Chapter 14

Although Hollywood and the Illuminati had easily forgotten him, it seemed that the ordinary people of Johannesburg had not.  Indeed, Lord Balah’s international reputation preceded him now, and everywhere he went, people stopped to watch him, talk to him and even ask him for his autograph.

Soon, without even having planned it, Lord Balah had once again “opened shop”.  Every day, clients would travel from all around Johannesburg- and indeed South Africa- in order to procure his sangoma services.

At first unsure of exactly what a sangoma is supposed to do, it eventually became apparent to Lord Balah what it was his clients were truly looking for:  what they sook was validation and unconditional positive regard.  And so, day after day, Lord Balah would sit with his “guests” (Lord Balah did not believe in calling them “clients”) over a cup of herbal tea, listening to them talk about their lives- their hopes, their fears, their sorrows, their heartbreaks and their dreams.  Very seldom did Lord Balah say much, but rather he just sat and listened.

Within a few months, Lord Balah’s quiet home-based practice had grown to accommodate over 500 clients- both local and international.  Indeed, dignitaries and other such high-profile clients would once every few months make the journey to Lord Balah’s small one-bedroom apartment in order to sit and enjoy a quiet cup of tea with him.

You see, dear reader, under the South African Psychology Association’s rules and regulations, it was illegal for a non-qualified and registered member to perform psychotherapy with clients.  It was for this reason that Lord Balah never registered himself as a therapist, since he did not possess the required Masters degree in order to do so.  Indeed, all of Lord Balah’s clientele had stemmed from word-of-mouth, and so the need to advertise himself as a therapist was unnecessary.  To the world, Lord Balah was simply a sangoma.  To his clients, however, he was a symbol of Hope- a shining beacon of light in an often cold and indifferent world.

It wasn’t long before Lord Balah’s clients had spread the word of his unconventional and highly effective practices.  Indeed, the qualities which Lord Balah possessed- honesty, compassion, sincerity and empathy- had by then become so rare in the world that many people did not believe the story of this mysterious sangoma.  Eventually, the attention and mass hysteria Lord Balah would receive every time he ventured down Northcliff mountain became too much for him, and so it was that Lord Balah hired a personal shopper/general assistant to do the everyday duties he now was unable to do.

And so, dear reader, it happened that the legendary sangoma they call Lord Balah was seldom seen in public again.  Day after day, his clients would visit him and tell tales of his wisdom and insight, and the world soon came to revere him as a Saint amongst men.  Lord Balah himself found great peace in his new life, knowing in his heart that he had finally found the sense of purpose and belonging he had so desperately been searching for.  As he continued his thriving sangoma practice, Lord Balah’s powers became stronger and more well developed as he allowed his light to shine in the world, serving as a guiding light to the lost, lonely and scared.

As if by magic, it must be added here dear reader, the twins suddenly one day found themselves healed from the rampant herpes infection the pair had both contracted as kiddie-porn stars back in their youth.  Indeed, having been plagued by mysterious rashes in their vaginal region for over 6 years, the twins were now miraculously cured, and were free to once again pursue love.  The twins themselves had no doubt about how they had been healed, and although he himself had no idea it had happened, it seemed that wherever Lord Balah went, healing occurred.  From the tiniest scratch to the most severe psychopathology, Lord Balah was able to heal people merely with his presence- with his innocence, his sincerity and his compassion.  And although he was then still innocent and a virgin, he knew in his heart that his journey was not yet over.

One day, Lord Balah knew, the time would come that his powers would be put to the test, as he faced the ultimate challenge:  one day, he knew deep down, he would fall in love.  And when that day came, he would have to choose between love and his powers of healing, since years of watching “Smallville” had taught him that superheroes can never have their cake and eat it.  Until that day came, however, he was content to walk the path he was on, secure in the knowledge that he was finally Home.