Permanente Ink – Carina Diedericks Hugo
Chapter 1
The book starts with what seems to be a newspaper article (koerantberig).
The newspaper is called “Die Oggendblad” and it appears (lyk asof) to be an
online (aanlyn) version (weergawe), judging by (te oordeel aan) the sub
heading (onderskrif) where the reader can click on “Nuus (news)”, “Sake
(business)”, “Sport”, “Promosies (promotions)” or “Kontak ons (contact us)”.
The heading of the article is about the Romeo and Juliet serial killer
(reeksmoordenaar) who struck (slaan toe) again (weer).
The article is written by the report team (verslagspan) and the location (plek)
is Cape Town (Kaapstad).
The dead bodies (lyke) of 16-year-old Michelle van der Merwe from Sea Point
(Seepunt) and her 17-year-old boyfriend (kêrel), Johannes Harmse, were
found by the cliffs (hange) of Table Mountain (Tafelberg). According to
(volgens) the police, some hikers (stappers) who wanted to remain (bly)
anonymous (anoniem), stumbled upon this gruesome scene. Michelle had a
stab wound (steekwond) in her chest (bors), which the police suspect
(vermoed) lead (gelei) to her death. There were no (geen) noticeable
(ooglopende) injuries (beserings) to Johannes’s body. The police could not
yet confirm (bevestig) that these murders (moorde) were the work of the
Romeo and Juliet serial killer (reeksmoordenaar).
This serial killer has been harassing (teister) Cape Town (Kaapstad) and the
surrounding (omliggende) southern (suidelike) suburbs (voorstede) for the
past (afgelope) five (vyf) months. Six (ses) teenagers (tieners), all of whom
were couples (paartjies) between (tussen) the ages (ouderdom) of fifteen
(vyftien) and eighteen (agtien) were killed (vermoor) in the same gruesome
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,(gru-manier) manner: the girls with a fatal (noodlottige) stab wound
(steekwond) to the chest (bors) and the boys poisoned (vergiftig) with some
unknown (onbekende) mixture (mengsel). The bodies (lyke) were found next
to each other (langs mekaar) and their hands interlocked (inmekaargevleg)
post mortem (after the have been killed).
Police commissione,r Jakes Tshabalala, warned (waarsku) parents (ouers) to
be aware (bewus) of their children’s whereabouts (bewegings) at all times.
Schools must request (doen ‘n beroep) their learners to stay away (wegbly)
from secluded (afgeleë) places.
Anyone with information can phone inspector Liebenberg at Mouille Point
police station.
One can then email this article to a friend, print (druk) it or share (deel) it on
Facebook.
Chapter 2
Doctor (academical docotorate) Attie Marais, principal (skoolhoof) of
Hoërskool Duiwelspiek, read the article and feels very worried about this
matter and the almost (amper) nine hundred (negehonderd) learners at his
school: this last murder (moord) took place barely (skaars) two (twee)
kilometers from their school. He thinks about the warning (waarskuwing) of
the police commissioner and thinks how the man has clearly (duidelik) not
spent (spandeer) much time with teenagers: the more you warn (waarsku)
them against (teen) something, the greater (groter) their need (behoefte) to
do exactly (juis) that.
He thinks about how there will probably (sekerlik) be yet another meeting
(vergadering) with all the principals (skoolhoofde) in Cape Town, just like the
previous (verlede) year, and how they will try (probeer) and figure (bedink)
out a plan, just like the previous year, and again (weer) fear (vrees) that a
teenager from their school will be the next victim (slagoffer).
Principal Marais knows believes (glo) that there will be another murder since
the police has not had any (geen) noteworthy (noemenswaardige) clues
(leidrade), no witnesses (getuies) and also no forensic (forensiese) material to
work with. Marais compares (vergelyk) this serial killer (reeksmoordenaar) to
the Pied Piper of Hameln (Rottevanger van Hameln).
There is a knock on his door and four (vier) grade eleven (elf) learners enter
with their heads upside down (koponderstebo). Well, three of them at least
because the fourth (vierde) one, Robert du Toit, of course (natuurlik) does not
recognize the seriousness (erns) of the situation.
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,Robert du Toit has flaming red (vlamrooi) hair and thinks life is one big
(enorme) joke (grap).
Amir Pieterse is tall (lank) and dark, proud (trots) and almost (byna) never
without his laptop (skootrekenaar).
Werner Swart glares (aangluur) at the principal with his arms crossed (gekruis)
over his chest (bors). His dark fringe (kuif) is so long that it almost (amper)
hides (wegsteek) his eyes. Attie Marais thinks what a mystery this boy is:
nobody knows what goes on inside his head and one cannot actually blame
(kwalik) him: his history (geskiedenis) is not something that any person would
wish upon (toewens) another.
Zelda Krige is a beautiful girl and also popular (gewild). She stands up for
herself (nie op haar bek geval nie), but she is forever writing in her diary
(dagboek) or notebook and is always in trouble (moeilikheid) because her
thoughts are elsewhere (elders).
For some odd (vreemde) reason (rede), these four learners are always in
trouble (moeilikheid). The principal picks up the paper in front of him: the four
learner’s names have each been written down three times (drie keer) for
detention and school has barely (skaars) started.
Robert smirks (grinnik), Amir looks like he wants to start smiling (mondhoeke
optrek), Werner looks furious (oë skiet vonke) and Zelda seems as though she
does not really care (omgee).
Doctor Marais starts listing (lys) their offenses (oortredings):
Robert has no respect for his teachers; his “pranks (poetse)” are childish
(kinderagtig) and downright criminal.
Amir has been fiddling (peuter) with the school’s computer system
(rekenaarsisteem) again (wéér).
Werner had another outburst of anger (woedeuitbarsting) towards
(teenoor) a teacher plus he refuses (weier) to cut (sny) his hair.
Zelda does not focus in class; she keeps daydreaming (dagdroom) and
writing in her diary (dagboek) or notebook (notaboek).
Robert tries to make a joke (grap), but doctor Marais snaps at him, clearly
showing that he is far beyond (verby) the point of taking this matter (saak)
lightly (ligtelik). He consulted (bespreek) the school psychologist
(skoolsielkundige), dr. Harry Burke, and they have decided (beslui) that
detention just won’t do, so they have come up with another punishment
(straf): the learners are going to do twenty-four (vier en twintig uur) hours of
community service (gemeenskapswerk) after (na) school, in their free (vrye)
time (tyd). It basically comes down to 4 (vier) hours per week and they have
until (tot) the end of the term (kwartaal) to complete (voltooi) this work.
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, Amir starts to protest (protesteer), but doctor Marais cuts him off, saying he
realizes (besef) that Amir has sport and the classes he teaches at the Muslim
school (Moslemskool), but he has to carry (dra) the consequences (gevolge)
of his actions (aksies).
Their punishment (straf) has already been decided (besluit) by the school’s
governing body (beheerliggaam): they will renovate (opknap) the Old Hostel
(Ou Koshuis), which the school will then make available (beskikbaar) to
charity organizations (liefdadigheidsorganisasies), free of charge (gratis). The
learners will carry out (uitdra) all the rubble (rommel), paint (verf) the walls
(mure), sand (skuur) and varnish (vernis) the wooden stair railing
(houttrapreling) and basically make the place livable (leefbaar).
Robert protests, saying how big the place is, but the doctor answers that the
learners will only do the work on the inside (binnekant) as contractors
(kontrakteurs) will later take care of the wiring (bedrading) and handle
(hanteer) the stability of the structure as well as the paintwork required on the
outside (buiteverwery).
Amir thinks it is not fair (regverdig) how they should be doing all that work for
free like illegal (onwettige) immigrants (immigrante), but the principal replies
that Amir, by hacking (kuberkraak) the school’s system and erasing (uitwis)
or changing (verander) the marks (puntelys) to his own desire (willekeur), is
the definition of “not fair.” He continues by saying that he could hand Robert
and Amir over to the police as they have not only broken the school rules, but
also the laws of the country (landswette).
The learners will also have compulsory (verpligte) individual as well as one
group session with dr. Burke, who is available (beskikbaar) at their school
every Monday.
Werner asks what would happen if they refuse (weier). Attie Marais replies
that he will have no other choice (keuse) than to expel (skors) them. This also
applies if they don’t do what is required (verwag) of them at the Ou Koshuis.
Zelda suddenly speaks up, dramatically (dramaties) saying that the Ou
Koshuis is the thief (steler) of souls (siele).
Chapter 3
Inspector Liebenberg looks at the evidence bag (plastiekbewysstuksak) on
his desk (lessenaar): yet another (nog) letter (brief) from the serial killer
(reeksmoordenaar).
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