new person, with a new mind, new attitude and a new beginning. For this change to happen, it was a war. Things never happened magically. The voice was still there, the voice of darkness trying to bring doubts and fear inside her in order to give up in going to church. Mrs Nakedi was observing her daughter; she had no power to hold her back. The girl was decided; full of confidence in what she was doing. Dineo received the Word of God with both her arms. She built a foundation that no one and nothing could be able to shake it. Her eyes were fixed on what is ahead, God’s plan in her life. ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ This verse was her daily meditation, she believed.

There is one person that never accepts defeat in battle. He never gives up and he is always prowling around, searching to devour someone. For those who received Jesus in their lives, it a daily battle for them. He wants them with all his might. This person is the devil. The voice was still there, trying to squeeze in Dineo’s life once again. The battle was not yet over, it was just the beginning. ‘Are you sure you are totally free?’ The voice said in her ear. It was louder than before, the voice of doubts. Dineo panicked, she paused for a moment, thinking about the voice. It came again and again. She tried to ignore it by singing a song of the church, but her mind was doubtful, even more than her faith. The focus was no longer there; she became weak and eventually gave in to the doubts. That was the trap of the devil. He found an open door to come back to her life once again.

Grrrr! Grrr! Grrr! ‘Mummy please wake up! When did you start snoring? I can’t sleep you are disturbing me.’ Dineo’s mother woke up with bitterness all over her face. She was not the one snoring, and has never done that in her life. This brought confusion to Dineo. Surely she heard the sound of someone snoring, but now it’s like she has been dreaming. She received her deliverance some months ago, and now because of not being vigilant in her faith, the torture started coming again. This time around she lost hope; the suicidal thoughts were bombarding her mind. There was no need for her to continue living. One evening as she was just moving around in her mother’s compound, she saw a rope and suddenly the voice came again. ‘You are a useless person, just hang yourself and die.’ The voice was soft and sounds like someone feeling sorry for someone else. Dineo felt down on her knees, covered her face and cried like a baby. She crawled slowly and slowly to grab the rope.

After grabbing the rope for a while, she stood up and one could see in her eyes that she is decided to do everything that she feels like doing. She took one step ahead, facing the tree in front of her. As she was about to kick out the bench she was stepping on to tie the rope on the tree, in order for her body to hang loose, someone shouted out loud. ‘Stop it!’ It was the voice of someone from nowhere; coming up running to rescue her .Dineo wished she could die before that person reaches her. It all happened with a blink of an eye. After that person shouted to her to stop doing that, around the place where she was, there were figure like human beings moving around, all was dark and they were unrecognisable. The police car and the ambulance came immediately, with its siren ringing as loud as thunder.