The Jaws of a Crocodile

By Edson Kudzai Mutuwira

It is about an orphan girl called Tambudzai. Tambudzai stays with her grandmother. The two live in abject poverty manifested by a monotonous diet of sadza (thick maize meal porridge) served with wild vegetables or mufushwa (dried cowpeas leaves) as relish everyday. To break the monotony Tambudzai goes out fishing in a crocodile-infested mighty Save River.

She catches a lot of fish. She is attacked by a crocodile. The crocodile drags her across a pool in the river and into a tunnel that leads to its nest. The crocodile dumps into its nest what it thought was a corpse to feed its young ones.

The young crocodiles hungrily attack Tambudzai trying to tear off some flesh from her body.

Tambudzai recovers consciousness and kills all the young crocodiles. She burrows her way out of the crocodile nest in a bid to escape.

On coming to check on its young ones, the mother crocodile finds them all dead. It follows Tambudzais foot prints and crawls out of the nest through the same hole Tambudzai had made and used. Once outside it sees Tambudzai and it goes after her to avenge for the death of its young ones. Tambudzai tries to quicken her step but she cannot run fast because her leg was broken during the attack.

Tambudzai is saved by some dogs that were chasing a duiker. The duiker passed between the crocodile and Tambudzai. The dogs saw the crocodile and attacked it. This gave Tambudzai a chance to escape from the jaws of the crocodile.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: May 27, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496979599

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© 2014 Edson Kudzai Mutuwira. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse   05/22/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-7958-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-7959-9 (e)

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Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CHAPTER ONE

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One day Tambudzai was playing nhodo outside her grandmother’s kitchen hut. Her grandmother was busy preparing their lunch inside the kitchen hut. Tambudzai frowned when a strong unpleasant smell of cooking food hit her nostrils. She had just thrown the nhodo ‘child’ into the air. Instead of catching it, she watched the nhodo ‘child’ fall to the ground as she followed it with her eyes.

The strong smell of burning vegetables made her sneeze loudly. She twisted her body as the pain of sneezing spread through her body. She frowned and pulled together the muscles of her face till her face looked like the face of an Afrikander bull. She whispered, Hey! That smell again! It’s not appetizing. It’s not inviting. It’s nauseating. It makes me feel sick. Can’t something be done? Can’t we have something better in this home? Tambudzai said to herself.

She brought up her hand and covered her mouth and nose to stop herself. from vomiting. She sneezed and whispered to herself again, "Its sadza (thick maize meal porridge) and mufushwa (dried vegetable leaves) again. Good Lord in heaven forbid it! Help me and save me from this unpalatable meal. For how long can we go on feeding on this junk food? I do not think that even the pigs would enjoy eating that." She shook her head in disgust and disapproval.

Her grandmother, her father’s mother, was known as Gogo Tambudzai but was affectionately called Gogo Tambu for short by her host of friends and relatives. Tambudzai was a girl of fifteen years of age by now. She was brown in complexion and she was of medium height and built. She was a beautiful girl. She was an orphan. Both of her parents were dead.

Tambu, Gogo Tambudzai called her granddaughter. Gogo Tambudzai always called her granddaughter Tambu for short.

To herself Tambudzai whispered, What do I do? I am sure I am being called to eat that food. I can’t open my mouth to have a bite of that food. I am sure the moment I open my mouth I will throw out. Answering her grandmother Tambudzai said loudly, Gogo!

Come, my dear, your lunch is now ready. Tambudzai felt her intestines move up and down inside her. She felt as if she was going to throw out. She also felt as if there were some butterflies flapping about in her stomach. It’s that smell of mufushwa that is making me sick, she said to herself. She picked up the nhodo ‘child’ and threw it into the air as she started playing the game again.

I don’t feel like eating that food. It’s better to go hungry than eat that junk food that nauseates me.

Tambu! Your food is getting cold. Come now and have it whilst it is still warm, Gogo Tambudzai called.

Okay, Gogo, I am coming. Tambudzai got up slowly and reluctantly dragged her feet towards the kitchen hut.

When Tambudzai entered the kitchen hut, she sat on a reed mat