October is drawing steadily to a close and while that means one step closer to Christmas for some, there’s also other significance for others.
Yes, Halloween may not be as popular in South Africa as it is America, but there are many here who still celebrate. But when you grow up Indian, you’ll find that Halloween isn’t as scary as real life.
For instance, when you wake up in the morning and see your sister without make-up and before she brushed her hair, that’s enough to rival any horror movie you’ve seen on TV.
Coming home late after promising your mum you’d be home early, is also akin to walking into a haunted house. You try to be as quiet as possible, so as to not disturb anyone, but then you hear heavy breathing in the dark and see these glowing eyes come toward you. And before you know it, your mother is standing in front of you with a shoe in hand. What follows is a hiding that will rival any attack by a serial killer.
When you grow up like the Token Indian did, you may also think your father is possessed by some spirit due to his erratic behaviour. Turns out the only spirit he has inside him is the one he was drinking behind the house or from his car boot.
Halloween is only scary if you believe it is, but if you look around you’d find reality is a lot worse. Like coming home hungry to find that there’s only vegetables for supper or having your neighbours cut up your tennis balls just because they went into their yard. These are all little horror stories that Indian children face but survive.
Sadly, these real-world horrors can’t be cured by cutting a black fowl or sprinkling holy water around the house; they’re just part of life and a part of growing up Indian. It helps you to be a stronger person.
If you can survive seeing your sister looking like Highway Sheila, no real-world ghost or monster could ever frighten you.
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