The Last Elephant Keeper

Part 3

From the sleek compartment, Khumo's wave was snuffed from the last glance of the attendant. The swift hum of the train treads further away. Leaving alone again with his thoughts.

She made her way through the sleek metal corridors of the train, avoiding the passenger compartments dotted with the dark silhouettes of the few other passengers. What little sound of television, and coughing through the soundproofing had kept her further isolated.

"Welcome aboard, Khumo," a robotic voice greeted her as she entered her compartment, scanning her ID card. "Celebrating the 25th anniversary of this route. Serving all with a reminder. Don't forget what we've lost."

With a bitterness in her mouth, she took her seat and turned to recall another anniversary she had shared with Jonathan. Looking out of the massive windows, she reached over to feel the cold glass, hoping things could work out for her.

The train glided through the desolate landscape, passing by the ruins of towns and power stations that had once been alive with people and energy. Khumo felt a familiar warmth in her chest as she looked out over the remnants of the past. It was relieving for her to recall her mother's words, "It will all return, and we won't.".

Her eyes began to shutter, as she counted the increments the train travelled as sheep over a fence, eventually settling on the eight-hundred mark, before the sound-proofing of the compartment saved her from any embarrassment.

The once ambient room began to rumble, and Khumo's peaceful sleep vanished. She jolted awake, feeling the vibration in her bones and hearing the roar in her ears. She looked out of the window and saw a vast expanse of sand and rocks. Within some hours, she found herself over a thousand kilometres down south to what hat been known as the Kgalagadi Desert, now termed as most hospital region of the continent, with a yearly average temperature of a low sixty degrees Celsius.

The robotic announcer crackled to life again, making Khumo's stomach knot. "Attention, passengers. This is the final stop. Please collect your belongings and exit the train in five minutes. Thank you for choosing HyperRail." She wiped her sticky palms on her pants and grabbed her rectangular suitcase.

In her unease, she walked over to the bay doors. The once dotted silhouette has already disembarked, leaving her behind. This far from the mining colonies, she realized what everyone had said was true. She was all alone here. She felt a gust of hot wind blow in her face, carrying a cloud of sand and dust. She squinted her eyes and tried to see beyond the horizon. What was waiting for her in this desert?

The train hummed away, and had disappeared from the horizon in an instant. Heading through the another of the construction hazards called a station. Camping on the countertop of one the few tables of the station. She pulled out some documents from her bag, that could help her make her way to her mother's cabin, and hopefully reach there before the snad blizzards got any worse.

The train glided along the tracks, its rhythmic hum fading into the distance as it vanished beyond the horizon. All too familiar with general malaise of the place, the station was held up by the robots that kept the sand at bay, she headed into the station, and settling at one of the few tables available.

From her bag, she retrieved a set of worn documents, their edges frayed from years of misuse. These papers were her guide, leading her towards her mother's cabin through the harsh landscape, now plagued by sand blizzards.

She followed the map's instructions, her eyes caught a glimpse of the home nestled on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a once-fertile alkaline soils. The map had depicted this land as thriving with vineyards and orchards, but reality was a stark contrast. Now, it lay barren and desolate, except for one modest structure that appeared hand-built.

Curiosity piqued, she reached for her binoculars, bringing the distant house into focus. A patch of fresh dirt caught her attention, shaded by the house, marked with a simple cross. The weight of realization hit her: it was her mother's final resting place. Emotions swelled within her, a mix of grief and nostalgia as she gazed at the house that was once her mother's sanctuary.