In April 2026, in Kasulu, Tanzania, there was a young man named Daniel who had just finished his secondary school examination and was planning to visit his grandfather in Kigoma for a month-and-a-half holiday. He was just twenty years old.
In his village, he loved playing with children. Most of the time, after coming back from school, you could hear the children saying, “Brother Daniel, uyooo! Brother Daniel, uyooo!” He would run after them as they laughed and played.
One evening before leaving, he hugged his little sister, Sophia, and promised to bring her some colorful sticky sweets from Kigoma. Daniel packed his clothes and went to visit his Aunt Elliel to say goodbye because she had raised him for eight years while his mother worked as a primary school teacher. He was very close to her.
“Hello Aunt Elliel. How are you doing? The house is so quiet. Where is my cousin Elias?” Daniel asked.
Aunt Elliel responded, “I am just alone here. Elias and his father went to watch the match between Mashujaa FC and Singida Black Stars at the football ground. How is everyone at home?”
“Ooh, everyone is fine at home,” Daniel responded.
After answering his aunt, Daniel walked straight into the kitchen to see what was cooking in the pots. One pot had boiled beans, and the other had boiled beef.
“Wow! It has been a long time since I ate stewed beans with meat. Aunt, cook it for me; I am very hungry,” Daniel said.
His aunt quickly lit the fire and started preparing the meal. When the food was ready, she served Daniel stewed beans with meat. The mixture of soft stewed beans, tender meat, and spices gave off an aroma that made Daniel even hungrier. Elliel took her old calabash bowl with her food and sat on a mat outside on the veranda. Since Elliel got married, she had never shared a plate with anyone, not even her husband. She always avoided sharing food with other people because she either did something to her own food or did not want anyone to notice what she ate. Daniel had noticed this since he was a child, but he had never thought much about it. While Daniel was eating, his Aunt Elliel’s lips slowly curled into a smile, but her eyes stayed cold.
“Thank you, Aunty, for the food,” he said. “I am here to say goodbye because I have a trip to Kigoma to visit my grandfather. He called me last week. I will be staying there for one month and some days.”
Elliel listened carefully and said, “Pass my greetings to him when you get there.”
After saying that, she stood up, went into her room, brought some water in a cup, and gave it to Daniel to drink.
“I forgot to put water on the table. Why didn’t you remind me? Take this and drink,” Elliel said.
It was not that she had really forgotten; she had simply been waiting for the right time. Daniel took the water and drank it all. Afterward, he left. When he reached the bus station, he found only two buses that were leaving for Kigoma. Unfortunately, both buses were already full. Daniel did not want to wait until the next day.
“Should I postpone this journey until tomorrow?” he wondered.
He continued thinking, “No, tomorrow is too late. Let me just find a way to fit into one of these buses.”
Indeed, he was doubtful, but he asked one of the conductors to find even a small place for him to sit.
“Please, conductor, I will add five thousand to the fare. It is an emergency. I don’t want to miss today’s bus,” Daniel pleaded.
“There is a small, tight space at the back of the bus near the luggage area. Come and see,” the conductor said.
Daniel accepted and got into the bus. After the bus had traveled about 12 kilometers along the road, Daniel heard a loud horn coming toward them.
Suddenly, the driver shouted, “Hold on!”
Before anyone could understand what was happening, people started screaming. Daniel quickly held onto the seat in front of him as the bus shook violently. Then there was a loud crash. Glass shattered, and everyone lost their balance. Bags and people were thrown around inside the bus.
Everything became quiet. Daniel slowly closed his eyes and lost consciousness.
People nearby rushed to help the passengers. They helped them out of the bus and carried those who were badly injured to a safe place. Daniel was the most seriously injured, so they quickly took him to the hospital. One of his legs was broken, and his neck was badly injured.
The doctors took him to the examination room. They carefully examined his broken leg and other injuries. They tried to treat him, but the hospital did not have enough medical equipment and resources to help him properly.
Daniel’s condition continued to get worse. The doctors tried to keep him alive, but he became weaker and weaker. Slowly, he could hardly breathe. The doctors tried to help him again by putting him on a life-support machine, but it did not work.
Daniel passed away.
In his trousers, they found his ID. One of the doctors collected it and handed it to one of the men who had brought him to the hospital.
“What shall we do?”
“Let’s call his family,” said one of the two men who had brought him in.
The men, Jonathan and Nasibu, had come straight from the farm, with dirt and torn clothes around their knees. Fortunately, behind Daniel’s ID, there was a small picture of a woman. On the back of it were the words, “I love you, Mom,” along with her phone number.
Nasibu took a deep breath before making the call. He knew the news would shock the woman and break her heart.
“Hello, are you Daniel’s mother?” he asked gently over the phone.
“Yes, I am. Is my son fine?” she responded.
“Your son was involved in an accident and passed away. The doctors tried their best, but they could not save him. While they were arranging his body, they found your son’s ID, which helped us reach you. We are at Kasulu District Hospital,” Nasibu said.
Several seconds passed without her saying anything. Both Jonathan and Nasibu could hear her crying over the phone while saying, “Daniel is still young. Why this?”
After that, his mother and her two brothers went to the hospital. When they arrived, the nurses welcomed them and escorted them to where Daniel was lying. In the corridor, when his mother looked through the windowpane and saw him, she dropped her phone. She couldn’t say a word. Her legs became weak, and she sat down on the floor, crying.
Other people at the hospital gathered around and comforted her.
“Don’t lose hope; it is God’s plan. He is the one who gives and takes away,” they said.
After a few minutes, she found the strength to enter the room. She held Daniel’s hand, but it was cold. Tears ran down her face as she quietly called his name, hoping he would answer.
Then the family completed the hospital procedures and took his body home.
Because Daniel was a Muslim, his family wanted to follow the Islamic teaching that the body of a deceased person should be buried without unnecessary delay. The burial had to take place as quickly as possible, within 24 hours. The family chose to complete everything at home rather than take him to the mosque because it was very far away.
His body was washed by individuals of the same gender, wrapped in a white cloth, and then the funeral prayer was performed by a sheikh. Many of his loved ones cried deeply over the loss of Daniel because he had been kind, helpful, and friendly to everyone. He respected every elder as he respected his own parents, and sometimes he carried buckets of water from the borehole to their homes.
Felix, his close friend, said while crying, “Daniel was not just a friend but a brother to me. He was my counselor. I will never forget him.”
Aunt Elliel was also there, mourning. Around 2 p.m., after the ceremony, they carried Daniel’s body to the cemetery for burial. At the cemetery, the family gathered around the grave. They prayed quietly as the body was placed inside. Then the men covered the grave with soil while the family stood nearby, crying. After they finished, people slowly returned home, believing they had buried Daniel.
As was their custom, they went home to wash their hands and share the small amount of food that had been prepared. Afterward, everyone went their separate ways.
Daniel’s family did not know what had really happened. They believed they had buried him, but that night, Elliel secretly returned to the cemetery. She stood beside Daniel’s grave and began calling him ritually.
“Lost spirit, come. Hidden spirit, hear my call. Come to me and follow my voice. Ha-ha-ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha!”
Daniel suddenly heard the familiar voice. It had a hollow echo, but it was clear in his ears. He opened his eyes and saw her standing beside him.
“Aunt Elliel, what am I doing here?” he asked weakly.
Elliel poured water over his head and whispered, “Stop. Follow what I say.”
Daniel tried to understand what was happening, but everything around him became unclear. Elliel held Daniel’s right hand and said, “Hala! Hala! Let’s disappear from here.”
Moments later, he found himself in an unfamiliar place. It was dark and cold, and the area was surrounded by dry bamboo trees. Several people were working silently. They looked exhausted and frightened, and none of them spoke to him.
In that strange place, there was a young man named Ally. He worked for Elliel. Ally was not a phantom. Elliel had tricked him into working for her many years ago. He followed her orders because he did not know about her evil plans.
One day, Ally was walking around the kitchen when he heard Daniel talking to himself.
“Why are they taking so long? The food has been ready for a long time,” Daniel said.
Ally stopped and looked at Daniel in surprise.
“Wait. You can speak?” he asked.
Daniel responded, “Yes, I can. This morning, I noticed that the others had their tongues cut off. What is the reason?”
Ally explained, “The witch cuts off their tongues so that if any of them ever return to the human world, they cannot reveal her secrets.”
“Hmm! Do you know where we are?” Daniel asked.
“I don’t know where this place is, but I only remember that she told me to go behind her door to collect a swipe. After touching that swipe, everything became dark before my eyes. When I closed and reopened them, I was here,” Ally responded.
“If that is so, then all of us have our faces painted white with ashes and are wearing white blouses, but you don’t. Does that mean you did not die like us?” Daniel asked.
“I am not sure whether I died or not,” Ally answered.
“Could you escort me to see where they usually farm?” Daniel requested. “They have been gone for a long time, and the food is ready.”
Both Ally and Daniel went to check on those who were at the farm. But when they were just behind the house, the birds suddenly became quiet, and a strange wind passed by. Daniel jumped toward Ally and tried to hide himself.
Suddenly, they saw a man who looked about eighty years old. He had grey hair, a white beard, wrinkled skin, and kind brown eyes. He walked slowly with a wooden stick and wore a long, dark robe. Both of them were surprised.
“Who are you?” Daniel asked.
The old man responded, “I am here to guide you back to the living. I will show you the way. Not everyone has the chance to see me. As long as you can see me, today you will be saved.”
They did not say anything else but listened to him. The old man took a small piece of aloe vera root from the pocket of his robe and gave each of them a piece.
“Put it in your mouth and close your eyes.”
Each of them took his piece, put it in his mouth, and closed his eyes.
The old man continued, “Go and tell people what you saw here. The root that I have given you is your protection. Whenever you are in trouble, put it in your mouth and do not remove it until everything is sorted out. Now, open your eyes and remove it.”
When they opened their eyes, they found themselves in different places.
Daniel found himself at a fork in the road. He looked around and asked himself, “Where am I?”
There was a small canal with water flowing through it. He went to the canal and washed his face. Fortunately, he saw a young boy riding a bicycle.
“Stop! Stop! Do you know Kasulu?” he asked.
“This is Kasulu. Are you lost?” the boy responded.
“Yes, I am lost. I am looking for a woman named Linda, who was a teacher at Katoto Primary School in Kagera Nkanda village but stopped teaching after the death of her husband.”
“Oh! I know her. She was my teacher before I travelled to Dar es Salaam,” the boy answered.
“Can you take me there, if you don’t mind?” Daniel requested.
Kindly, the boy rode his bicycle toward the village with Daniel. As soon as they reached Daniel’s area, everyone started running away.
“Don’t run! It is me, Daniel,” he said while crying.
“We buried you one year ago. How can you be alive?” they whispered among themselves.
A few minutes into their discussion, Daniel’s mother came back from the farm carrying a bundle of firewood. When she saw her brother, Thomas, she went to him to ask what was going on.
As she approached him, she looked closely at Daniel. Her eyes widened, and her hands began to shake. She took two slow steps backward and covered her mouth. She wanted to run to her son and hug him, but fear held her where she stood. She remembered that her son had died.
Suddenly, she fainted.
People quickly ran toward her. They started pouring water on her face. Thomas removed his shirt and began fanning her with it. Everyone forgot that Daniel was there. Their attention was now on Daniel’s mother.
Five minutes later, she regained consciousness. She started crying and said, “I knew my son was not killed.”
His uncle gathered his courage and approached Daniel. The other people stepped back and watched them talk.
“If you are really Daniel,” he said, “tell us something that only Daniel would know.”
Daniel looked at him and replied, “Uncle, when I was ten years old, you taught me how to ride a bicycle. I fell into a ditch, and you laughed before helping me up.”
“Can you tell me who did this to you and where you were taken?” Thomas asked.
“Uncle Thomas, I am afraid to say it. But I know the person. After you buried my body, Aunt Elliel came and took my spirit at the graveyard. But I did not know where I was taken.”
That conversation convinced Thomas that he really was Daniel. He hugged him and said, “You leave your own son, Elias, unharmed, yet you want to destroy the life of my nephew. I will confront you today.”
After the truth was revealed to the crowd, everyone was astonished.
“Ahh! She always pretends to be a good woman,” they whispered.
Among the people was one of Elliel’s close friends, who quickly ran to tell her what had happened.
“Elias’s mother, you are in trouble. Daniel has come back to life and has told everyone about you. Run, because his uncle Thomas is coming to confront you,” she said.
Uncle Thomas and the villagers went to confront Aunt Elliel before she could escape. When they reached her house, they found her preparing another evil ritual, but this time, she could not hide behind her false kindness.
Daniel took out the root that the old man had given him and put it in his mouth. After that, he spat on the ground, and Elliel’s powers began to weaken. The spirits she had trapped for many years were finally released from her control and found peace. Ally and the other victims were freed from the darkness she had created.
Realizing that her evil plans had failed, Elliel lost everything she had built through fear and deception. The villagers took her away so that she could no longer harm anyone.
After everything was over, Daniel returned to his family, where his mother, his sister Sophia, and his relatives welcomed him with tears of happiness.
