Chapter 3 Summary

When Nhamo returns from gathering wood, it is time for dinner. Aunt Chipo chides her for being late, and Nhamo does not argue or protest. Other family members gather around now, Aunt Shuvai and her children along with Masvita's siblings. Eating is a serious business, so nobody talks.

After dinner, Nhamo is told to go fetch the dishes from the men's dare, or gathering place. When she goes in, she hears Uncle Kufa telling a story about a disobedient wife whose husband turns into a snake and eats her. It makes her think about what happens to a person's spirit if they are eaten by an animal, like her mother was. As she washes the dishes with ash and sand, she wonders more and more about her mother's spirit.

Nhamo returns to the women, where Grandmother tells a story. When she is done...