(For previous segments:
Prelude 1
Prelude 2
Prelude 3
Prelude 4
Prelude 5)
It was yet another shock to find that the sangoma was not wearing her traditional beads and trappings, but was dressed in modern clothing. She was trying to select the best of her herbs and amulets from shelves all round the walls of her living room to cram into suitcases, but left the task as they approached. Ignoring the beginnings of the exchange of proper greetings, she broke in with, ‘I have been expecting you to come and tell me that devils are among us.’
The headman nodded.
‘We must all go away,’ she said simply. ‘These devils want the valley for themselves, now, and if we stay we die. They are very strong and have many tokoloshe helpers; and they will bring all creatures against us …’
‘We cannot leave,’ burst out the headman. ‘The spirits of our ancestors are all here, and …’
It was her turn to interrupt. She shook her head. ‘No, the spirits of our ancestors have gone. They have been chased away. Before they went they told me we must all leave, too. I must help them to come to us when we can find a new place for us to live.’
The dreadfulness of it was so great that all wails and lamentations stopped and there was a hush.
Then the headman said, ‘We will go; there is no choice,’ in a broken voice, before squatting down on his heels and sobbing.
(Footnote: This completes the Prelude to a fantasy novel. It should be explained, however, that what has been outlined thus far is completely believable to a large segment of the local African population, not excluding those whose schooling has gone to tertiary level. Nor does it exclude those who are actively practicing Christians, because they have reconciled Christian beliefs with ones which predate the Missionary era.
In Chapter 1 the protagonists are going to be introduced to face this situation, and then the realms of fantasy will emerge more strongly …)
© Colonialist May 2013 (WordPress)
Colonialist's Blog 
I didn’t see that coming! The sangoma get points for wearing clothes at all! So many of them run free with wobbly bits all over the place.
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Depicting one of those might have caused a problem!
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Very well written, Col. Rather sad in the end.
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As the end of the Prelude, it comes to the beginning of the novel!
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So far so good, I’m eagerly awaiting the next part to see what happens.
Strange how people still believe these things. I know in Taiwan people still believe in the ancestral spirits and what not. My grandparents are very strong believers of it and my dad as well. His most recent visit to Taiwan was to “ask” the ancestors if it was ok to move the “ancestral shrine” closer to where the house is now and once they agreed they needed to get a priest of sorts to do a whole ritual before it could actually be moved
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To many with such beliefs, our ‘modern and enlightened’ ones are as ridiculous as we might find theirs. Of course, a view might be taken that theirs ARE actually more advanced, if the theory of an enduring spirit or soul or life-force is accepted as a possibility. So one shouldn’t scoff too readily, perhaps?
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You raise a valid point but I am one of those seeing is believing people so until I can see some solid proof, I won’t be believing it. I will air my view and say I don’t agree with however, I won’t rubbish it and insult people about it
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I agree that one of the stupidest statements that can be made is, ‘You MUST believe.’ You do from proof or innate conviction, or you don’t. Full stop.
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It is certainly enticing and wanting of more..also love the footnote,,explaining the story a little more..
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Thanks; I did think it needed to be explained that this still fits in with modern day ideas and beliefs in the area.
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I quite like the story Col – strange that in this age of solid state hard drives and gorgeous cellphones, you still have people that has these ancestral believes…
Nuts.
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The beliefs are very real to them, and they regard some of the things we believe in as equally nutty or more so.
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Fabulous writing, Col!
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Thank you – but now comes the real test …
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Oh dear me, now even the Sangoma is running away. What will happen to them all I wonder? You are such an inspiring and wonderful writer Col. Thanks for sharing my friend. 🙂 *big hugs* to you, Tess, R and G and have a great day! 🙂
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Thanks for the kind words. I do hope that readers, on reaching this point, will be eager to know what is going to follow.
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I know I am eager. 😀
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