The Last Elephant Keeper

Part 43

They had been alone for so long, maybe they would appreciate someone reading their words. Khumo opened the book and skimmed through the pages. She was amazed by what she read. The chasm had been as unnatural and mysterious as Khumo had suspected.

The writer had encountered the same strange phenomena that Khumo had - the bats, the insects, the mist - and had recorded their observations and theories in detail. They had been fascinated by the chasm, and had dedicated their life to exploring it. Khumo felt a connection to what she figured was an explorer, from the work she had observed. One probably with same characteristics as her. She wondered what they had hoped to find, and what they had found. She closed the book and placed it back near the bones.

She wondered how they had died, and what had caused their death. She thought of some possible scenarios - maybe they had fallen from the ledge, or been attacked by some creature, or succumbed to some disease or poison. Maybe a bit reckless and restless as she had become lately.

Khumo felt a wave of gloom wash over her as she placed the book where she found it, and paid her respects however best she thought. She recalled the love letter she had found among the papers, and wondered if the writer had someone waiting for them after so long. She had no way of knowing their name, as the book cover had deteriorated, and the pages had only notes or dates.

She wished she could do something to help, to honour their memory, to let their loved ones know what had happened to them. But she knew that was impossible. She could only hope that their spirits had found peace, and that their love had lived on, even in death. Khumo sat there beside the remains, feeling a heavy sense of sadness and disappointment.

She had hoped that exploring the cave and discovering the secrets of the chasm would bring her some kind of solace or closure, but instead, it had only made her feel more down than before. She felt like she had intruded on a tragedy that was not hers to witness, and that she had gained nothing from it. She felt empty and lost, with no direction or purpose. She wondered why she had come here in the first place, and what she was supposed to do now.

She couldn't shake the feeling of despair that seemed to be settling over her like a heavy fog. She wondered about the fate of people like her mother, herself, and died people hidden in caves. What honour laid in coming back to such a repressive place, in attempt to learn something about it.

Khumo sighed, feeling overwhelmed by the weight of the unknown. She longed for the safety and comfort of her campsite with the elephants, and she knew she had to push on. There was still so much she had to do.

Khumo made her way back through the ledges to the main cavern. She felt exhausted and drained from the day's events. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind of the heavy thoughts weighing her down. She checked on the elephants one last time before heading to sleep, making sure they were comfortable and safe.

She smiled as she saw them snuggling together, their trunks wrapped around each other. They looked peaceful and content, unaware of the mysteries and dangers that lurked in the chasm. Khumo wished she could feel the same way. She settled into her own makeshift bed, a pile of blankets and pillows that she had found in the cave. The storm had finally subsided, and the air was calm once again.

The only sound was the gentle breathing of the elephants and the occasional drip of water from the ceiling. As she closed her eyes, Khumo thought back to the remains and her own fate. She couldn't shake the feeling of sadness that lingered within her. She wished she could have found some answers, some meaning, some reason for being here. But instead, she was left with more questions, more doubts, more fears.

A part of her, wondered about her own legacy, she had no daughters to carry her name, nor love letters to hold onto if she found herself near death. There would be no one to remember her. Almost to ward off her thoughts, Flash seemed to yawn aloud reminding Khumo of the five beside her she wanted to forget, after all what had been better than an elephant's memory?

Despite her the glee she found in seeing the elephants as her comrades, Khumo struggled to remind herself of the concept that she had to keep moving forward. She couldn't let the weight of the unknown weigh her down.

She made the difficult decision to leave most of the materials she had uncovered beside the remains, hoping that someone in the future might stumble upon them and piece together what had happened, and maybe honour the work done by explorer, like she had honoured the remains of her mother.