08/09/2025
I woke up one morning to find my brotherâs shoes at the doorstep, but my brother had been buried six months ago.
I stood there, frozen. I touched the shoes, they were warm, like someone had worn them through the night. I ran to my motherâs room. âMama, Siphoâs shoes are outside.â She looked at me like I was mad and said, âDonât start this early in the morning.â
She followed me to the door. When she saw the shoes, her knees buckled. She sat on the floor, holding her chest. âThese were buried with him,â she whispered. My heart pounded. How could they be here?
That night, I couldnât sleep. Around 2am, I heard footsteps outside my window. Slow. Heavy. I didnât want to look, but I found myself peeping through the curtain. I swear I saw Siphoâs shadow standing by the gate.
I ran to my motherâs room again. âMama, heâs outside.â She shook her head violently. âDonât say that. Donât bring his spirit here. Go and pray.â
Days passed. The shoes stayed at the door. No one touched them. Visitors came and asked questions. My mother lied and said they were old shoes she kept there. But each night, I heard the footsteps.
One night, I gathered courage. I opened the door and shouted, âSipho! If itâs you, talk to me.â The night went silent. Then, a voice said softly, âYou promised me.â
My body went cold. I remembered the promise. Before he died in that accident, he had begged me, âDonât let them take my savings. Use it for my daughter.â I had nodded, but after his burial, my uncles forced me to hand over the money. They said tradition required it.
I broke down in tears. âIâm sorry, Sipho. They took everything.â The voice said, âThen fight for her. Donât let my daughter suffer.â The shadow disappeared.
The next morning, I told Mama everything. She sighed. âI knew he wouldnât rest. Those men cheated him even in death.â
I went to my uncles. I demanded the money back. They laughed. âWho are you to question us? Youâre a child.â I told them Sipho was haunting me. Their faces changed immediately.
That night, all of them came to our house, shaking. One of them confessed, âWe have been seeing him too. He wonât leave us alone.â They returned every cent they took.
I opened an account in Siphoâs daughterâs name. When I deposited the money, I felt a weight lift off my chest.
That night, I waited for the footsteps. Nothing. For the first time in months, I slept peacefully.
In the morning, the shoes were gone from the doorstep. I never saw them again.
My mother smiled and said, âNow he can rest.â
Sipho never came back, but every time I see his daughter smile, I know he is watching.
I learned that promises donât die with the dead. If you break them, the dead will remind you.
That is how my brother taught me that some debts must be paid, even from the grave.