The Moon Has Eyes and Other Stories – Published!

When, in 2010 I was told by a strange voice in my phone that I had won the Bessie Head Literature Award for the short story category, I wasn’t sure of what to do or say. I remember that I was in the post office, about to send my sister some money – around P200. I doubled the amount! This was my first literary award. I’ve heard of people winning Grammies and other huge titles but a Bessie Head for an aspiring writer like me was, honestly, a breakthrough. 

When I wrote The Moon Has Eyes, I had not planned to take it to a competition. The win was, therefore, quite a surprise. As part of the prize package Pentagon Publishers has just published the book. Since this is a short story, it has been compiled together with stories by other writers. To see story summary/blurb of The Moon Has Eyes, go to my April 2011 posts on this blog. 

The Moon Has Eyes - Front Cover

The Moon Has Eyes - Back Cover

Below is an excerpt from the story;

…It was a Sunday morning. The room was cool and silent. Save for a gold chain around her neck, she was naked. Sunlight splashed in from the open window and bathed her with a golden illumination. She lay on her back, her body twisted slightly in a teasing posture. A pillow was stashed underneath her upper back to maintain specific form. Her elbow was pinned on the bed, palm supporting her cheek. The face was angled a little upwards, features bright and sharp with eyes gazing unseeingly at the roof. The silkiness of her skin against the rough texture of the wall created a stunning contrast – a pleasure for the pencil. A couple of meters from the bed, Kagiso’s head tilted constantly from the drawing board to the subject on the bed. He sat on a stool, the easel lowered to a comfortable height and position. He swallowed hard as his hand stroked marks on the pad. He drew with vigour and absolute focus. The image on the pad was coming to life as he hatched a rendering technique.  Sensitive and delicate pencil marks formed a duplicate of Refilwe’s figure. He felt like a god of creation and he knew his teacher would be proud of him. In a couple of hours, the monochromatic drawing was complete. He sat next to her on the bed, showing her the masterpiece. That was Kagiso’s best, a replacement of the destroyed painting.
            ‘Oh my,’ she cried. ‘Oh my, it’s fantastic. It’s too precious, Kagiso. This belongs in a gallery.’
            ‘It belongs to you, my love,’ he said, enveloping her in his arms. They kissed passionately…

…Stephen swung his rocking chair back and forth. He blew thick cigarette smokes into the air. He was sitting on his porch, looking at the night village scene with an accusing scorn. The village had swallowed the only woman he loved. Refilwe had made it clear to him that she did not love him. Stephen was convinced that she was bluffing. She had been given to him by her family and there was no way he was going to lose the opportunity. She was royal and rightful for him, a perfect partner to sail through life with. He picked a glass of wine and gulped a mouthful before he dragged himself to bed. Early in the morning, he lifted his head from the pillow with unbearable agony. Then a thought struck him. He picked his car keys and the Range Rover roared in the dark streets…

Other stories in the anthology are The Evil Messenger of God (Atang Mogome), The Rise and the Fall in All of Us (Jelena Ivancevic), A Motsetse School Girl (Puseletso Elizabeth Kidd), The Storm of Life (Sethobogwa Dorcas Sefo) and Invicible Scars (Tidimalo Motukwa).