The sun dipped like a ball, leaving sundowners rubbing their dazzled eyes. Suddenly, a two-legged lion surprised Kambangane, whose eyes went blank in the orange nothingness.

The lion targeted the shooter as the man who minced its legs, and now its razor-sharp teeth were ready to peel the bridge of his nose. For now, Kambangane stretched his wrinkled hands over the orange-yellow fire, but when he looked up, a scarf-wearing lion smiled at him. Immediately, the hunter wiped his eyes, thinking this was a bad dream.  However, the flame burnt his kinky hair, and he snapped out of denial.

Wow! Wow! Ndumeua barked, tucking its tail between its legs. In a blink of an eye, the lion stabbed the dog with knife-sharp claws and injured its back.

Soon, Kambangane kindled the fire, while pale-yellow water trickled down between his legs. Fear pierced his heart, and his eyes became two large plates.

First, the wild cat yawned, showing the blade-sharp teeth to Kambangane, whose heart skipped, while humming funeral songs. Afterwards, he grew hair on his arms, and the right leg began to shake.  Meanwhile, the fire turned into blinking coals, and later into a heap of ash.

The shooter sobbed, as shiny tears blurred his eyes. This time, the needle-dropping silence reminded him that the cowards had disappeared into their huts like ground squirrels.

“Strangle the lion with bare hands!” shouted Zakueeua, peeping through the keyhole, as the moon filmed the drama.

At this point, Kanairombe popped out of the thatch-roofed hut, but reversed after the moon drew the lion’s shadow at her feet. Instantaneously, she locked the door and crushed the key with her teeth.

“Bang, bang,” shouted Kambangane, pranking the lion with fake gunshots. His childish rants triggered Kanairombe to pick up the loaded gun, but her hands began to shake like jelly.  

“What if the steel stick blew up the hut?” she said, playing with the clicking gun. Soon, Kambangane narrowed his eyes at the hut, but thoughts of the lion licking his buttocks made his feet feel like bricks.  So, he tiptoed with his back towards the paint-falling door.  Strangely, the door pinched his shirt. “Is there a lioness?” he asked, pressing his spiky ears against the termite-nibbled door. He could hear his wife’s heart drumming, as she was choking on a tooth after chewing the rust-coloured key. Thus, he dashed to the fire and tossed the embers in the air. Unfortunately, a flicker jumped, and a ball of fire grew on his chest, before he tore up the nylon shirt.

The lion roared, and Kambangane sprinted, bumping onto the termite-eaten door and unscrewing the rust-coloured hinges.  The two curled under the bed, while the lion roared. These were ground-shaking roars that rattled the roof sheets.  Accidentally, Kanairombe touched the fireworks and lit them. In the end, the whistling and cracking fireworks chased away the lion.

-Mungambue@gmail.com