The Chaotic Emptiness: With Nhamo Muchagumisa

By Nhamo Muchagumisa An empty city after sunrise is a strange sight, yet that is what confronted Viola the day she was going to make a very important decision. The pavements were deserted and as lifeless and desolate as Sodom and Gomorrah after the rain of sulphur. The roads were rolling black carpets, the buildings, piles of brick and tile with not the slightest sign of life within their bleak compartments. Having walked more than a kilometre up main street, she decided to cross to the other side, towards an edifice that housed government offices. For a reason she could not immediately fathom, the colossal mass of brick, tile and steel looked alive, despite there being no sign of a human being within. Maybe she was dreaming, she thought. She closed her eyes a split second, hoping that that would bring back the familiar reality that had made her an intellectual high achiever at the age of 18. Reopening her eyes, she saw standing before her a girl dressed in exactly the same way as she.