Zodwa thought she could outwit the ancestors and find peace by getting rid of the baby, but here she is with the baby gone, though not in the way she intended, and still peace eludes her. It’s clear now that peace will never be hers as long as she loves a girl. Zodwa had honestly believed that she and Thembeka had a special connection, something profound that she hadn’t just imagined, which is why she’d risked so much by writing that letter in the first place.

When she told Thembeka about the rape and pregnancy last Christmas, Zodwa knew it would hurt her friend, but she never doubted that Thembeka would believe her. She expected her to immediately end her relationship with Mongezi, and perhaps even encourage Zodwa to report the assault to the authorities.

She wasn’t prepared for Thembeka’s utter denial, that she’d rather believe Zodwa capable of such a terrible lie than believe that Mongezi had not only cheated on her but did so with such violence. Still, despite the betrayal, Zodwa has never stopped yearning for Thembeka, wishing with all her heart that they could find a way one day to be together.

And this is the price she has paid for angering the ancestors: both her mother and her child taken from her.

Zodwa can’t return to KwaZulu with the curse still working its evil magic. She cannot put her grandmother and those she loves at risk. Not being there to lay her mother to rest will be a scandal she will have to learn to live with. Some evils are greater than others.

“Are you ready to say goodbye?” the man asks, and Zodwa nods though she isn’t ready.

The man steps forward and opens the latches so that the trailer splits apart to reveal the pine coffin wedged inside. He removes the lid that hasn’t yet been secured. That will only be done after the family has seen Leleti for themselves. The driver and Mama Beauty step aside to give Zodwa privacy, or as much privacy as she can be afforded as dozens of cars and trucks whiz by, pedestrians and goats dodging between them.

A dragonfly flits past Zodwa’s cheek and zigzags to Leleti’s face, stitching together the infinite space between daughter and mother, the living and the dead. The insect comes to rest on Leleti’s lips, giving the illusion that she’s making its wings move by the power of her breath. The dragonfly glints with a metallic green-and-blue sheen in the sunlight; it may be the most beautiful adornment Leleti has ever worn.

Zodwa closes her eyes to steady herself. When she opens them again, the insect is gone and so is the fleeting beauty it bestowed upon Leleti. Her mother’s gaunt features are slack and almost unrecognizable. Whatever force animated Leleti and made her who she was has been extinguished in this world.