One phone, one stalker, nine chapters of creeping dread in Afrikaans.
Who drives the story
A teenage girl whose new cellphone is her whole social world - until an anonymous watcher turns it into a window into her life. She swings from flattered to terrified, lies to protect her privacy, and finally reclaims control by deleting everything.
The best friend and first confidante, met at the netball courts, who initially reads the messages as a secret admirer. Her house becomes the safe ground where the narrator finally tells the truth.
Mieke's tech-savvy older brother, recruited to trace the stalker. He hits a wall: a prepaid SIM card that can't be identified.
The quiet boy who stares at her in the library and turns out to be the sender. He wanted to be noticed, not to scare her - a confession that explains everything and excuses nothing.
Also in the story
The popular boy the narrator has a crush on, who never sends a single message. He matters because her hope that he's the sender is what keeps her reading.
The police officer who takes her statement and admits the law can't act without a clear threat of physical harm. He calls the stalker a 'skobbejak' - and that's all he can offer.
Slow to grasp what's happening - she lies to her mom at supper - but they step up once the sock appears on the doorstep, calling the police and installing security cameras.
How they are connected
Her house becomes the safe ground where the narrator finally tells the truth.
Mieke's tech-savvy older brother, recruited to trace the stalker.
The popular boy the narrator has a crush on, who never sends a single message.
Go deeper
The phone as lifeline and leash · Flattery as a trap · Isolation is the first move · When the law runs out
Themes explainedThe full story act by act, the ending explained and a quick quiz.
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