8/9/2019 RAGEL

1/14

8/9/2019 RAGEL

2/14

RAGEL

Text De Wet van Deventer 2010

Illustrations De Wet van Deventer 2010

Book and cover design by De Wet van Deventer

All rights reserved. No part o this publication may be reproduced,

stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any orm or by any means,

electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,

without the prior written permission o the author.

8/9/2019 RAGEL

3/14

Its cold outside. In a trailer park a scruy dog o questionable

origin scratches and snis around various cans and other

trash. The dogs name is Frikkie. His white pelt is covered withdirt, with clumps o hair missing here and there. A bit o drool

permanently hangs rom the side o his mouth.

Frikkie suddenly lits his head. He points his ears straight

upwards. For a moment hes dead quiet. Then sotly he begins

to moan. At that very moment a cat is walking along the ence

bordering Frikkies territory. He gives chase.

8/9/2019 RAGEL

4/14

From outside Tobie could hear Frikkies barks. He leans or-

ward and pulls the curtain away orm the trailers window.

Sit down and nish you soup, says Tobies dad, not look-ing up rom his soup.

But dad, Frikkie is running away, protests Tobie.

I said sit down. His dad now rests his spoon in the soup

bowl and looks Tobie straight in the eyes.

But dad says Tobie soter.

One more but and yours will get a hiding.Tobies ather waits or another reply.

Nothing.

Tobie sits down and takes the spoon, giving one more look

at the window.

The door swings open. Its Ragel, Tobies older sister.

Im home! she says, sounding very tired.She places a couple o shopping bags on the foor next to the

table and sits down. She looks at her dad and then at Tobie.

Whats wrong?

Nothing, says her dad.

Its Frikkie he ran away, says Tobie. Hes big brown eyes

is teary.He didnt run away, says her dad. Hell be back.

Oh, Im sure hell be back soon, Tobie, Ragel comorts her

brother.

HES GONE!, shouts Tobie and runs to his room.

TOBIE!!, yells his dad. He move the soup bowl away rom

him and stands up.Please dad says Ragel. Ill take care o it.

8/9/2019 RAGEL

5/14

Tobie was laying on his bed with his blanket pulled over his

head. Ragel could hear him crying sotly. She sits down next to

him touching his shoulder gently.You wont be able to breath under there, she says with a

comorting smile.

Tobie is quiet.

You OK?, she asks.

I miss mommy, came Tobies voice rom underneath

the blanket.I know sweetheart , Ragel looks up and sees her dad stand-

ing in the kitchen, looking thought the shopping bags. I know.

She pulls the blanket down a little, exposing Tobies ace.

His eyes are shut, but Ragel can still see tears orming.

She stands up and closes the door to his room.

Wheres the beer?, asks her dad.

I didnt make it on time, Ragel leans against the cupboard.

You should take it easy on him, she looks at her dad. He

doesnt look up.

I know , he pauses or a moment. He just reminds me

o Ragel takes her dad by his hand.

Its OK dad, I know you dont mean it.

Ill make it up to him tomorrow, Ill go look or his dog.

Frikkie, dad, Ragel smiles. Hes also part o the amily.

Her dad smiles.

Yes Frikkie.

8/9/2019 RAGEL

6/14

Suddenly Ragel gasps or air and sits up straight. The TV

was still happily showing an old black and white cowboy mov-

ie. The room is dark, except or the o beat fashes o the TV.She taps all around with the palm o her hand until she can

eel the TV remote. Her dad was still ast asleep on the chair,

mouth open and snoring away. She points the remote at the

TV, it make a click sound as she turns it o. She takes her

blanket o and covers her dad. Hes snoring stops or a mo-

ment, then continues.She can eel a cold drat in the house. She decides to check

all the windows. Finding all the windows tightly shit, she de-

cides to check on Tobie. Then she hears the sot creaking sound

coming rom Tobies room. The drat was denitely coming

orm his room. She pauses by his door. Did she orget to shut

the door? Every now and again the drat would exit throughthe small gap between the door and the wall, making a sot

creaking sound.

Not wanting to wake Tobie, she slowly opens the door and

enters the room. The window is wide open and the curtains

pulled open. She turns towards Tobies bed.

Tobie!?No answer.

Under the blanket were several pillows squeezed together.

Dad DAD! Wake up!!, shouts Ragel, shaking her dad.

Her dad jumps up, almost alling over. He regains his ba-

lance and hold on to Ragels shoulder or support.What!?, he demands.

Its Tobie!, Ragels is almost in tears.

8/9/2019 RAGEL

7/14

What is it!?

Hes gone

Wasting no time Ragels dad quickly moves past her to-wards Tobies room.

Tobie!, he shouts.

Hes not there, dad!

Where is he?, he comes back into the room.

I dont know, says Ragel helplessly.

Maybe , Ragel pauses.Maybe what?

I think he went to look or Frikkie.

What!?

Thats all that makes sense, Ragel explains.

That stupid boy! says her dad angrily.

That wont help! We have to go nd him, Ragel makes ast until her knuckles turns white.

Sorry, my girl,, Ragels dad puts on his jacket and takes the

fashlight rom kitchen counter.

This is all my ault, he says as he opens the door. He doesnt

look at Ragel.

Ragel says nothing.He goes outside and Ragel ollows.

Its dark outside, with a thick cloud o mist covering the city

like a blanket. A Cold wet blanket. Only the lamp posts are re-

ally visible, disappearing into the distance.

Ill go up this way, dad. You go that way.No, Its too dangerous! Youll need to phone the police, he

blows warm air into his hands.

8/9/2019 RAGEL

8/14

The police? Ragel asks. In this neighborhood?

Ragels dad thinks or a moment.

Ok, then you come with me.

No dad, theres no time, she explains.

Ok, but you stay sae. Stay clear o anybody. We meet backhere in 15 minutes. Then we go to the police.

Ragel nods her head.

Ragel? her dad looks at her. She cant remember when last

she saw him this concerned.

Yes dad?

You stay sae, Ok?I promise, dad.

The two part ways, both shouting Tobies name.

8/9/2019 RAGEL

9/14

Ater a while Ragel could no longer hear her dads voice

anymore. How long has she been looking, she wonders. Look-

ing at her arm she realizes that she orgot her watch at home.Damn!, she says.

She can hear a car coming her way. She moves out o view

into an ally until the car passes. The cars glows in the mist like a

giant refy as it passes her. Then she hears something in the dis-

tance. At rst she thought it was a cat. It cant be too ar away.

A block urther she could now hear people talking. Thentheres that sound again. Not a cat, but a little child crying. It

must be Tobie!

Quietly she enters the ally and hides in the shadows. On the

corner she can see three men standing in ront o a car. The

cars headlights casts gigantic shadows o them on the side o

the building. Then she sees Tobie bundled up against the wall,covering his ace with his hands.

8/9/2019 RAGEL

10/14

Whered you come rom boy!? Asks the smallest o the

three. He had a baseball cap on, covering his eyes. He spat in

Tobies direction.Cant you hear me, boy!, shouts the same man when he

gets no reply orm Tobie.

The other two starts laughing. Then the giant man speaks.

Lets get out o here. This is stupid.

Im not done here, says the smallest one again.

Ragel makes a st until her ngers starts to hurt.The third man says nothing. He just keeps pung his ciga-

rette. The big man turns to him.

Whats wrong with him?

The man with the cigarette says nothing. He just lits his

shoulders and takes another drag o his sigarette.

Then the man with the cap then lits Tobie up by his neckand throws him against the wall keeping him suspended with

his one hand. Then he slaps him through the ace with the

back o his right hand. Tobie screams. Ragel can no longer

control hersel. Her ear turns to anger. She picks up a brick ly-

ing nearby and starts running towards the small man. She

doesnt make a sound. No one can see her coming. She throwsthe brick at the small man, hitting him on the side o his ace.

So hard that his cap fies o as he hits the ground. Beore the

other two men can even make sense o what just happened,

she grabs Tobie by his hand and disappears into the dark ally.

Faster Tobie!, Ragel shouts at her little brother, gripping hishand tightly.

Tobie tries to keep up with his sister, but her steps are to big.

8/9/2019 RAGEL

11/14

He alls.

Ouch, my knee!, cries Tobie.

Ragel can hear a car in the distance.

Weve got to keep running!, she yells at Tobie.I cant!, cries Tobie.

We have to!, Ragel lits Tobie up rom the ground.

Realizing that they wont be able to make it home in time,

she decides to go into a nearby ally and hide until the car pass-

es and the three men give up their pursuit.

The streetlights by the entrance barely lights up the darkmisty ally. Ragel can make out an old rusted car wreck with

some rubbish bags scattered around it.

Get inside, Ragel tells her little brother as she moves some

boxes and bags revealing rame o the car. There was barely a

seat let. Some oam and springs was now all that remained.

The car was lled with garbage let there by residents and nev-er collected. A car screeched past, briefy lighting up the ally.

For a moment Ragel and Tobie doesnt move.

8/9/2019 RAGEL

12/14

Will they hurt us again?, Tobie asks.

They wont nd us, Ragel assures her little brother. Be-

sides, dads looking or us.Wont be long now, says Ragel as she moves the rubbish

bags and boxes in ront o the cars side, concealing Toby.

Then Ragel can hear a car drive slowly past the entrance on

the ally.

Tobie?, Ragel whispers.

Yes?Listen to me very careully, OK? Ragel can barely make

out the top o Tobie head.

OK.

No matter chat happens, youve got to be very quiet, OK?

Im scared , Tobie says quietly.

Ragel can barely hear him.Its OK, Im also scared. Wont be long now , Ragel tries

to comort Tobie.

Then Ragel can hear the cars breaks. It makes a crack as the

drives shits the car into reverse. The car stops at the entrance

or a moment. Then it turns into the ally and stops.

Ragel is blinded by the headlights, trying to cover her eyeswith her hand.

Thats her!, she hears one man shouting. Then she hear

doors open.

One by one, the men stands in ront o the car. Ragel can

only make out their silhouettes, the headlights blinding out al-

most everything else. The gure in the middle moves closer.Beore she can do or say anything, a big st hits her in the

ace, knocking her to the ground. She can taste blood. With her

8/9/2019 RAGEL

13/14

right hand she can eel a stick lying on the ground next to her.

She swings the stick at the large gure in ront o her. She

can eel the it break on impact. The man doesnt say anything.Again a st hits her through the ace.

Ragel tries to get up, but she has no strength. Then the man

kicks her in the stomach. Ragel alls to the ground. For a while

she is still. Then she hears one man speak.

Look or the little one.

She gets another surge o strength.Her eyes are swollen. She tries to open one. She can barely

make out one man. She tries to swing a punch in his direction.

She doesnt know i she hit anything. She then alls to the ground

again as her let arm gives way to her own weight. Then the man

then picks Ragel up and throws her against the wreck. She is

barely conscious. He then walks back the the headlights.She can hear the cars doors closing. Now only the one man

is standing in ront o her. She can hear a click sound. Then a

load bang. A bright light. Her ears sing. The light starts to ade

until it is completely dark. She can hear the car drive away.

Then Tobie starts crying. She tries to say something, but no

words come out o her mouth. She is very tired.She eels the pain slowly going away.

A police car pulls into the ally. Two policemen get out o the

car. The one policeman runs towards Ragel while the other is

on the radio calling or an ambulance. A short while later an-

other police car arrives at the scene. Ragels dad climbs out othe car. The police tells him that they ound Ragel but not To-

bie. Ragels dad kneels down next to her and picks up her cold

8/9/2019 RAGEL

14/14

body. She is dead. Then he hears crying, very sotly. He moves

the rubbish bags away where he nds Tobie in the car wreck

where Ragel put him. He is very cold, but alive.My boy ..., says Ragels dad sotly. Its going to be OK.

Outside their home, a scruy white gure runs into the yard.

Frikkie snis around a couple o times then runs to the ront

door. He snis the matt in ront o the door and moans. He then

scratches the door twice beore barking. Giving up he moans,turns around on the map and alls down. He then sighs.

The end.