Chapter 9

We sat down in front of the fire and continued to debate about which animal is the smartest. After some while, we finally reached an agreement. As it was a bit windy, Zaire comes close to me, and we cuddled, to keep each other warm. My heart was beating faster than usual as he reached my body and wrap his arm around my shoulders. I feeling something, something that I never felt before.

Right into his arms, l fell asleep. Deep into slumber, it's where I went. After some while, I felt like I was sleeping on a bed. This bed was so comfortable, better than my own back at home.

***

"What?", I mumbled, right after I've opened my eyes and realized that the comfortable bed is a Python. I'm sleeping on the giant snake. It rounded as a snail shell and l was right on top of it." Who put me on this creature", I thought.

l was so terrified, l didn't make a single move. I'm laying on that python still, but this time my mind is not frozen. After a moment of giving it a thought, l turned my head in search of the Python's head. I glimpsed its head and it seemed asleep."I've to get off this python" I thought, yet I was as static as I can. The sun was rising and the python could anytime wake up.

I carefully got off the python. Luckily, I took off my beaded bracelets and necklaces yesterday, so I didn't make any noise. I didn't want to wake this snake. Subsequently, both my feet were on the ground. I started to slowly slink away from the python. I made sure that I don't step on a stick or something that will make a sound.

At least, I was about half a mile from the snake, when I started to run. I flee and in which direction, I don't know. When I was running, l made sure that l don't even mumble a word, because I felt like the python will hear me. I felt that if I speak or scream then the snake will hear my voice and come grab me. Who knows what it will do.

I'm in the middle of the forest, and I'm lost. I don't think that even if I wanted to go back to my village, I would have found the way.

I wonder where Zaire vanished to. I hate to think it, but what if Zaire is the snake. What if he is the one who is killing people in this forest. I fell asleep in his arms and waked up on top of a Python. Yesterday, he said he rescued me from that python, so how can he leave me with it. And I don't recall being rescued by him. I recall seeing a python, then seeing him. He could be those men who can transform into animals, and he's a python. Who would have thought that a handsome man like Zaire would be a snake?

While my mind is at war with itself about the relation between Zaire and the Python, I hear my stomach grumble. I'm so hungry. The last time I ate something was yesterday before I could attend the Amari Royal dance. It was early in the morning and I didn't eat enough as I thought that I will eat at the dance. Thanks to what happened, I didn't eat anything since then. Right now I could eat the whole elephant.

I'm wandering around the forest, as I'm looking for what l can eat. Three monkeys are following me as I'm searching for food. The troublemakers seem to be imitating what I do. I don't have the strength to entertain what they are doing, so I just chose to ignore them.

I saw a marula tree and decided to pick a few and eat, but this is not enough. This is just snacks. While picking marula, the monkeys also picked some. It was so easy for them as they simply climbed the tree, unlike I, who didn't reach most marula properly.

"Is this what you all eat? Marula" I asked the monkeys. A whoop and screech. This is what I could hear. It was not like I was expecting more, but either way, I continued to speak with the monkeys.

Now, I left the marula tree, I'm looking for something better to eat. Something that can fill my stomach."No guys there got to be something else to eat. What do you guys eat? I inquired from the monkeys and still heard a whoop."You can't tell me that you just eat marula and then you are full. There got to be something that you guys eat except for Marula."

As I continued to stroll and forge a conversation with monkeys, they continued to follow me while chatting. We walked for a while and passed some giraffes. Very tall and beautiful, the black giraffes were also present. Giraffes are peaceful creatures. I passed beside them without being troubled.

Apart from the python, this forest is not evil. It is just the Savannah I know. Dry in winter and moist in summer. Now it's summer and the grass along with trees are green. Surely there are dangerous animals here like lions, hyenas, cheetahs, and many more. Most of the trees are not that tall and are scattered. There is where the trees are slightly closer to each though. I wonder why it said that women can't survive here. I don't see the difference from where we fetch the branches for the fire.

Giraffes are peaceful. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the little troublemakers that have been following me. They kept trouble me and I kept reprimanding where is necessary, but I still loved their presence. They kept me with a loveable company.

"Oh, ostrich eggs. That is what I call a meal" I thought after seeing a bunch of them in a nest. "Oh no, there are the parents ".

The problem with these ostrich eggs is that the parents are there. They keep taking turns sitting on the eggs to incubate the eggs. If I try anything funny, I will not live to tell the tale. Ostrich can be very protective when it comes to their eggs.

I observed the ostriches taking turns to incubate the eggs, waiting for the time they both lose a site. Of course, I'm hiding behind a tree and to my surprise, the monkeys are behaving well. They are sitting quietly on the branches of a tree. It is like they are carefully watching what I will do, or waiting for when the ostrich will attack me and they will be ready to laugh.

All good things come to those who wait, so I waited for a little period, that is when both ostriches lost a site. I don't exactly what were they doing, but I made sure I embrace the situation with both hands. I quickly grabbed one egg with both my hands and started running.

A hissing sound, then I realized that the ostrich saw me. This is made me even run faster, but as I could hear hissing and the boom sounds following me, I knew that the ostriches were chasing me.

The most hilarious part is that I'm running but I also circling the same place. My fellow friends(monkeys)seemed to be enjoying, as they are also chanting, which made it look like they were laughing at me

" Mama, mama, mama" This is all I can say as I screamed for help. There was no way the monkeys seemed to be helping me apart from laughing.

Remember that I'm being chased by two ostriches. I don't how but somehow I saw the other one in front of me. It probably outsmarted me. I'm being chased by the other one, while the other one is running towards me.