The Black Mountains loomed, a jagged scar against the Tyoborha sky. Liziwe Matiwane, her mind still hazy from a vivid dream of slithering peaks and blinding lightning, was abruptly roused by the sharp tone of her mother's voice. "Liziwe! Child, what on Earth possessed you to sleep unclothed? Good heavens, and without a covering, as well! You’ll catch your death of cold, mark my words. Wake up! We have company-"

"C-company?" Liziwe yawned, stifling a groan as she stretched her stiff, frozen limbs. Her mother, Miriam, bustled about, listing morning chores, but Liziwe's mind latched onto the unexpected news.

"Who’s coming?" she enquired, crossing to the wardrobe for her dress.

Miriam grumbled, "I must have died and gone to hell. Hurry up, you dozy dodo!" Her exasperation was clear.

Later, in the pantry, her father, Elias, slipped her a heavy, concealed book: Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical by Henry Gray. Her eyes widened. "I- thank you, Papa! But it’s not my birthday-"

"Does a Father need a reason to dote upon his daughter?" Elias asked with a trifling smile, then urged her to hide it before Mrs. Matiwane saw. Liziwe, a woman of science in a world that preferred wives, darted back to her attic, her precious sanctuary, a treasure newly in hand.