Med Writes

It was a hot morning in the rainforest of Congo. Elliot the Elephant was fully enjoying his life. His territory was close to the village, but he never ventured there as his mother told him stories of the humans. His mother described humans as terrible, monstrous, and weird creatures. His mother always protected him. When he asked why she protected him, she said, ‘Son, you are too young to know this.’

Elliot loved living in the forest. He could sprinkle the muddy water on his back, create mischief, and play with his brothers and sisters. He never ever dreamt of leaving the forest. But some things just don’t go our way.

One fine afternoon, Elliot saw a group of men and got scared. He ran to his mom and told her that he spotted humans just outside their territory. His mother, in turn, told his story to the leader of the herd. While all of this was going on, the men followed Elliot and quickly called for backup. In some time, the elephants were surrounded. All of the elephants except Elliot ran as fast as they could, but Elliot fell on a rock and was shot with tranquilizer darts.

Elliot woke up in a cage. The last thing he remembered was being surrounded by hunters. Elliot slowly opened his eyes and stood up. He saw the forest he loved so much left behind. All he could see now was the layer of the canopy. He was depressed and sad. All he could think of were the fun days he had in the forest. Now because of the humans, his life had turned upside down.

In the days that followed, he was taken to the zoo (this zoo was not yet open) and he was caged, fed little food, and had to live in a dirty place. His face was turning even more dull day by day. His family was also taken away from him. This was too much for that little elephant to handle, but he tried to keep strong, but in the end, he lost, or did he?

Elliot, over the days, got used to his new habitat and was easily tamed by the workers of the zoo. When the day of the opening came, people swarmed, and he saw all kinds of people, and a variety of animals in the zoo were seen by the people. One day, along with the people came crooks which the guards didn’t notice. The crooks were ivory traders, and they took all the elephants. Elliot was very afraid as he didn’t want to be tuskless or worse, die.

They traveled to a place humans call “Lunda” (the largest ivory trade market Illegal). Throughout the journey, the crooks treated the elephants badly. The tame elephants did nothing to stop them. Elliot was scared and alone; he had no friends and felt lonely. The days turned into weeks, and by the third week, they reached a place five kilometers away from Lunda. The next day they set out early and removed the temporary huts they built. The elephants were then made into groups and then slowly the traders removed each of their tusks. Elliot was the last, and he was glad. He wanted to escape, but there were guards at every possible place. But then a sharp noise was heard coming from one group of elephants which was followed by a scream. With the guards’ attention diverted, Elliot made a run for it, and he ran as fast as he could.

Days passed by and he reached nowhere. Elliot had no idea where he was. All he knew was that this was north of his home, The Congo Rainforest. He then entered a forest and started rummaging around. Then he heard a roar; he became still. He was scared stiff because that tremendous roar could only be the roar of the tiger. The creature came nearer and nearer. Elliot heard the rustling of leaves behind him. He turned around to see the king of the jungle, the tiger. The tiger in a deep and ferocious voice said, ‘You dare to disturb me in my sleep.’ ‘No, sire, I am but a lost elephant who is trying to find a way to the Congo Rainforest,’ Elliot said in a squeaky voice. ‘If what you say is true, then you are going in the correct way, but beware there are many more hurdles you have to cross,’ the lion said. ‘Thank you, sir,’ Elliot said. ‘May God be with you, son,’ the lion said.

After the lion guided Elliot in the correct direction, they both parted ways. Elliot had been walking for days, and he was feeling happy. He had been away from his family for a long time, and he was excited as he was finally going to be reunited with his family. After maintaining a good pace for a long time, he finally reached his first obstacle.

Elliot took a deep breath, and before he knew it, he was on the other side of the river, wet but safe. He was completely exhausted, and he decided to rest for a while. The next morning he woke up and refreshed himself first. Elliot, after refreshing himself, started searching for food. Elliot, after finishing his food, continued his journey. He walked for hours until he could finally see the forest in the distance. He was so exasperated that as soon as he jumped in excitement, he collapsed. He woke up the next-to-next day in the afternoon. When he realized how much time he wasted, he resumed his journey to the forest. He reached the forest within two hours.

On entering the forest, he got the same old smell of his forest. He walked further into the forest and was met by some very rude animals, but otherwise, he crossed the forest easily. He wondered why the tiger told the forest was dangerous. ‘Maybe he had a bad experience,’ Elliot said to himself. He continued his journey and there, over yonder, he saw a forest. He jumped in happiness and was on cloud nine. He ran as fast as his four legs could carry him, but he underestimated the distance, and he had to slow down, and the heat was also unbearable. The only thing that got him going was the sight of the lush green forest. The time came soon enough as he reached the outer of the forest and easily navigated his way to the northeastern part of the forest where he found his family. His parents were astounded and rushed to see if he was in good shape.

That is where the young elephant ends his journey and adventures. He was reunited with his family, who were amazed. The story of the elephant ends here at the forest.