I was sitting in the Peace Corps office one afternoon, and had finished what I was there for, and there was a Swazi Times newspaper, the National paper, sitting there, so I picked it up and read it.

One article was about how the well known Prophet, Five Dlamini, yes, his name was Five, was due the next friday up near Simunye. He was famous in Swaziland for having helped lots of people. It seems that the people of the community up there had appealed to Five, to come by, and use his prayers to recover three of the community girls that were being held captive by the 7 headed snake monster that lived in the river that flowed by the community. The people of the community knew that the monster was holding the girls under the river to impregnate them with 7 headed snake monster babies, and they wanted them back, and evidently, Five was the guy to get this done.

I sat there stunned. I am not joking or exaggerating. It was on the front page of the newspaper. Below the fold, but still, front page news. I wanted to wait in town and go see this spectacle with my own eyes, but it was exam week, and I had to get back to school.

I came into town the next saturday, and on the way to the office, with great excitement, I bought the latest Swazi Times to see how old Five had fared at the river. The story was on the second page, and told that Five could not get money for transport together, so he had cancellled his appearance.

But what about the girls? I never found out.