Bad Signs | Outside Online

You Are Here:

Home >> Bad Signs

Kelly Slater on His One Track Mind<...

The Spoke Word: New Winter Cycling ...

iPhone Fitness Apps

The 405 is still more dangerous

Sports in Space

Q&A: Climbing El Capitan with Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Ivo Ninov listen

Q&A: Maggie Anthony On Son Eric Volz listen

Q&A: Photographer Danny Clinch listen

Q&A: "Coca Is It!" Author Joshua Hammer listen

Q&A: "Strange Bird" Author Carl Hoffman listen

Out of Bounds: That '70s Guy listen

Jack Johnson Cover Shoot

Grand Canyon: 3D IMAX

Climbing El Capitan

Castaway:

Episode 1: The Arrival

Episode 2: The Quest for Fire

Episode 3: Mmm...Slime Nuggets

Episode 4: "Last Night, a Crab Tried to Eat Me."

What kind of dog will make me look manlier? answer

Is there a sport that safely combines my twin passions for guns and kayaks? answer

How come most of the world's cultures enjoy eating goat, but Americans don't? answer

Why do mosquito bites itch? answer

Are elite athletes just lucky genetic mutants? answer

Can women really tolerate cold water better than men? answer

Online Favorites

"Into Thin Air"

Best Adventure Books

The O Files: Unsolved Mysteries

Dream Towns

Dream Jobs

Special Issues

Family Road Trips

Interactive Colorado

Literary All-Stars

Adventure Lodges

Oceanic Endeavors

Adventure Goddesses

Photo Galleries

Malia Jones

Amanda Beard

Julia Mancuso

Women Who Rock

Kelly Slater

Olympic Cities

Exposure: Sara Carlson

See All Galleries

Outside Magazine January 2003

Page:

Bad Signs
More than 20 years after the guerrilla war that forged Zimbabwe from Rhodesia, fear and violence are once again convulsing that African nation—this time, with a black government pitted against white landowners. The author, who grew up on a farm in Rhodesia, recalls her child's-eye view of a world where even nature knew that luck had run out.

By Alexandra Fuller


	Land of omens: black workers on a white-owned farm, before the fire next time (Bert Hardy/Getty Images)

When Duncan, our neighbors' son, nearly shot Mum that night, it was almost a relief. It had been that kind of day. A day of trigger-happy nerves and accidents and omens—omens piling on omens like waves in a windblown, moon-sucked sea. The gun went off and the hot bullet sang through the air and lodged in the chair between Mum's legs and Mum only jerked, the way an impala flicks a fly from its shoulder. My older sister, Vanessa, and I weren't surprised at all. Given the kind of day it had been, it was a wonder Mum wasn't hit if not killed.

Duncan himself—the 12-year-old almost-murderer of my mother—had been too busy killing cats that day to pay attention to the omens, or he never would have been playing with guns. (Killing cats to ascertain, as scientifically as possible, which was the least pleasant way to die: by burning, by drowning, or by bullet.) There are days like that, especially on a bad-luck patch of land all bunched up next to the Mozambique border, when you hope you don't have to get out of bed because of the way the weather feels, all thick and ready and accident-prone. And if you must get out of bed, you'd better hope you don't find yourself near a loaded gun, or a heavily pregnant woman, or a badly wired toaster.

Page:

ALEXANDRA FULLER is the author of Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood (Random House), a memoir about growing up in Zimbabwe.

TODAY'S NEWS UPDATE!
Kelly Slater on His One Track Mind<...
In One Track Mind, a film by Chris Malloy, surfing greats sit down to talk about what has ...

The Spoke Word: New Winter Cycling ...
RAPHA Classic Softshell Jacket, $375 Rapha is quickly establishing itself as the Savile Row ...

More Blogs:

iPhone Fitness Apps

The 405 is still more dangerous

Sports in Space

Featured Blog: Green Issues

Blog Home

The Peacemaker
Greg Mortenson works to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Winter Gear

Winter Film

The ROM

More Videos:

Russell Coutts

Gym Jones

Dean Potter

Photo Guide

See all Videos

Gone Missing
The crew of the Travel Channel's newest show talks about filming in Papua.

Mike Rowe Speaks
Mike Rowe talks about his long strange trip to TV's dirtiest dream job.

More Podcasts:

Q&A: Climbing El Capitan

Q&A: Maggie Anthony On Son Eric Volz

Q&A: Photographer Danny Clinch

Q&A: "Coca Is It!" Author Joshua Hammer

See all Podcasts

Malia Jones

Pirates

Rwanda

Readers

Julia Mancuso

A. Beard

More Photos:

Cousteaus

Cuba

Rally Car

Submit Your Own Photo

See all Photos

advertisement

Gear Spotlight: Adventure Electronics
Our esteemed Gear Guy hones in the FAQs of the digital world in this exclusive archive.

The Green Issue
Earth Day may fall in April, but global awareness should be a 365-day concern. Let us help you stay focused.

Vacation Packages
More Travel Deals

Save 50% on packages to thousands of destinations

Thanksgiving flights from $166

Last Minute Deals for travel this weekend or next

Ski destinations packages from $181

Sign up for our Travel Deals Newsletter