The Last Elephant Keeper

Part 16

The approaching figure grew clearer with each step, and Khumo realized it was a lone explorer—perhaps a fellow adventurer who had ventured into the wilderness. Her eyes widened with wonder, appreciating the tenacity and courage it took to navigate this harsh terrain alone.

The elephants formed a loose cluster, creating a protective boundary around Khumo as they observed the newcomer with keen interest. The air was charged with anticipation, as if the wilderness itself held its breath, curious about this unexpected encounter.

The traveler approached cautiously, mirroring the elephants' wariness. Their eyes met Khumo's, and a moment of mutual recognition passed between them.

The Stranger, draped heavily in clothing and riding on a donkey, remained face down before the mules pitched their yelps, jolting him up. Peeking through his veil and strange characters, he unsaddled himself with a stunted walk, standing beside his horse.

"Are those radiation pills? Would you trade?" The stranger's voice was muffled by the fabric covering his face.

Unsure how to react, Khumo glanced at Hope, the wrinkled elephant and the group's matriarch, hoping for some guidance. All Hope could offer was an indignant rumble for a sigh. Khumo nodded at the stranger, curious but cautious, and removed an unopened box of radiation pills from her rucksack.

"What do you have to trade with?" Khumo asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

"Oh, I'm Ali. The weather's better today, not as much of a mess like the past days. Grab that bag, will you? I need to roll this." Ali's voice had a casual, nonchalant tone.

Khumo eyed him warily but approached the mule's flank and handed him the brightly ornamented bag. Her curiosity was piqued by this stranger's presence in such a remote and dangerous region.

"You're a traveler who doesn't have a stock of radiation medicine?" Khumo questioned.

"They aren't for me. I don't need those." Ali paused from his fiddling and pulled out a sat-nav from his bag. Khumo was shocked and immediately grabbed the device, inputting her coordinates to provide a more detailed mapping of the area.

"How did you know?" Khumo asked, her eyebrows furrowing in amazement.

"You're stewarding a herd of elephants. You just look like you need a map for that." Ali chuckled, nodding towards the group of elephants.

Khumo turned back to see the elephants. She smirked realising what seemed natural for her, must have been outlandish.

"I haven't really thought about how awkward I have looked.", Khumo embarrassingly said.

"Would you like some tea? I'm exhausted," Ali said, changing the subject.

"Sure, sure," Khumo replied, still glued onto the sat-nav and the information it provided.

As Khumo and Ali sat together, the elephants had long fragmented, with Flash taking a break under the shade of some outcropped rocks. His mother, Blaze, searched for a convenient source of water, while the other three elephants entertained themselves with Ali's mule, Patty.

Khumo continued to explore the sat-nav, and Ali focused on setting up his heating/cooking unit. He called his mule with some clicks and offered Khumo a package of assorted sweets.

"The rails in the other way from her." Ali said.

"They are too big too fit, and I just need to find a safe place for them to stay, until I can contact some authorities. Preferably from the Global Depository Service.". Khumo said.

"Good luck with that, after the storms yesterday. They shut down the outside world for some days at a times.", Ali said as he returned to setting up his heating unit.

Ali began his ritual, boiling water for medicinal tea. Khumo found herself drawn to the mule, admiring the full coat of fur that fascinated Thunder, and some of the other elephants.

As the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting a golden glow over the vast expanse, Khumo and Ali sat side by side, sipping on the fragrant tea. The tranquil scene before them seemed to defy the harsh reality of the world they inhabited.

"It's been surreal for me, to see mules and elephants around. The books make it out to be empty," Khumo said, her voice tinged with wonder.

"It is, or it was," Ali replied, his gaze drifting toward the group of elephants in the distance.

"I wonder if it just wasn't a lie people made up," Khumo mused aloud, her thoughts drifting back to the stories and rumors she had heard about the elephants' extinction.

"Maybe, but Patty's a clone. I'm not sure people managed to map out the elephant genome in time though. So they must be real," Ali said, his eyes flickering with a mix of curiosity and reverence as he spoke about his mule, Patty.

"My mother tried, but no. They were supposed to be completely gone," Khumo shared, a hint of sorrow in her voice.

" She tried to save them?" Ali inquired, moving over to the cooking unit to place some dried leaves into the boil kettle. "The tea's going to be lovely," he remarked with a smile.

"Yeah, she's passed on," Khumo somberly noted, accepting the freshly poured cup of tea from Ali.

The two sat in silence for a moment, their minds momentarily distracted by the serene view of the tinted green hue of the sky. "Awful there's a hole up there, but it looks wonderful," Ali said, referring to the tear in the ozone layer that allowed the unusual coloration of the sky.

"Sadly, the radiation leaking out isn't as lovely," Khumo remarked, her thoughts turning to the harsh reality they faced in this post-apocalyptic world.