Serenity

He was just ten years old but already knew the dunes like the back of his hand.  A proud Topnaar he was indeed.  It was his home where he grew up with familiar surroundings of sun, sea and sand.  He felt lucky because on the dunes he was free with no worry in the world.  The dunes provided everything anyone ever needed: food, medicine, peace and tranquility but most of all, closeness to his Maker.  

The Sandwich Harbour with all its splendour still took him by surprise.  This area forming part of the Namib Naukluft Park, which is only accessible with 4x4.  Thabo proved to himself that the only 4x4 he knows and trust, were his legs.  The sun was hot, but even this felt familiar to his feet.  He was sure a bigger force created such beauty.  Nature.  Every other day he would climb these dunes.  As he would often climb, he would hear the cry of a hyena in the distance. Sometimes he'd spot a springbok, to their tribe this buck presented to be the best meat. Lizards were actually his thing, not to eat though, it was just the weirdest creepy crawly with strikingly beautiful colours.  Others were dull and grey, but he still watched them in awe.

When on top, he would sit down, bury his toes in the sand, look up to the bluest clear skies and talk to his Maker while munching on his favourite fruit, the !nara.  Thabo called his Maker Makosi.  It means "Big one".  Thabo would be asking him questions like why the sun is round, how the sea got so close to the dunes or what Makosi's house looks like.  Thabo's father told him once that Makosi lives up there, you can hear him talk when the wind blows and when it's extremely quiet.  Thabo knew that the best place for silence would be on top of any high dune.  It was always silent, so he knew that Makosi would be there.  "Why don't you answer all my questions directly?", he asked.  "Where are you?  Give me a sign".  All Thabo heard was silence and the lightest wind - a feathery touch to the cheek.  

Thabo forgot having asked Makosi a question when something moving caught his eye.  Strange, he thought.  Why would a tortoise appear out of nowhere?  Let alone, how did it get there.  The dune he chose today was rather high.  It must have taken the tortoise a pretty long time to reach the top.  Thabo frowned, looked up and answered his own question.  "Ah, now I understand".  He touched the tortoise and said, "perseverance, never give up".  He then looked at the sea way down below.  "Majestic", he uttered.  Then he felt the wind and silently thought again.  That's Makosi! Makosi is in everything and everywhere.

To him, Sandwich Harbour gives the feeling of being so small.  When descending these dunes, water meets your feet at the bottom.  But Thabo knew the tides.  One wouldn't dare go down when tides are high.  Thabo knew this all too well.  To observe the dunes and sea, is to form part of nature. One can't help wondering just how big Makosi really is.