<p>Instead of my initial intention for her hair to fall out, I changed my plan and stared intensely at her strands, commanding, “Turn into snakes visible only to her boyfriend.” Before I even closed my mouth, the strands began to move and transformed into snakes, hissing and flicking their tongues. The young man screamed and recoiled in terror, shivering uncontrollably, and wetting himself as he pleaded with Leemat not to harm him. Leemat, however, looked confused, asking what was wrong with her hair. This prompted her to head to a mirror to check for herself.</p><p>But before she could reach it, Grandma's voice cut through urgently: “If she reaches that mirror, she will die. Mirrors don’t lie. Hurry and stop her!”</p><p>Panic surged through me at the thought of causing a death. “How do I stop her, Grandma? Tell me how!” I pleaded. Before she could reply, I fixed my gaze on Leemat’s legs, and suddenly, she collapsed to the ground with a thud.</p><p>Grandma then muttered something under her breath, and everything came to a halt. The next thing I knew, I was back on my mat, breathing normally again.</p><p>In a panic, I bolted upright, clutching my chest. I rushed to grab some water, muttering to myself, “That was a terrible nightmare.” I assumed it was all a dream and lay back down, trying to calm my racing thoughts.</p><p>But then, questions started swirling in my mind: Where had Grandma gone in the middle of the night? Maybe she was in the restroom? Before I could dwell on it, a loud crash startled me, shaking the house like the sky itself was falling. Fear took hold of me, and I froze in place.</p><p>Suddenly, Grandma entered the room. I noticed her legs still resembled a chicken’s. Blinking rapidly, I tried to make sense of what I was seeing, remembering that they’d looked like that the day before when Aunt Sailuba came to fetch me.</p><p>I opened my mouth to ask, “Grandma, why—” but she interrupted me sharply: “Shut your mouth! You are no longer a baby on my back! After all I’ve done for you, you dare to abandon me there? Do you think your power surpasses mine? Remember, it was I who raised you, yet you dare to disrespect me?”</p><p>Her words left me reeling. “I raised you since you were a helpless infant, yet today you defy me. Very well! From now on, we part ways. Do whatever you wish. But know this: old wisdom is sharper than new cunning.” With that, she stormed into a corner where we kept our belongings.</p><p>From behind, I saw something large, like a tail, wriggling from her back as she moved. Shaken, I couldn’t decipher her angry outburst, still assuming all of this was part of a bad dream.</p><p>She changed her clothes and lay down to sleep. Her face, now partially burnt like it had been scorched by fire, caught my attention.</p><p>“What happened to your face, Grandma?” I asked, reaching toward her, but she swatted my hand away, her sharp nails like a cat’s scratching my skin. “Touch me again, and I’ll rip your face apart!” she hissed, her strange tail twitching like a cat’s.</p><p>Horrified, I stammered, “Please, Grandma, I meant no harm. What’s happening? Why do you have chicken legs and that… tail?”</p><p>Without turning around, she retorted, “You’ve seen only mine. Look at yours!”</p><p>I froze. “Mine? I don’t have chicken legs!”</p><p>“Look closely,” she said flatly.</p><p>Shaking, I glanced down, only to find that my legs had transformed into the body of a fish, stretching from my waist downward. A scream erupted from my throat, echoing through the room. The sight of my scales and flippers, shimmering with strange patterns, was too much to bear.</p><p>The loudness of my cry coincided with a sudden downpour of rain that flooded our home within moments. In the chaos, Grandma, terrified of water like a cat, began jumping about helplessly.</p><p>To my surprise, I felt an odd sense of comfort in the water, as though I belonged in it. I dove in, swimming effortlessly, twirling and gliding like a fish.</p><p>But then, the pendant around my neck began to glow intensely, heating up until I felt a sharp pain pierce my chest and head. Everything went black.</p><p>When I awoke the next morning, the sun was already shining brightly. I sat up on my mat, stretching and yawning. Grandma entered the room, her legs still chicken-like, glaring at me.</p><p>“You’ve only just decided to return?” she snapped.</p><p>Confused, I asked, “Grandma, I was asleep. Where could I have gone? Wait, let me use the restroom first, and I’ll tell you about the nightmare I had.”</p><p>I stepped outside, only to see the yard flooded with water. Picking my way through the dry spots, I grabbed a bucket of water to freshen up. Returning to the room, I asked, “Grandma, did it rain last night? And isn’t it too early for the rainy season?”</p><p>Her sharp response cut me off: “Don’t play dumb with me! Just go to Sailuba’s salon; she’s been calling for you all morning.”</p><p>Still trying to make sense of things, I headed to the salon. There, I found Leemat sitting on the floor, while her friend Watsima was groaning in pain from the hairdo she’d gotten the day before. Sailuba was scolding her.</p><p>“Leemat, why did you undo your hair just because a man complained about it? Even though you paid, I’m still hurt.”</p><p>Leemat pouted, “Sailuba, I’ve never liked braids anyway. I only got them because he paid for it. But as soon as he saw it, he ran off like he’d seen a ghost.”</p><p>Ignoring their conversation, I smirked inwardly. “So it wasn’t a dream after all,” I thought. “Leemat, you won’t get away with this. No selfies for you with that long hair.”</p><p>Later, when her hair was nearly dry under the dryer, I focused intently, willing the dryer to malfunction. It began to spark and emit smoke. Sailuba rushed to unplug it but tripped and fell hard.</p><p>Leemat screamed, trapped in the chair, while Watsima coughed violently from the thick smoke filling the room. Calmly, I approached Leemat, whispering for the chaos to stop. Everything froze.</p><p>I yanked her out of the chair, pretending to rescue her. When the smoke cleared, her hair was scorched and tangled, falling out in clumps as Sailuba applied oil to salvage what she could.</p><p>By the time they finished, Leemat’s once-prized hair was reduced to mere tufts. Inside, I smiled slyly, pleased with my handiwork.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
