{"id":18976,"date":"2026-01-23T13:50:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T13:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/?p=18976"},"modified":"2026-01-23T13:50:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T13:50:28","slug":"void-novel-chapter-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/void-novel-chapter-2\/","title":{"rendered":"VOID Novel Chapter 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
VOID<\/div>\n
\u00a9 2026 Sanelisiwe Ndlovu Hoko<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
CHAPTER TWO<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
SINENHLANHLA<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
I feel lost. It\u2019s day four since the house burned. Today, it feels like the world has ended. The last couple of days, I was in denial. I guess that was my way of surviving. But now, reality is sinking in when I realise, I don\u2019t even have bath soap.<\/div>\n
Kayise hasn\u2019t eaten. She just sleeps and every time someone comes to check on us, she breaks down all over again. If I were her, I\u2019d be shattered too. R10,000 is a lot. That\u2019s double my salary. I can\u2019t even imagine how many heads she braided to save it.<\/div>\n
I step into the shop and scan the shelves. All I have is R100 in my pocket. It survived the fire because it was in my handbag I carry to work daily. The shop owner emerges from the back room and gives me a pity look. I hate it. I\u2019ve had enough of those in the last three days to last me a lifetime.<\/div>\n
\u201cI heard about your house, Nhlanhla,\u201d she says softly. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d I say, forcing lightness into my voice. \u201cWe can\u2019t cry over spilt milk.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t imagine what you\u2019re going through. What really happened? How did the fire start?\u201d<\/div>\n
If I got a rand for every time someone asked that question, I\u2019d have replaced everything lost in that house by now. Sometimes I wonder when people ask, do they really care, or are they just fishing for gossip to spread?<\/div>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d I shrug. \u201cThere was no one home when it started.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s suspicious,\u201d she says, lowering her voice. \u201cYou and I both know fire doesn\u2019t just appear out of nowhere. Be careful. Maybe someone was jealous of your house.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cJealous?\u201d I echo.<\/div>\n
\u201cOf course. Enemies don\u2019t want to see you progress.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have enemies though. Not anyone I know of.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLook closer. The enemy is always closer than you think.\u201d<\/div>\n
I sigh. I don\u2019t have energy to look for the enemy. \u201cMay I have bathing soap?\u201d<\/div>\n
She nods and disappears at the back. A few minutes later, she returns with a small box.<\/div>\n
\u201cThis might help while you\u2019re getting back on your feet.\u201d<\/div>\n
I open it and my jaw drops. Its full of toiletries. She even thought of adding a fresh pack of underwear. As if she knew how exhausting it was to wash my only pair every night and pray, they\u2019d dry before morning.<\/div>\n
\u201cThank you so much,\u201d I say, handing her the R100 note for the soap I asked for.<\/div>\n
She presses R200 into my palm instead. \u201cIt\u2019s not much but it\u2019ll help. Get strong. This too shall pass.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/div>\n
As I walk home, my mind races. Who would be jealous of me? No one comes to mind. I honestly don\u2019t have enemies. I shove the thought away, forcing myself toward something lighter. I have R300 now. I can start saving for the new roof.<\/div>\n
Before I reach the gate, Chimney appears from the side path, cigarette dangling from his lips and a bag slung over his shoulder.<\/div>\n
Could he be the one who burned my house? I\u2019ve known him since I was fifteen, back when we first moved here. A quiet divorcee who lives alone, smokes like it\u2019s oxygen. He rarely speaks unless spoken to. We are not enemies though. I can\u2019t say he is jealous of me because he even helped me with ten bags of cement.<\/div>\n
\u201cHey, Nhlanhla,\u201d he says.<\/div>\n
I offer a tight smile. \u201cCarrying bags? Don\u2019t tell me you\u2019re leaving.\u201d<\/div>\n
He chuckles. \u201cWhy would I leave? Why didn\u2019t you say I\u2019m coming back from shopping?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cMy bad. I only see people with bags when they\u2019re moving out.\u201d<\/div>\n
We both laugh, and he falls into step beside me as we enter the yard. He places the bag down in front of the kitchen and heads to the burnt house. I head to the spare room connected to our grandparent\u2019s house. That\u2019s what we use as our bedroom now.<\/div>\n
Kayise is still under the duvet. She is crying. I yank the blanket off her. \u201cDo you know what time it is? Wake up.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s pointless,\u201d she mumbles. \u201cI don\u2019t have money. I want my money, Sne.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cUyifuna kimi leyomali?\u201d I snap. \u201cDidn\u2019t you see it go up in flames? I lost more valuable things you can\u2019t even replace but you don\u2019t see me wallowing like this.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAre you saying I shouldn\u2019t be hurt?\u201d<\/div>\n
I sigh. \u201cNo. Grieve. Wear black if you want. But life doesn\u2019t stop. That money is gone and not coming back unless you get up, find clients and start saving again.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have the motivation anymore,\u201d she whispers. I feel the pain in her voice.<\/div>\n
\u201cThe motivation is the same reason you started the first time. Pick up where you left off.\u201d I pull her up and start flipping through the bedding.<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat are you looking for?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cMaking sure you didn\u2019t stash another money in here.\u201d<\/div>\n
She pouts, arms crossed. I slap her lightly on the back of the head before heading out.<\/div>\n
Chimney is already at the burnt shell of the house, taking out the roofing sheets and leaning them against what\u2019s left of the wall.<\/div>\n
\u201cYou think I can buy poles and roof it again?\u201d I ask.<\/div>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d he says flatly.<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy not? The walls are still standing.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThe fire weakened them. They could collapse on you.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll take my chances.\u201d<\/div>\n
He drops the sheet with a clang. \u201cYou\u2019d really sleep in a house that burned down out of nowhere? What if the next fire catches you while you\u2019re asleep?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYou think\u2014\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNhlanhla,\u201d he cuts in, voice firm, \u201ca burning house is a bad omen. It doesn\u2019t matter if it started by accident or malice, you don\u2019t rebuild on ash. You tear it down and start fresh.\u201d<\/div>\n
Tears sting my eyes. Start fresh. The words feel like a punch. Maybe I was too harsh on Kayise when she said she doesn\u2019t have motivation to work anymore. The same words of advice I gave her, don\u2019t seem to be motivating me in any way. The thought alone of having to begin again, sucks the air from my lungs.<\/div>\n
\u201cHave you tried figuring out why it happened?\u201d he asks, pulling another sheet.<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cStep back. You\u2019ll cut yourself.\u201d<\/div>\n
His hands are black with soot, his clothes ruined. He\u2019s already done more than anyone else.<\/div>\n
\u201cIf there was no candle, no paraffin lamp then what did start it?\u201d he presses. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s a message from the ancestors.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t believe in that shit.\u201d<\/div>\n
He stops. Looks at me like I\u2019ve said something dangerous.<\/div>\n
\u201cThen explain a fire from nowhere.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWho said it\u2019s from nowhere? Someone started it.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWho, Nhlanhla? There was no one home.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cMaybe a jealous neighbour,\u201d I say, eyes narrowing. \u201cOne who smokes like his life depends on it.\u201d<\/div>\n
He freezes. Opens his mouth. Closes it. His eyes flicker. Guilt or surprise perhaps.<\/div>\n
I cross my arms. I\u2019m good at reading faces. And his just told me everything. He really burnt my house.<\/div>\n
He pulls out a cigarette and lights it with shaky hands. \u201cI would never burn your house, Sinenhlanhla. I was happy for you. I thought you knew that. Why would I be jealous?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYou were the one who saw the fire first,\u201d I say, voice rising. \u201cInstead of trying to put it out, you cycled to school to tell me. I found you standing under that tree, watching everything I\u2019d worked for turn to ash. You didn\u2019t help salvage anything. Now you show up with a shopping bag. Maybe you took Kayise\u2019s money before it burned. Maybe that\u2019s why you\u2019re \u2018shopping\u2019 today.\u201d<\/div>\n
There, I have siad it. Let him deny it.<\/div>\n
He shoves his hand in his pocket; exhales smoke like it\u2019s the only thing holding him together. \u201cI smelled it first. The smoke got stronger, so I came out. Saw it coming from the air vents. The door was locked, flames already eating through it.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYou could\u2019ve tried!\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cEven if I had, it was too late!\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cOr maybe you were glad,\u201d I hiss. \u201cIt was revenge for your four goats we killed.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cMy goats?\u201d His voice cracks. \u201cYou killed them?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThey got in our garden and ate our vegetables every day!\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd that was worth four goats?\u201d He shakes his head, disgusted. \u201cEven if you\u2019d slaughtered my whole herd, I\u2019m not sick like you. I wouldn\u2019t burn a home over livestock. I know how hard you worked for this.\u201d<\/div>\n
I swirl my tongue in my mouth. No words come.<\/div>\n
\u201cFor your information,\u201d he continues, \u201cI didn\u2019t know about Kayise\u2019s money. And I\u2019m not \u2018shopping.\u2019 That bag, \u201d he gestures to it, \u201cis for you. There are clothes I used to sell. I thought you might need them. Sinenhlanhla, I see you like my young sister; your success makes me happy, very happy. I never thought you\u2026you\u2026.\u201d<\/div>\n
He chokes on the next word, raises his hands, shakes his head and turns away without another sound. The tears I\u2019ve been holding back finally spill.<\/div>\n
I\u2019m hurt. Not just because my house is gone. But because the one person I\u2019ve always run to in crisis might now be gone too. I don\u2019t know what to do, but I think I handled it wrong.<\/div>\n
Kayise is standing near our grandparents\u2019 house, watching me. I walk to the grass-thatched kitchen where I left my box and Chimney\u2019s bag. I open it.<\/div>\n
Just as he said, there are clothes. New but stained from fittings, probably. There\u2019s also washing powder poured into a large plastic bag, not the original packaging.<\/div>\n
I stare in the direction he walked. Did he really do it?<\/div>\n
Kayise approaches and sits across from me. \u201cThat was harsh. Chimney\u2019s a good man. He wouldn\u2019t burn the house.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYou can never be sure.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThen why give us clothes? Why not celebrate seeing us suffer?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBecause, Kayise,\u201d I say quietly, \u201csome people will steal your million then hand you ten cents in the morning so the world sees them as heroes. They\u2019ll cut off your leg and hand you crutches just to be praised for kindness.\u201d<\/div>\n
She sighs. \u201cStill, you didn\u2019t have to accuse him like that. I\u2019d rather take the crutches than limp alone.\u201d<\/div>\n
Honestly, I regret it too. Maybe it was the timing. Maybe it was the mention of ancestors, that word always makes my skin crawl.<\/div>\n
Mr. Khabo\u2019s call comes through.<\/div>\n
\u201cSir. Good day.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHow are you holding up?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHanging in there.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cTake it slow. One day at a time. Do you think you can come to work tomorrow? I know I said you could take all the time you need, but we\u2019ve got visitors coming. We need you at the reception.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo problem. I\u2019ll be there.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cKeep well.\u201d<\/div>\n
Rural schools. You\u2019re hired as a bookkeeper, but you end up doing five jobs: welcoming guests, making tea, collecting school fees, balancing ledgers and even running errands for the headmaster. I wonder who\u2019s visiting. It doesn\u2019t matter, I\u2019m glad I\u2019ll be away from this wreckage, even for a few hours. Sitting here, drowning in condolences, isn\u2019t helping. It only makes me feel like I\u2019m performing grief.<\/div>\n
We wash Chimney\u2019s clothes and iron them. I want to keep more since I\u2019m working, but Kayise won\u2019t have it. We split everything evenly, though she insists she deserves more because I insulted him.<\/div>\n
The next morning, I\u2019m up early. My back aches from sleeping on the floor, but I guess this is my life now. I will get used to it. I look in the cracked mirror. In Chimney\u2019s clothes, I look good. If I told you my house burned five days ago, you\u2019d call me a liar. I feel good. I wonder why didn\u2019t he give us these clothes sooner. It\u2019s not like someone was going to buy them anyway.<\/div>\n
At school, I slip into my office, open the reception window, and dive into work. Most teachers avoid talking about the fire and I prefer it that way. I don\u2019t want pity. It makes me emotional.<\/div>\n
Gift comes in. \u201cI missed you.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYou missed bullying me into marking your students\u2019 books.\u201d<\/div>\n
He grins. \u201cCome on, Nhlanhla, you know my eyesight is bad.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSo you admit it? You missed me doing your work?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI missed both,\u201d he laughs. \u201cI\u2019ll buy you lunch at the tuckshop today.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLunch for the rest of the week.\u201d<\/div>\n
He throws his head back. \u201cThen you\u2019ll be scheming lesson plans for me too.\u201d<\/div>\n
I laugh. Between all the favours asked of me, I know more about teaching than half the staff. Even students come to me for help especially since some of the teachers bark more than they teach.<\/div>\n
Just as Gift prepares to leave, two women and two men approach the reception window. Our visitors have arrived.<\/div>\n
\u201cHello, welcome to Kezi\u2014\u201d<\/div>\n
I pause. My breath catches. The woman in front looks like me. Short hair. Same shape of eyes and nose. Thick black lips. Time stretches. Her eyes widen. I can tell she also sees the uncanny resemblance. Everyone does. Their eyes are darting between the two of us.<\/div>\n
I read her name tag, it reads: LIHLE NDLOVU.<\/div>\n
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UPDATE: Prologue is at the beginning of chapter one.<\/div>\n
Please comment like and share.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VOID \u00a9 2026 Sanelisiwe Ndlovu Hoko CHAPTER TWO SINENHLANHLA I feel lost. It\u2019s day four since the house burned. Today, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-void-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18976"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18987,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18976\/revisions\/18987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}