It was ten days into the first 21 days of lockdown of the COVID-19 crisis. We, like all other families in our neighbourhood, had stocked food in the house, using the little cash we had on food, in fear that we would not be able to go out and buy, or there would not be any food remaining in the shops and at the marketplace.

And now all the food we had bought was finished. Last night, our little boy Taonaishe was crying and complaining that he was still hungry after his supper was eaten. We all felt this pestering hunger. 

“Daddy I am hungry.” But there was no more food and no money at this moment. All I could do was just take him in my arms and cuddle him while searching my mind for a way to find something to eat. Then I remembered that I had seen spiked cucumbers fruits growing in the garden but I don’t even remember how they ended up there. We had seen them growing and started tendering them. 

I said to my boy, “Let’s go outside into the garden.” When we got into the backyard garden, I headed for the cucumber plants. Their leaves had back grown quite large and healthy, covering a large area too, and some were climbing up our neglected chicken-run fence. I checked around, looking carefully for snakes. Usually, this place is infested by house snakes. So, I was careful and told Taonaishe to stand back.