A week passed after the strange incident in the veterinary shop.
Although nothing had been stolen, Mr. Sikalima could not shake the uneasy feeling that someone had been watching the farm. He increased security without alarming the family. The gates were locked earlier each evening, the equipment shed was checked twice before bedtime, and Mubita was asked to inspect the cattle one final time before retiring for the night.
Life, however, continued.
Farmers still came to buy medicine.
Children still laughed beneath the great mango tree.
The cattle still grazed peacefully under the bright Zambian sun.
Slowly, everyone began believing that perhaps the danger had passed.
Only Mr. Sikalima remained unconvinced.
---
One Friday evening, after supper, the family gathered on the veranda.
The electricity had gone out earlier that afternoon, so lanterns illuminated the yard with soft yellow light.
Mrs. Bwalya served roasted groundnuts while Luyando sat beside Hamusonde, listening to another one of his famous stories.
"When I was your age," Hamusonde began, "I thought I could outrun a zebra."
Luyando's eyes widened.
"Did you?"
The old man laughed heartily.
"My boy, I didn't even outrun my own sandals."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Even Mr. Sikalima laughed so hard that tears formed in his eyes.
"You've been telling that story for twenty years," Mrs. Bwalya said.
"And it's still true," Hamusonde replied proudly.
The laughter eased the tension that had lingered over the farm for days.
---
By ten o'clock, everyone had gone to bed.
The farm fell into silence.
Only the distant chirping of crickets and the occasional lowing of cattle disturbed the night.
The moon was hidden behind thick clouds, making the darkness even deeper than usual.
Around midnight...
A dog barked.
Once.
Then again.
Mubita opened his eyes immediately.
He had learned that farm dogs rarely barked without reason.
He sat quietly on the edge of the bed, listening.
The barking became louder.
Then suddenly stopped.
Chipo stirred.
"What is it?"
"I'm not sure."
He quietly reached for his torch.
"I'll just have a look."
She sat up immediately.
"Don't go alone."
"I'll only check the yard."
He slipped outside.
The cool night air greeted him.
Everything appeared normal.
The cattle remained quiet.
The mango trees swayed gently in the breeze.
He was about to return inside when he noticed something.
A faint light.
Near the equipment shed.
His heart began pounding.
Someone was carrying a flashlight.
---
Without making a sound, Mubita hurried toward Mr. Sikalima's house.
He knocked softly on the bedroom window.
"Sir..."
The curtain moved.
"What is it?"
"I think someone is outside."
Within seconds, Mr. Sikalima was dressed.
He quietly picked up a powerful flashlight.
"Wake Hamusonde."
"I'll call the police."
Mrs. Bwalya immediately reached for her mobile phone.
---
Mubita found Hamusonde already awake.
"I heard the dogs."
"So did I."
The old man picked up a heavy walking stick.
"Stay behind me."
"No."
Mubita shook his head.
"We'll walk together."
The two men moved carefully toward the equipment shed.
As they drew closer, they heard whispering.
Then...
Metal scraping against metal.
Someone was trying to force open the shed door.
---
Mr. Sikalima switched on his flashlight.
The powerful beam cut through the darkness.
"Who's there?"
Three figures froze.
For a split second, nobody moved.
Then one of the men shouted,
"Run!"
The thieves scattered in different directions.
One sprinted toward the northern fence.
Another disappeared behind the grain store.
The third stumbled over a pile of firewood.
Mubita reacted instantly.
He chased after the man who had fallen.
The thief jumped to his feet and swung a metal bar.
Mubita narrowly avoided the blow.
The bar struck a tree instead.
Before the thief could swing again, Mubita tackled him to the ground.
The two men rolled across the dirt.
The stranger fought desperately.
But months of hard work herding cattle had made Mubita strong.
He held the man firmly until Hamusonde arrived.
Using a length of rope, the old groundskeeper tied the thief's hands.
"You've got him!" Hamusonde exclaimed.
Breathing heavily, Mubita nodded.
"But the others escaped."
---
A few minutes later, the sound of a police vehicle echoed through the night.
Two officers entered the farm.
They took custody of the captured thief.
The officer in charge shone his torch on the man's face.
Mr. Sikalima's eyes widened.
"I know him."
"You do?" asked the officer.
"He worked on a cattle ranch nearly thirty kilometers from here."
The thief lowered his head.
The officer searched his pockets.
Inside they found:
A pair of wire cutters.
A map of the farm, roughly drawn by hand.
A notebook listing the number of cattle.
A duplicate padlock key.
Mrs. Bwalya gasped.
"They've been planning this."
The police officer nodded.
"This wasn't an ordinary theft."
---
Before taking the suspect away, the officer asked one final question.
"Who else was with you?"
The thief remained silent.
The officer repeated the question.
Still nothing.
He simply stared at the ground.
"We'll continue this at the station," the officer said.
The police vehicle disappeared into the darkness.
---
The family gathered once more on the veranda, though no one felt like sleeping anymore.
Mr. Sikalima looked at Mubita with pride.
"You were very brave tonight."
Mubita shook his head.
"I only protected what you've trusted me with."
Mr. Sikalima smiled.
"No."
"You protected your family."
Mrs. Bwalya gently placed a blanket around Chipo's shoulders.
She had been trembling since the confrontation.
Luyando, awakened by the commotion, clung tightly to his mother's hand.
Mr. Sikalima looked toward the cattle kraal, now peaceful once again.
"My father used to say, 'A shepherd is known, not by the days when the sun shines, but by the nights when the wolves come.'"
He turned to Mubita.
"Tonight, you proved yourself worthy of that saying."
Mubita felt humbled.
Yet as everyone slowly returned indoors, one troubling thought remained in his mind.
If one thief had been caught...
Where were the other two?
And more importantly...
Would they come back for revenge?