The Last Elephant Keeper

Part 38

She gasped as she felt herself falling, her arms flailing in the air. She reached out desperately for something to hold on to, and felt a sharp pain in her hand as she grabbed a stalagmite. She clung to it with all her strength, feeling blood drip from her palm. She looked down and felt a wave of vertigo wash over her. The chasm was deeper than she had imagined, but not deep enough to hide the jagged rocks and bones that littered the bottom. She realized that if she fell, she would not die instantly, but suffer a slow and agonizing death. She felt tears sting her eyes as she tried to calm herself and think of a way out.

She was about to give up hope when she heard a familiar sound behind her. It was Flash, her loyal elephant friend, who had followed her to the chasm. He was running towards her, his trunk raised in the air like a trumpet. He reached her just in time, and Khumo felt a burst of gratitude. But then, in a twist of fate, Flash's trunk smacked Khumo's face as he tried to grab her hand.

"Flash, slowly lift me up with your trunk. Easy now, don't jerk me around!" Khumo called out, trying to keep her voice steady despite her growing panic.

Flash, however, seemed to misunderstand her, and instead of lifting her up slowly, he used his trunk to give her a gentle shove, causing Khumo to lurch forward and nearly lose her grip on the edge of the chasm.

"Flash, not so hard!" Khumo shouted, struggling to maintain her grip. "I said lift me up slowly!"

Khumo let out a scream that turned into a laugh, as she felt the absurdity of the situation. She hoped that Flash would be able to hold on to her arm and not push her off the edge. She shut her eyes tightly, bracing herself for the worst, but then she felt a strong tug on her forearm. Flash had managed to wrap his trunk around her arm and was pulling her up. It seemed his need to continually stalk over Khumo was as equally troublemaking, as useful.

Khumo tried to focus on Flash's trunk, but she couldn't help but glance down at the chasm. She was mesmerized by the sight that greeted her eyes. The chasm was filled with a thick mist that shimmered with a ghostly florescent mist. It seemed to have a life of its own, swirling and pulsing in the darkness.

Within the mist, she saw something even more astonishing. She saw shapes and figures that defied explanation. They were like creatures from a fairy tale, made of light and shadow. They had no form or substance, but they moved with grace and beauty. They glided through the mist, spinning and soaring in the air. They looked like they were dancing, or playing, or maybe even singing.

The elephant seemed to finally understand, and he used his trunk to lift Khumo up inch by inch, until she was finally able to pull herself up onto the ledge. Khumo breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of the situation.

"Thanks, Flash," Khumo said, patting the elephant's trunk. "But let's try not to do that again, okay?"

Khumo decided that she must be seeing things, or that the chasm had some kind of enchantment that made her imagine things that weren't real. She shook her head and turned her attention to the more pressing matter at hand.

She was still dangling from a ledge, held by an elephant's trunk. She couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of the situation. How did she end up in this predicament? She was in a cave, exploring a chasm, and now she was relying on a giant baby elephant to save her life. She tried to communicate with Flash, telling him to pull her up slowly and carefully with his trunk.