While living many years in Durban and the Transvaal, some of the nursing assistants and maids would explain to us what a 'Tokkeloshe' was, but only when we pressed them for more information. During the day, he came in the form of a stick insect. At night, he came in the form of a tiny, short little mythical man. The maids would put their beds up on bricks so that he would not climb up onto the bed. When we started to ask too many questions and giggle, they would describe how frightening he was and the conversations would suddenly cease. This was not something to muck around with. Like many mythical creatures, he cannot cross water, so he is Africa bound. The Tokkeloshe is a frightening creature and those that believe in him are reluctant to discuss it. We were warned...take care...and be scared...be very, very scared. I think I knew this as a child - long before anyone told me. I remember a horrible little boy pulling a stick insect off a hedge and putting it in my hair. I could feel long, spindly legs clinging to hairshafts and I imagined a creature so big that it was going to climb over my fringe and wrap itself around my face. My blood-chilling screams were heard for 5280 feet from where I uttered them. The boy was banished from ever walking home with me again and I could no longer walk past a hedge without a deep, cold, terrified shudder trying to envelope me as I endeavoured to stem the chilling fear rising from within my 10 year old bones.
