" Who is it?" " Me!" "You, who?" "Open!" "Instead of asking questions." "Open, or I'll kick the door down!" "Open the door, will you!" "How did you find me?" "What do you want?" " My child." " What child?" "There's no child here." "Go away!" "Who pointed out my hut for you?" "Why do you come at night?" "You must leave me alone." "When I lie with men they die." "People say you did it in revenge." "That's a problem to be sorted out with your parents who chased me from our village." "They cast spells so that my wives cannot bear children." "I want the child you had with me." "I didn't keep your child." "I was too young." "My mother made me drink herbs to have an abortion." "I met another man later, but he died." "So I had to run away." "I moved from several villages before hiding here." "Please leave me alone!" "All I want is my child." "I won't leave without him." "Shame on you!" "You raped me." "My parents rejected me." "Leave me!" "This child is not your child!" "We'll see about that!" "Run away, my son!" "This man's not your father." "Run away, son, run!" "Help!" "Help!" "My mother's dying!" "Wait!" "Wait for me, my son!" "Help!" "Come quickly, please!" "The house is on fire!" "Help!" "My mother's going to die!" "Quickly, please!" "Wait!" "Don't be afraid!" "I'll look after you." "Wait, son!" "I want to look after you now!" "Come, my son." "I never wanted to abandon you." "Your mother and her parents forced me!" "Come!" "I'll tell you everything." "He hasn't been circumcised yet." "Maybe his people don't do that." "She says they'll cut off a bit of your willy, to make you a man." "Good morning." "Morning!" "How come you speak my language?" "Once we tended someone who spoke it." "He stayed here for a long time." "That's how I learned." "Will you teach me your language?" "Maybe." " What's your name?" " I'm called Mentse." " And you?" " I'm Nga'nsi." "Nga'nsi!" "Come!" " Mentse!" " Yes!" "Come here!" "What did the old man want?" "I don't yet know your language but judging by his gestures he was talking about circumcision." "Why are you all so concerned with my willy?" "To really be a man, a boy must be circumcised." "You should take advantage of the next full moon ceremony." "I don't want them to cut my willy." "It hurts too much." "I want to go..." "leave the village." "Look!" "With this you have nothing to fear." "Eat a bit before and you'll not feel the cut of the knife." "Are you ill?" "You're not going to die, I hope." "Why are you all alone?" "Where are the others?" "Hunting big game." "Why didn't Nga'nsi stay with you?" "She's gone?" "Has she gone to her village?" "Where's her village?" "Wait!" "Wait for me!" "Don't go!" "Don't go!" "I have a medicine for your foot!" "It's good." "I'll take some to Totor." "Totor, here's some food!" "Show your face, Totor!" "Where are you?" "Come out!" "Where are you?" "Don't start playing games!" "Let me see you!" "Waoh!" "You do grow quickly!" "Is that really you?" "Anyway, it can only be you." "You only have me, and I only have you." "Look, I've brought you some food." "Enjoy it!" "Not too much, though!" "Otherwise I'll call you Fatty." "And you'll be too heavy to carry over." "Oh, well, see you soon." "I must go and eat too." "To get big like you..." "Isn't it?" "I didn't do anything!" "I was just sleeping!" "Ghost!" "Ghost!" "There's a ghost here!" "Don't be afraid!" "Yola!" "Yola, where are you?" "Answer me!" "Come back with the baby." "We must go, quickly!" "What are you doing?" "I'm looking for my turtle." "What turtle?" "Stop wrecking my field!" "Where has my turtle gone?" "You stole it!" "Where are my kids?" "Did you make them disappear?" "You are really a ghost!" "Stop calling me a ghost!" "I am not a ghost!" "Please tell me where my kids are." "My turtle ate them!" "What?" "!" "Quick!" "We must find my turtle." "Totor, Totor!" "Where are you?" "Show yourself!" "Hey, who are you?" "You must be the one your mum's looking for." "Where's the baby?" "And my turtle!" "Have you seen my turtle?" "There you are!" "Why did you go off without telling me?" "I know you love water, but you shouldn't leave me like that." "And you've grown fatter still!" "Oh, well, Fatty." "Sorry, I mean Totor, don't get cross." "We must leave, Yola." "This boy is not normal." "He speaks to a turtle." "He must be a ghost." "A mother shouldn't treat a child that way." "I'm not a ghost." "If you're not, tell me who you are." "Ghosts only come out at night." "Why am I here in full daylight?" "I am a lost orphan." "My name is Mentse and my turtle is Totor." "She's my only friend." "I'm hungry, and my turtle as well." "Who is this child?" "He was found in the maize field of the sacrificial forest." "Really!" "As if we didn't have enough mouths to feed." "I just go away a few days, and you do stupid things." "He's a lost orphan." "And you?" "Do you know your parents?" "Get me something to drink, I'm thirsty!" "Orphan, huh!" " You gave me a home." " That's enough!" "Didn't you hear I'm thirsty" "Well, I had better be off." "Thanks for the food." "That's a fine turtle you've got there, boy." "What's the hurry?" "Sit down, you haven't finished your food." "We don't waste food." "Rebecca, bring some more food to this boy." "Why didn't you say this boy brought us such a lovely present?" "You didn't give me the chance." "You get angry so fast." "Well, boy." "I'm not such a bad guy..." "I just get a little angry sometimes." "Life is very hard for all of us in this area." "Shoes, shoes!" "Shoe repairs!" "What a turtle!" "I know someone in town who'd give anything for it." "He sells them for a lot of money to foreign collectors." "Be careful !" "If you don't hold your tongue, I'll cut it off." "You've come to fix shoes, so do it then leave!" "A shoe like this, I cannot fix it on the spot" "I'll have to take it with me until next week." "Okay." "You can take it." "Rebecca, bring me other shoes!" "And above all, hold your tongue!" "My tongue..." "I hold on to it!" "You hear that, my boy?" "The naughty shoe repairer wants to sell our turtle." "Don't worry." "No one will take our turtle" "I'll protect it." "Can you imagine some big yams simmering all night long with a good fat turtle?" "We'll wait for it to get fatter still." "What's your name?" "His name is Mentse, and the turtle is called Totor." "Why give a name to a turtle?" "That's my own business." "She's my friend." "As you wish, boy." "As you wish." "Hey sister." "I've a good offer." "It's not expensive." "I brought it for the lady opposite but her husband chased me away because of his turtle." "What?" "A turtle?" "You mean Isaac has a turtle?" "Don't tell anyone, little sister." "He's too afraid someone might steal it." "I must say his turtle is huge!" "Djemiah." "Did you hear?" "Apparently they're raising turtles opposite." "Turtles?" "!" "That's impossible!" "I knew they ate some, but..." "But what?" "You know they eat turtle, and you don't tell me?" "!" "No wonder you've had several miscarriages lately." "Never set foot there again." "And I'll tell them never to come here either." "Isaac!" "Come out of your house!" "You say you're our friend, and you raise turtles?" "You want to kill all of us?" "What?" "Eating turtle never killed anyone." "In my tribe it carries a curse." " Nobody forces you to eat it." " Even so..." "I can't help worrying if there's a turtle nearby." "Get rid of it." "I'm not concerned in problems between turtles and your tribe." "It's finished between us." "You'll never again drink my palm wine!" "You'll never again have my money." "Your wine isn't worth a turtle." "You're not to tell me what I should or shouldn't eat!" "Where's Totor?" "Where are you Totor?" " So?" " Nothing." " Did you have a good look everywhere?" " Yes." "But no boy, no turtle, no nothing." "Why did you let him go?" "Don't accuse me." "It's you and Djemiah's" "You both are after his turtle, I don't know why." "All because of that shoe repairer!" "If I meet him, I'll make him swallow his lying tongue." "Here you are at last!" "Where were you?" "I'm looking for Totor." "She's disappeared." "What do you mean, disappeared?" "Leave him alone!" "Can't you see he's upset?" "Go to bed, my son." "Tomorrow you'll find your turtle." "Yes, go to bed." "Perhaps she'll come back tomorrow." "You are friends, after all." "Hey, Yola!" "I'm going to the farm with your mum." "Don't take your eyes off your friend." "Find out where he's hiding his turtle and tell me later." "Don't forget!" "Go back to sleep." "The sun's not yet up." "Good morning." "I am from the city." "The shoe repairer told me about some turtle." "Don't talk to me about turtles." "This fence is to protect my family from that creature of ill-fated." "Exactly..." "I can help you, brother." "I know a very efficient person who can seal off your hut." "And I'm very interested in this turtle because it can bring me a lot of money." "If you help me, I'll capture it in secret and you'll be rid of it for good." "Get lost!" "In my tribe we don't deal with people who touch turtles." "Go and look in the house opposite." "Excuse me, brother." "I'm just passing through..." "I have a shoe here." "Someone gave it to me for you." "That shoe repairer cannot hold his tongue!" "I bet he also mentioned the turtle?" "The turtle?" "What turtle, brother?" "Is there a turtle farm round here?" "Aren't you the fellow who sells turtles?" "No!" "Not me." "In any case the turtle has vanished." "Vanished?" "How come?" "Well, if you're interested..." "I know a young clairvoyant who's very good and who can help you find it." "I see we're both interested in this." "Come with me." "Brother..." "The young clairvoyant is waiting in the house." "I see you're definitely interested in this turtle." "I'm just doing you a favor." "I don't eat turtle meat." "Well I do!" "It's a sacred food for me." "Let's go in and see what your clairvoyant can tell us." "I think you can start now, young girl." "I need a table and a stool." "My gift is imate." "I nearly got killed because of it." "Luckily, kind-hearted people took care of me, and strengthened my power." "Who needs my help?" "My help is free..." "Like the light which guides me." "You're here for me." "But this man must go out first." "What's wrong with you?" "You must trust me." "No." "I won't trust you." "Go out!" "You too, Yola." "Go and play with the baby." " What are you suffering from?" " Nothing." "Even an unfulfilled desire is a suffering." "Wait a moment." "I'll be right back." "What are you doing behind the door?" "Go over there and have some palm wine." "You really are a devil." "How can you mistrust someone who's helping" "A self-interested help as it seems!" "Choose another doll with your right hand and another again with the left." "Now I want a lit kerosene lamp." "Don't speak loud, dear." "Concentrate your thought on the lamp." "The object of your desire is an animal." "Sacred for some people." "It bears a curse for other people." "But sometimes it is seen as a very special ritual meal." "I see a big shell, short legs a head that goes in and out, and a tail." "It is an aninnal which crawls, but can also swim." "I see a vast stretch of water." "Oh dear!" "I cannot tell you everything." "I see a sad little boy." "I hate seeing unhappy kids." "The child I see seems to be very fond of that animal." "There is a third important person that I cannot identify very well." "I cannot see anything else." "Everything's getting blurred." "If anything happens to that animal, there could be a big disaster." "I need light!" "Give me light!" "No!" "Open the door!" "I want daylight..." "Light!" "I want light!" "Why were you running after her?" "You want to speak to her?" "I can tell you how to find her." "She lives in a shed next to a mango tree nearby the small market." "It's easy." "Ask for the clairvoyant." "Everyone knows her." "What are you doing here all alone at this hour?" "Aren't you afraid?" "Rebecca sent me to buy some fish." "Why didn't you go back to the city?" "No bush-taxi..." "Can I wait here with you?" "You can if you like." "But I'm going home." "The fishermen won't come back." "Goodbye." "Where were you?" "We've been looking for you everywhere!" "Is it me or the turtle you're after?" "And this lout too is with you!" "Why are you still here, you turtle dealer?" "I had too much palm wine and missed the last bush-taxi." "I hope you won't let me spend the night on the beach, brother?" "You mustn't hang about here." "Terrible things can happen on this beach at night." "Let's go home." "At last!" "Where did you find him?" "On the beach." "With this lout from town." "If my being here bothers you, I can go." "No, stay." "I don't want people think I'm a devil." "Rebecca, you can go to bed!" "We'll sleep here." "I'll feed the kid first." "No." "I'm not hungry." "I want to go to bed." "That's right." "Go to bed." "Your friend Yola is already asleep." "What are you waiting for?" "Sit down." "We're going to sleep here." "Well now..." "The eggs are ready." "I hope she'll come back soon onto the rock." "Well, as she's still not coming" "I'll take a nap..." "Maybe she'll come later." "Will you go and call Nga'nsi for me please?" "Wait!" "I'll get her." "Nga'nsi!" "There's a young boy looking for you!" "Well, here's the boy who was with me at the pygmies camp." "We lost one another." "But I kept thinking that one day we would meet again." "Today's the day!" "His name is Mentse." "Take him as my young brother." "Since you're my friends, you're his friends too, okay?" "Yeah, we're all friends!" "We want to hear the masks." "We want to hear the masks!" "All right, here we go!" "Come along, Mentse." ""Korr-korr-kor"" "said the bird which observed the scene from its perch on a tree." "And then?" "And the?" ""Dom dibiridibiri bim-boum"" "sang the crocodile pretending to be dead to fool the antelope." "And the poor antelope, blind with thirst wanting to reach the river climbed on the sly crocodile's back thinking it was an old log." "And "glug-glug-glug"" "the water of the river bubbled." "The turtle has been found!" "What?" "There you are, little tricksy!" "You sold the turtle to that lout from town!" " No!" "I sold nothing to nobody!" " What?" "How did he find it then?" "Exactly!" "How did he?" "Wasn't it you?" "Quick!" "Let's find him before it's too late." "Oh no, he mustn't sell Totor!" "She's looks very rich" "I can't believe her husband gets so much money from his wine pay for all the things she's wearing." "There's a spider on your neck!" "There's a spider on your neck!" "There they are, far out at sea!" " Go get them!" " What?" "Please go get them!" "Here you are at last!" "Welcome, children." "We are happy to have you with us." "You are no longer just "Nga'nsi"" "you who see beyond the land." "Henceforth you are also "Nga'ntse"" "who sees beyond the seas." "And in the water you will read and speak the truth." "You are no longer "Mentse" the orphan." "Henceforth you are "Men'ntse"" "the infant of the Waters." "And now the command is passed on to you." "You now can leave, dear children." "Fear nothing." "You must return to the other world to tend the flame of Good and of Evil." ""Nga'ntse"..." ""Men'ntse"..."