Into the light

"It is beyond those two hills - the boundary," the Tree told Ms Elephant and Mr Dog. Stars lit up the dark sky and showed them the way. They were runaways. And had walked away from what they knew as homes. Where they had grown up, where they had had many falls and where they had learned to stand. They left it all behind: the people, the lovely zoo-keeper, the cages, the sniggering of the observers, and the pokes of inquisitive children who treated them as specimens. For the quest for a world with dignity and respect - across the boundary.

They were not always unhappy at the zoo. There were lovely days in the beginning: jumping with Ms Monkey, laughing with Mr Squirrel and eating with Ms Bear. Their world fell apart the day Mr Moose came to the Zoo. Mr Moose would cry every day, and rattle the cages for hours together. And for those hours, the ground of the Zoo would shake. It was he who brought passion for Freedom into the Zoo. After a few months, when his arms tired of rattling and his eyes dried up of all tears, he would tell Ms Elephant and Mr Dog, the stories of his life before the Zoo, of the life beyond the boundary. He would tell about the huge expanse of fields to run, of the fear at the roar of a tiger, of the humans who would come for night camps, of his sisters and brothers, his mother and father. So much was his passion, that Ms Elephant and Mr Dog felt as if they too had lived his life. Then, one day, he refused to move or open his eyes. He refused to eat or to talk. And by the end of the day, his body simply disappeared into the floor of the cage. It was then, that Ms Elephant and Mr Dog decided to see for themselves the world beyond the boundary.

They walked for days, leaving only footsteps behind them, in the hope that some day others will follow. Over time, Ms Elephant’s legs became very heavy and they threatened to buckle at every step. Still they didn’t stop. Mr Dog’s tail would wag at every thought food. Still they didn’t stop. It was Mr Dog’s optimism that kept them going for days, without food or water. In quest of the world beyond the boundary.

As they moved forward, they also left parts of them behind: Dog’s fur, Elephant’s rough skin, the weight of her legs, Mr Dog’s ears which magnified every sound, Ms Elephant’s long trunk and her beautiful teeth. And they grew other parts instead. Small appendages began to appear beneath their arms and their bodies became lighter.

Today, just as the first rays of the sun hit the darkened sky, and dimmed the stars, Ms Elephant and Mr Dog saw the boundary. Elated at the sight, they both spread their by-now strong wings and flew into the lightened sky into the world of choice, of respect, of goodness and of dignity. 

Inspired by the Short Story Slam Week 6 - Children's Literature