The Visitation

The little figure, curled up in an alley amidst the trash and grime, awoke to the regular early morning bustle of her city. Tradesmen, witchdoctors, pickpockets, killers, butchers, bakers and even a candlestick maker, all waking up from the land of dreams, ready to hustle another day.

Johannesburg: city of wonder, bloodshed, magic and love. Home.

Since her first breath on a trash-heaped mine dump this precious Miss Yucki had wandered the streets alone, mastering the art of invisibility in a place where visibility can be fatal.

She slunk from her grimy nap nest to a shadow cast by a disused fire escape and nourished her tummy with the chicken drumstick that had served as her pillow. A blue twinkle caught her eye. Down to her left was a puddle, formed from some or other unfinished liquid container in the makeup of her nest.

Inside the puddle, sparkling blue and silver, was a gleam of glitter, a prize collected by the ooze from amongst the grime.

A sign. Sensing movement she peered out from the dingy quarters and saw clearly a thick, eerie haze, slowly descending over the buildings and alleyway around her. This would not be a normal day, she realized, immediately aware of a dark and powerful magic emanating from this strange fog. It beckoned first her gaze, then her will and soon her entire being.

As the centre of the thick, vaporous mass enveloped her she sensed something or someone lurking, grinning out at her from deep within the cloud. She glared, indignant at this foreign attention, and made out strange, smirking faces. It felt as if they surrounded her and she could feel them willing her to follow them. Later she would realize, though, that it was in fact her that had summoned them.

The haze beings moved away and, being the curious type, she followed. In the shadows she was led through the alleyways, nooks, crannies and backstreets that were ingrained on her brain. What had seemed like a dream, though, was happening for real. Of this she had no doubt. She knew these creatures, these Tokoloshies, these Muti-Monsters.

Never seen by living eyes they spend their timeless days trawling dark corners, muti-stores and trash heaps across many dimensions, for it is in these places that they find the ingredients they seek: the magic, love, loathing, hopes and needs created by the thoughts of living beings. With these they set about making the fabric from which dreams are sewed.

MissYucki knew them from her dreams and they in turn were drawn by the power inside Miss Yucki. She would be their muse, inspiring their dream and muti mixing. Never again would she be lonely and, although no bricks were laid, our little princess felt that she had found her home. These Muti beings would teach her their ways; introducing her to the art of limitless travel through dreams, while developing her powers as an cross dimensional pageant princess.

From here they would learn about their city, living amongst alleyways and under the sidewalks, hawking their treasures collected from trash. From this point on Johannesburg would be their base, for it is here more than anywhere else, that the magic overflows. A living, breathing trash heap from which to plunder and extract treasures.

Fin.