His jaw snaps shut. And then he sneezes twice, abruptly.
"See? It's a sign."
Resigned, Sloth holds out his lanky arm and I take a pinprick of blood with a vintage brooch from my jewellery box and wipe it off on the most recent email.
I pour a liberal dose of paraffin over the crumple of papers in the pot, add a splash of the sangoma' sangoma's cleansing muti muti from the cough-medicine bottle, and take a swig for good luck. Then I light the email streaked with Sloth's blood and drop it into the pot. Seance flambe! from the cough-medicine bottle, and take a swig for good luck. Then I light the email streaked with Sloth's blood and drop it into the pot. Seance flambe!
What happens instead is that a two-foot-high flame shoots up from the pot, singeing my eyebrows. I fling myself away in surprise and my foot catches the pot. Flaming paraffin splashes over the floor. Sloth screams in alarm and starts crawling for his climbing post, moving amazingly speedily. He clambers up his pole, reaches out and hooks onto one of the loops of rope hanging from the ceiling and swings towards the front door, which is probably the smart option. If I had any sense, I'd be doing the same. Instead, I grab the first thing at hand, which just happens to be my yellow leather jacket, and start beating out the flames.
The fire resists valiantly, but I finally manage to whack the life out of the flames and my jacket. The fire dies reluctantly, almost resentfully. Greasy, evil-smelling black smoke pours out of the pot and boils off the floor. Choking and gagging on the smell, I fumble to open the window. And then it hits me.
Dunes of powdery yellow sand. They swell and fall like ocean waves. Something you could drown in. Mounds erupt from the waves. Something you could drown in. Mounds erupt from the waves, spill termites onto the sand. They are swallowed up again. waves, spill termites onto the sand. They are swallowed up again. The waves roll on. The waves roll on.
A king without his head. He holds it in his lap. The head rolls its eyes and grins with blood-stained teeth beneath its crown. Take eyes and grins with blood-stained teeth beneath its crown. Take me, take me, take me to your spider den. He is wearing a faded me, take me, take me to your spider den. He is wearing a faded Oppikoppi t-shirt. Oppikoppi t-shirt.
Birds circling in the sky, an aviary's worth, all different kinds, cranes, pigeons, hawks, vultures, sunbirds, sparrows. cranes, pigeons, hawks, vultures, sunbirds, sparrows.
A flash of an old movie. Soylent Green is people.
A barbed-wire fence. A bright yellow sign. Private property. Trespassers will be muti mutilated.
An artificial fingernail, half an inch long, ruby red with silver stars painted on it, lying in a gutter. A private galaxy in the stars painted on it, lying in a gutter. A private galaxy in the dirt. There are faded letters stencilled on the kerb. Kotch. Kozy. dirt. There are faded letters stencilled on the kerb. Kotch. Kozy. Kotze. Kotze.
A supermarket trolley brimming with white plastic forks. It catches on fire. The forks twist and melt. catches on fire. The forks twist and melt.
A snowfall of feathers. Some of the tips are clotted with red gobs of flesh. It turns into a rain of frogs. of flesh. It turns into a rain of frogs.
Snap! Snap out of it. Snap out
I open my eyes to find Sloth shaking me by my shoulders and whining.
"Okay, it's okay. I'm fine." I sit up gingerly, rubbing the back of my head, where I seemed to have smashed it against the floor, possibly repeatedly. My heels ache, as if I have been drumming them in a seizure. I'm lucky I didn't bite off my tongue.
Or break a nail.
"David Laslow," the voice on the phone drawls.
"Photographer Dave? This is Zinzi December. We met at the Biko?"
"I wondered if you'd call me," he sounds resigned. "You want to kak kak me out, I understand. It was a job. Gio was paying me. He didn't tell me what was involved." me out, I understand. It was a job. Gio was paying me. He didn't tell me what was involved."
"Forget it. That's not why I'm calling. I want to do a story, a real one. I want you to take the photographs."
"Whoo boy, did you pick the wrong week. I've got the Mbuli court case, the premier's portrait, the Springbok press conference, some new clinic opening and that's not counting whatever comes up during the course of the day."
"This just came up. And besides, you owe me." just came up. And besides, you owe me."
"I thought that wasn't why you were calling?"
"It isn't. But that doesn't mean you don't. Come on, I'll be your fixer on the zoo stories. Isn't that what you wanted? An all-access pass to Zoo City. You want drugs, sex, vice, dog fights? I can get you in. But you have to do this for me."
"You don't let up, do you?"
"No."
Dave is waiting by the One-Stop shop when I pull into the petrol station under Ponte. Once a glitzy apartment block famed for its round design, it's turned from housing project with gangsters, squatters, drugs and prostitution, garbage and suicides piling up in the central well, back to reclaimed glitzy apartment block. I suspect it will go through its own revolving door soon enough.
"Get in." I pop the door lock for him. I still haven't got the window fixed. "My car is less likely to get us hijacked." He obliges with a dubious look.
"Where are we going?" he asks
"Did you pull the clips on the homeless guy killing I asked for?"
"Yep," he digs into his pocket and hauls out a slim bundle of photocopies. "Poor guy didn't get much in the way of column space. Here's The Star The Star."
The Star 23 March 2011 Homeless Man Burned Alive [Ellis Park] The badly burned body of Patrick Serfontein, 53, was found under a bridge in Troyeville on Tuesday, Gauteng Police said. Captain Louis du Plessis said the homeless man was apparently beaten before his attackers set him alight. The man was identified by his South African ID, found on the scene. The police have opened a murder investigation and appealed for witnesses to come forward. Sapa. [Ellis Park] The badly burned body of Patrick Serfontein, 53, was found under a bridge in Troyeville on Tuesday, Gauteng Police said. Captain Louis du Plessis said the homeless man was apparently beaten before his attackers set him alight. The man was identified by his South African ID, found on the scene. The police have opened a murder investigation and appealed for witnesses to come forward. Sapa.
"And here's my paper."
The copy features a grotesque photograph of a man's face, the skin black and bubbled, lips peeled back from the teeth, like he just got back from holiday in Pompeii.
The Daily Truth POLICE FILE POLICE FILE Homefried Homeless. I'm telling you straight. Some human scum burned a homeless I'm telling you straight. Some human scum burned a homeless ou ou to death on Tuesday. Patrick Serfontein lived under a Troyeville bridge in a cardboard box until he was beaten up and necklaced with a tyre over his head by one or more to death on Tuesday. Patrick Serfontein lived under a Troyeville bridge in a cardboard box until he was beaten up and necklaced with a tyre over his head by one or more tsotsis tsotsis who are still unidentified and walking around free and easy because no one saw anything. who are still unidentified and walking around free and easy because no one saw anything. The poor homeless The poor homeless ou' ou's face was so badly burnt up that the cops had to identify him by what they hope is his ID book, which they found among some personal goeters goeters in an old shopping trolley near the body. The SAPS refused to speculate on the motive behind the violent killing. Is this the first sign of another serial killer like Moses Sithole on the loose? in an old shopping trolley near the body. The SAPS refused to speculate on the motive behind the violent killing. Is this the first sign of another serial killer like Moses Sithole on the loose? Other uglinesses that happened yesterday: The body of a missing nine year-old in Ventersdorp has been discovered, drowned in a farm dam. At least his parents can make peace because his body Other uglinesses that happened yesterday: The body of a missing nine year-old in Ventersdorp has been discovered, drowned in a farm dam. At least his parents can make peace because his body has has been found. The number of people who just been found. The number of people who just sommer sommer go missing in this city never to be seen again is just sad, go missing in this city never to be seen again is just sad, mense. mense.
The rest is ripped off. I raise an eyebrow. "That's some quality reporting."
Dave shrugs. "I just take the photographs."
"Nothing about his having an animal."
"Not every person living on the edge of society has to
have an animal. What's this all about?"
"Patrick Serfontein is a hunch. Let's just say his death coincides with an email. Is there a Before photograph?"
"Just his ID. I got a photocopy of it for you from Mandla. She says if we find anything good, it goes under her byline. You can have an "additional reporting by"."
"I don't know if 'good' is the word I'd use," I say grimly.
"Where are we going?"