The story features the Tokoloshi, which is a dwarfish, mean spirit that is always out to do harm to people. Some of the group explained to me, later, that if you go into homes in northern Namibia, you will find the beds up on bricks. The purpose is to keep the Tokoloshi from getting into the bed and doing foul deeds.
Here is Peter's story, which he told as if it had happened to him [slight parental warning regarding a bit of violence toward the end of the story]:
I wanted to marry a girl, by my parents did not approve of her. They told me I should not marry her. Regardless, I decided to work up the courage to ask her parents if I could marry her. According to our tradition, I went to live with the girl and her parents for one year. I made houses of reeds for them, and I planted and harvested a mahangu [corn] field.
After the year was over, I decided to take the girl to be my wife, and her parents approved of me. We left to go to our new home. Her parents gave us a basket of mahangu and a goat.
The first day after we were at our new home, I was out in the woods with my brother-in-law. We found a hole in the ground, and there was a very short man standing next to it. My brother-in-law was scared and said it was the Tokoloshi, and he ran away. I was not scared, but soon I also decided he was the Tokoloshi, and I also ran. He followed me back to my house.
I went inside my house and realized that my wife could not see the Tokoloshi. I tried to explain what had happened, but she could not see. The short man grabbed a cup and plate from the table and dropped it on the floor. My wife thought I had thrown them on the floor. "No," I said. "It is the short man who followed me home."
The next day dawned, and my wife also saw the short man. She was frightened, and we decided to go to her parents house. As we left, the short man followed us.
"Take me with you," he demanded.
"No," we responded. "You cannot come."
"Well, at least take me back to the hole in the ground where you found me," he said. We agreed, and we took him to his hole on our donkey cart.
When we reached his hole, he demanded his share of our basket of mahangu. We were scared of him, so we gave him half of the mahangu.
"What about the goat?" the short man asked. So, we gave him the goat. He took his knife and killed it and cut it in half.
"Let's go," I told my wife.
"Wait," said the short man. "What about your wife?"
"You cannot have my wife," I replied. But, the short man grabbed my wife, took his knife, killed her and cut her in half.
I ran screaming through the woods to my parents house. When I got there I told my parents the story.
My parents led me to the next room. There was my wife, alive and whole. Also, the goat and the full basket of mahangu.
"We told you we did not approve of this woman," my parents told me. "Now, look what the ghosts are telling you. Take her home to her parents and leave her."
And, I did.
After the story, most of the students were aghast and Peter had to quickly explain the story didn't actually happen to him, but that the story had been told in his village. Several of the students were visibly shaken to be talking about the topic, and suggested we talk about something else. Others offered their support for the story, saying that they had also seen the Tokoloshi do mean things in their villages.
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