Simdi The Super Girl

Chapter 1: Simdi and her Grandmother

Simdi’s grandmother had always told her that talking to strangers was not wise, but she just couldn’t keep to herself. It appeared curiosity ran in her blood. It was like a major motivation that always fueled her actions. She had long forgotten what she and her grandma had talked about earlier in the day. All that ran through her very young mind was how to gain as much knowledge as she could from anyone that came around.
“Why are you so curious, Simdi baby?” Grandma asked, snapping Simdi out of one of her usual fantasies.
“Mmmm… I did not hear you well grandma”
“Why are you so interested in getting to meet strangers?” grandma Mamuzi asked.
“Umm,” Simdi said with a smile that showed she was she did not exactly have a response. “I believe we should learn from everyone we meet.”

she answered.
Grandma Mamuzi was a little surprised by Simdi’s response. Simdi was just three years old but sometimes sounded like a teenager. Grandma Mamuzi thought she was probably a genius. This was understandable because she was the only child of two professors.

“I know what you mean Simdi.” Grandma started out. I know it’s good to want to learn. However, talking to people you do not know could be a little risky. You could be kidnapped. That is one thing I fear so much. “I understand,” Simdi said. Sounding grown up again.

Although Simdi’s parents were both university professors, she had never left her village neither had she been in the four corners of a school. Her parents died when she was just a week old leaving her to be raised by a poor widow who Simdi believed was her grandma. Simdi was an intelligent girl and it was difficult for a lot of people to believe that she had never been to school. She was very well fed and had a chubby look. She was very light skinned, just few tones from being an albino. Her very wooly African hair and brown eyes were very distinct features which made her very recognizable from a distance.

It was a regular custom for Simdi to read her grandmother to sleep every night. She had never been to school. However, she could read. She was taught to read by her grandmother and the ease with which she learnt to do this was proof of her intelligence. From reading books, Simdi was aware that there was a whole big world outside her village. Only very few people her age knew this.
Every evening, the children in Simdi’s village would converge at her house to play games and listen to stories. At the tender age of 3, Simdi already knew more stories than a lot of people that were two-times her age. She had learnt most of the stories she knew from reading books and from listening to her grandmother each time they made dinner together.

Very few people in the village knew Simdi’s real age and her real name. They called her computer. A lot of people thought she was way older than she was because of the manner she carried herself. She was a mature kid and was an exemplary figure to children in her village. Such comments as “do it like Simdi” were very common in her village. A lot of parents wanted their children to be like her.

Simdi had just turned 3 and had started following her grandmother to the farm and market. They would wake up every morning by 5am and would go to the stream to fetch water before it became clear. After the daily ritual of fetching water, they would then go to the farm to get crops for sale. At the age of 3, Simdi already knew the price of most of the things her grandmother sold. This made it possible for grandmother to leave her alone at their stand when the need arose.

Grandma Mamuzi lived almost a century before finally breathing her last. She always created time for Simdi as well as other family members. She made it a point of duty to always gather the children in the village together and teach them to be obedient to their parents. In her final days, she enjoyed taking a walk round the village every evenings and visiting families.

Simdi was very sad, her grandmother and best friend had passed away. Relatives had gathered from far and near to give grandma Mamuzi a befitting burial. Simdi knew some of the faces she saw. However, most of the faces were not familiar. It had been a long awaited burial ceremony, the entire village was shut down by the large crowd of people that came from far and near to attend the burial.

Two days after the burial, most of the relatives had gone back to where they had come from. Since Simdi had no one to stay with in the village, her auntie agreed to take her along with her to the city. Her aunt lived in a city very far away from their village. They were going to go by bus. Simdi was told to go to bed early because she had to get up early in the morning. Their journey was going to be a long one. This meant they had to leave their village as early as possible. Simdi went around and bade her friends goodbye. She also gave out some of her books to her friends. Some of them in return gave her gifts. Since there was no real means of communication, Simdi promised her friends she was going to come back very often to check on them.

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