- Zzzz… Tendai has been asleep all day. After scrubbing all the dirt off, he rested for a while, and before he knew it, it was dinner.
- Rita is thrilled to finally be clean and out of the tunnels. She finally feels free.
- For dinner, each of the men from the tribe sit together while the women serve them.
- Tendai takes his place among the men and knows he must eat from a separate pot just in case he comes from a family of witches.
- He remembers the Mellower telling him how a new man comes into a village and must pass a series of tests, so he braces himself for them.
- First the men ask him about his family's totems. It's sort of like a star sign, and a good way of knowing whether you'll get along with the newcomer.
- When Tendai reports that his dad is a lion (mutupo) and his mom is a heart (chidao), the people seem pleased.
- Next up? Riddles. Questions like, "My mother's house has no door. What am I?" The answer is an egg, in case you were wondering. Luckily, Tendai passes the test with flying colors.
- Finally, he must share an old proverb with them.
- After Tendai says something about steering clear of black cats, the other men gawk at this—they've never seen a black cat.
- They share stories around the campfire about myths and legends.
- Tendai is asked to tell one, and everyone listens to his every word. He shares about how they got there—including the blue monkey, the kidnapping, the vlei people, and Trashman—and adds in some magic and spice for effect.
- After he's done, everyone oohs and ahs. He definitely has a gift for storytelling.
- The men decide that Tendai and his siblings can stay, so long as it's cool with the Spirit Medium.
- At first, they are glad… but then Tendai learns that they can never leave. Wait, what?