African Nostalgia

My soul, do not seek eternal life

But exhuast the realm of the possible

                 -Pindar

 

These eyes have seen the truth.

 

I stare out the window, watching the trees and the land pass by. Not for the first time I marvel at the vast expanse of land and what it contains. An inexplicable melancholy steals over me as I try to grasp the immensity of it all. I am roused from my cogitations as we stop to watch some of the less interesting game. The young rams are frolicking about in the tall grass as the more dignified mothers watch with a cautious indifference. The cry of a lone fish eagle rolls out across the plains, momentarily startling the amicable Impala and I realise that this group is rather jumpy. As I study the face of a large male, I notice the saddened look in his eyes, and his forlorn stature.

 

We move on through the bush on the pitted and eroded road.  It is just after dawn, and the landscape is transformed into a glowing ruby, as the suns arms reach out to the furthest corners, gently ushering the last vestiges of darkness away. It rained last night and the smell of wet grass settles on me like a warm blanket, wraps around me entirely. My thoughts run far from the rutted road, soaring over the land. I cannot shake the feeling that I am an insignificant speck in this immeasurable land. What is my worth on this planet? What could I possibly do to make a difference? I return to the car to find that we have stopped yet again, supposing there was a buck in the road, or an interesting bird in a tree, I am startled to discover that there is a large pride of lions lazing by the side of the road, the dominant male is lounging in the grass, watching the lionesses maraud around the carcass of a young impala. Ah! So this is the reason for the impala’s behaviour. They have lost one of their children.

 

The lions are close to the car, one of the females is actually lying against the rear wheel. The cubs are playing with the shin bone of the carcass, gambolling, tripping and tumbling about. One of the more docile cubs comes to his mother for his daily bath, and the lioness begins to lick him all over. The sound of the mother’s tongue on the little one’s body is similar to sand paper on wood. He cries at the indignity of it all! The other lionesses look up as a cub gives a protesting cry. His brother has stolen the bone, and is contentedly licking it, to declare it as his own. The lionesses return to their lazy stupor, they are exhausted from last night’s hunt. The male rises and comes to sit next to my door and I hastily ensure that my window is closed but I can see that he has no dishonourable intentions and merely wanted to share the warmth of the sun. He watches the cubs for a while, and then turns his gaze to the sky. Assuming that there is a bird flying high above, I follow his gaze, but I see nothing but the royal blue ceiling. Yet he still watches so intently. I cannot imagine what he is looking at, if indeed, he is looking at anything at all. I realise that he is not actually seeing anything; he is looking far beyond the sky, almost as if he is looking at another galaxy. Could this king possibly be daydreaming? I see my earlier melancholy reflected in his gaze, and I realise that it can be no easy job, being the ultimate ruler of the land. He is seeing a world where he is free.

 

When, a few hours later, the pride moves off into the bush, presumably to search for shade, the male gives the sky one last searching gaze and then, lifting his magnificent head he gives and almighty roar that sets my nerves ablaze. So powerful, so demanding, so pained is his cry, it brings tears to my eyes to know that something so beautiful exists. The roar echoes around the forgotten lands, and satisfied that he has let the heavens know his disapproval, he moves to join his family.

 

He was searching for the same answers I had been! He was looking for the meaning of life, scouring the skies for the answers that neither of us receives. I feel a bond with that majestic creature, an inexplicable, irrevocable bond. We are both unsure of our lots in life, and no doubt we are not meant to know them. But we will search, forever, we will search.

Reviews

[Franklin...]

First my opinion on content, then the entirely optional nit-picky session.

This is well-titled. It feels deep, lonely, and melancholy, yet earthy and warm. Your descriptions are sharp and well worded, and the world is painted in vivid strokes of color. The anthropomorphic similarities (yes I stole that phrase) you show in the animals are fitting and not overdone. Kind of makes me want to go watch the sky for a while. Not to find anything, but just to search... Nicely done.

And now the bland nuts&bolts:
It might be nice to know what species these rams are, closer to their entrance. First thing I think of when I hear "ram" is sheep. Even if that mental image doesn't fit with the setting, I'd still expect it to be a common misconception.
"the suns arms" sun's
"I return to the car to find.." This sentence is far too long. In fact, I would cut it into three, myself. I think making periods of the first and fourth commas would make it a tighter read.
"The other lionesses look up as a cub gives a protesting cry" Given that the first cub just gave a cry of his own, I think some clarification would help here.
"window is closed but I can see" comma in there.
"gives and almighty" an

[Warrior]

Great story telling. This did justice in the realm of getting the message across. Great message. There's lot of times where a story can have a great message to aim for, and have a lot of under lining things but then no one gets it, and if no one gets it, then the point has failed. But in my opinion this did well to get the message across. You made it clear, which is why I think it's good. Keep up the good work. What was also great was that I could imagine the story as I read it, and that is also a strong point of stories. The ability to have the reader imagine it because after all we're reading not watching it, but it was as if I was there as I read this, and that is great. Good job once again.