|
Lola crawled out of her cave and limped slowly
towards the well. Jumbo was by the tree, rubbing
his trunk against its bark. He stepped back but
did not run when he saw Lola. Lola
ignored him as she went closer to the well and
peeped in. "Hey, you!" she called out. Jumbo
looked around before realizing she was talking
to him and walked forward. "Help me get some
water," she said. He stood there staring at her
injured leg. Blood and pus were still seeping
from the wound. Jumbo swallowed his disgust as
the putrid smell of the wound became
overwhelming. "Please," she said softly. A
discarded coconut shell lay by the side of the
well. Jumbo filled it with water and went back
to standing behind the tree. Lola lapped it up
and lay down on her side. The agony was
unbearable. Her hind legs felt weak. Even
when she tried walking slowly, the pain shot
through her entire body and ended in her head
where she felt a kind of pressure that gave her
blackouts.
Flies buzzed around Lola's wound. She swished
her tail around but it could not go so far as to
swat them off. She noticed Jumbo still hiding
behind the tree. No one would be afraid of her
anymore. What could a handicapped lioness do?
Who could she threaten with three legs? Tears
rolled down Lola's face as she watched Jumbo
walk towards her. Even a timid creature like
Jumbo was bold enough to stand before her.
"Would you like some help?" Jumbo began. Lola
swished her tail again before looking up. "Why
should you?" she asked. Jumbo stared at her,
puzzled. "Would you like me to lift you back to
your cave with my trunk? It would be easy," he
suggested. Lola could not believe what she had
just heard. A father who had lost his baby to
her was speaking like they were best friends.
Lola did not speak for a while. Then, she
started to cry softly and begged Jumbo to leave
her alone. She wanted to die in peace, she said.
Although confused, Jumbo left. Lola buried her
face in the sand and counted down the time she
had left. |
