{"id":18984,"date":"2026-01-23T13:52:41","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T13:52:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/?p=18984"},"modified":"2026-01-23T13:52:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T13:52:41","slug":"void-novel-chapter-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/void-novel-chapter-10\/","title":{"rendered":"VOID Novel Chapter 10"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
VOID<\/div>\n
\u00a92026 Sanelisiwe Ndlovu Hoko<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
CHAPTER TEN<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
SINENHLANHLA<\/div>\n
Kayise stares at me like I\u2019ve lost my mind. I\u2019m slumped by the gate where I fell face-first into the dirt, nose split open, blood dripping onto my shirt. My mouth tastes metallic. I keep spitting saliva tinged red, pressing a crumpled tissue to my nose to stop the flow.<\/div>\n
\u201cI swear, Kayise, I was running. All the way from the school gate to here. And the second I reached this gate, my leg just\u2026 stopped.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re so desperate to be okay,\u201d she says softly, \u201cand I want that for you too. But there\u2019s no need to make up stories.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not making it up! I was healed.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd got unhealed the moment you hit the gate?\u201d She crosses her arms. \u201cDid anyone see you running without those crutches?\u201d<\/div>\n
I rack my brain. The path was empty. \u201cNo one saw me.\u201d<\/div>\n
She rolls her eyes and lets out a long, weary sigh. Then she offers her hand. \u201cCome on, Nyawana. When the time is right, you\u2019ll walk again. No need to lie.\u201d<\/div>\n
I yank her hand away. Frustration boils over. I\u2019m not crazy. I walked all by myself all the way from school. Just because no one saw it doesn\u2019t mean it didn\u2019t happen.<\/div>\n
\u201cI was on the phone with Lihle when it happened,\u201d I say, \u201cI didn\u2019t tell her exactly what happened but she must\u2019ve heard me scream.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhich Lihle? Our aunt?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYes. I got her number from Gift. I called her.\u201d<\/div>\n
That gets her attention. Her posture shifts. \u201cYou spoke to her? What did she say? Did she say she\u2019s coming to fetch us?\u201d<\/div>\n
All she cares about is Lihle. Not my leg. Not my pain. Just the chance to run to Plumtree.<\/div>\n
\u201cWe talked about a lot of things, Kayise and I felt pain in the incisions, especially the one on my ankle. That\u2019s the one that hurt most. My leg then moved and all was well, until I reached the gate.<\/div>\n
\u201cCall her! I want to talk to her. Did you tell her about me? Did you tell her our house burned and I lost the R10K I was saving to go look for them?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSaving for what?\u201d I snap. This girl is unbelievable. Not only was she hoarding money in secret, she was planning a solo mission to find our father\u2019s family without telling me. \u201cYou were going to leave me here alone? Do you even know which village they stay in?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why I saved so much, to go village to village asking!\u201d Her voice rises. \u201cCall Lihle now. Tell her I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/div>\n
I shake my head, stunned. What more secrets is Kayise harbouring? I pull out my phone, scroll to Lihle\u2019s number, and press dial. Loudspeaker on.<\/div>\n
\u2018The number you have dialled does not exist.\u2019<\/div>\n
I stare at Kayise. My fingers jab the screen again. Same message.<\/div>\n
\u201cYou sure you spoke to her?\u201d she asks, eyes narrowing.<\/div>\n
\u201cYou think I\u2019d make this up?\u201d I pull up my call log, tap her number. It shows the call duration of less than three seconds. The incoming call is not there.<\/div>\n
I shake my head in disbelief. \u201cSomething is not right, I spoke to Lihle. She said I could tell her anything I\u2019m comfortable sharing. Kayise, I\u2019m not losing my mind.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t say anything\u2014\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBut you think I am!\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI heard you scream when I was in the kitchen and I found you on the ground, yet you say you ran all the way from school, and now the call log shows nothing. Do you see how that looks?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cKayise, I know weird things have been happening to me, but you have to trust me. I spoke to her. I even told her you call me Nyawana, and she laughed, saying you\u2019re wrong to call me that.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYou spoke to her on a number that doesn\u2019t exist?\u201d Her voice drops, sharp with pity. \u201cGirl, you need to have your wires checked. Something\u2019s really wrong with you.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYou know me. Since when have I ever lied to you about\u2014\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHey! Hey!\u201d Sibongile\u2019s voice cuts through the yard. \u201cYou\u2019ve been sitting by that gate for over an hour! Who\u2019s cooking?\u201d<\/div>\n
We lock eyes. Kayise blinks fast, tears glistening, unshed. \u201cI don\u2019t know you anymore, Sinenhlanhla,\u201d she whispers. \u201cI hope you seek help. You\u2019re getting worse.\u201d<\/div>\n
She turns and walks away. Watching her go feels like my soul is being ripped out through my ribs. I stay seated, tears streaming, nose throbbing, hands trembling, lips quivering.<\/div>\n
\u201cKayise!\u201d I call after her. \u201cKayise, please, wait for me!\u201d<\/div>\n
She doesn\u2019t look back I watch her until she disappears into the kitchen. Despair crashes over me like floodwater. Nothing prepared me for this. Not the house burning. Not the leg failing. Not the mouth twisting sideways. But Kayise turning her back on me, that\u2019s the deepest cut. All I wanted was for her to say: \u2018I believe you, Nhlanhla.\u2019<\/div>\n
The past days have been a storm ,she saw my face freeze mid-sentence, but now she thinks I\u2019m mad. Maybe I am. But even in madness, I expected her to stand with me. Like we always have.<\/div>\n
On my butt, I drag myself to one crutch, haul myself up, then grab the other. Instead of heading home, I limp toward Chimney\u2019s place. He\u2019s bent over his fowl run, twisting wire.<\/div>\n
\u201cHey,\u201d I say in a low voice. \u201cSorry for coming unannounced.\u201d<\/div>\n
He turns, squints, then tosses his pliers to the ground.<\/div>\n
\u201cAh, Nhlanhla. Didn\u2019t see you there.\u201d<\/div>\n
I offer a smile through tears, unsure what to say. He steps closer, coiling wire in one hand. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong? Tell me.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI lost my job today,\u201d I sniff. \u201cAnd for a moment, my leg worked, then it stopped. I know it sounds crazy, but I spoke to Lihle, and then she just disappeared, and I fell, and I\u2014\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWoah, Nhlanhla. Slow down.\u201d<\/div>\n
I lift my eyes, heart sinking. \u201cYou don\u2019t believe me either?\u201d<\/div>\n
He gives a faint smile. \u201cI never said that. Come let\u2019s sit and tell me everything.\u201d<\/div>\n
Under the mango tree, I pour it all out: the firing, the call, the miracle walk, the fall and the vanishing call duration. I watch his face, bracing for the verdict of \u2018you\u2019re imagining things.\u2019<\/div>\n
Instead, he nods slowly. \u201cI do believe you, Sinenhlanhla.\u201d<\/div>\n
Relief floods me. Tears spill over. At least someone believes me.<\/div>\n
\u201cYou do?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYes. And I\u2019m glad you connected with your aunt. She might hold answers to everything.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYou mean she\u2019s the one bewitching me?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d he says firmly. \u201cI never said \u2018witch.\u2019 Don\u2019t jump to conclusions. With ancestral matters, one plus one is never two. Move with caution. Blame the wrong person, and you\u2019ll find yourself in real trouble.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHow do I navigate this, then?\u201d<\/div>\n
He shrugs. \u201cKeep connecting with her. Maybe things will become clearer. Maybe you\u2019ll finally see the message being sent.\u201d<\/div>\n
But how do I connect with someone whose call log vanishes? I don\u2019t ask him that. He\u2019s trying his best to help me even though I killed his goats. I lean against the tree and close my eyes. Going home means facing Kayise judging me and calling me a lunatic. I\u2019ll stay here today. At least Chimney believes me.<\/div>\n
*****<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Linda steps into Butholezwe\u2019s old room and shuts the door softly behind her. She lights a small candle on the windowsill, its flame trembling in the damp air. Then she walks to the corner where her shrine is set up. An ancestral cloth, a clay bowl, a bundle of dried herbs.<\/div>\n
With a sigh, she kneels and lifts the old photo of her son. The edges are worn soft from years of handling. His face is blurred now, not just by time, but by the salt of her tears. She presses it to her chest. And, as she always does, she begins her mantra:<\/div>\n
\u201cBring your girls home.<\/div>\n
You\u2019ve found them, now bring them home.<\/div>\n
Make them think of you.<\/div>\n
Whenever your name is spoken, let them grow restless.<\/div>\n
Take their peace. Strip it away, until they remember their roots.<\/div>\n
Lead Sinenhlanhla to bring her sister home.<\/div>\n
Take everything from them until they -.\u201d<\/div>\n
Her phone rings. In the old days, she\u2019d ignore it. But now, Lihle brings news of her.<\/div>\n
\u201cLihle.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHey, Mom. You sound breathless, is your blood pressure okay?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fine, my girl. Just walking. Exercising.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cOh\u2026\u201d A pause. Lihle chooses her words carefully. \u201cI spoke to Nhlanhla today. She called me.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cReally? That\u2019s good.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cIt is, but not a good call. Don\u2019t panic, Mom\u2026 but she\u2019s not okay. She was in tears. Broken. It took everything in me not to cry with her. I had to switch into professional mode just to be strong for her. She says her leg stopped working, her mouth twisted, she lost her job, all in one week, after the house burned.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cMom. That\u2019s all you can say? I thought you\u2019d ask me to drive you there!\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cFor what? I told you they\u2019ll come home. No need to chase them.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cCome home with what? Didn\u2019t you hear she lost her job? I was thinking of driving over the weekend\u2014\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cMom, is there something you\u2019re not telling me? After years of crying for them, now you\u2019re calm? Even though they\u2019re suffering?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLihle, trust me, your brother will bring his blood home. If they don\u2019t come within a month, then they\u2019re not his.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cMom, no! You went back to that ritual? The one we agreed not to do?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat choice did I have?\u201d<\/div>\n
Lihle takes a shaky breath. \u201cSinenhlanhla is hurting. She\u2019s your grandchild. Whatever you\u2019re doing, it\u2019s hurting her, not Sibongile or her mother. We know where they are now. Let me drive you. Sit down. Talk. Ask to have them.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNever.\u201d Linda\u2019s voice hardens. \u201cI won\u2019t speak to Sibongile. That woman looked me in the eye and said I was k$lling my grandkids while her own daughter carried a rotten womb. She blamed me for her miscarriages. She didn\u2019t even come to my son\u2019s funeral to offer condolences, not even a mere phone call.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cMom, can\u2019t you set your differences aside\u2014\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLihle, stay away from this. I\u2019m bringing my grandchildren home the African way.\u201d<\/div>\n
She pauses. The candle flickers. \u201cThe only words I have for Sibongile are, Challenge.<\/div>\n
Let\u2019s see who laughs last.\u201d<\/div>\n
.<\/div>\n
.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VOID \u00a92026 Sanelisiwe Ndlovu Hoko CHAPTER TEN SINENHLANHLA Kayise stares at me like I\u2019ve lost my mind. I\u2019m slumped by […]<\/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-18984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-void-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18984","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=18984"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18984\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18995,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18984\/revisions\/18995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}