There is nothing more beautiful than a sun setting on the African savannahs. The once bright yellow sun that burned the dry ground is now only half of what it had been, and yet it burns the sky stronger than ever. The vast, cloudless sky seems to have caught on fire, turning into a fiery orange mixed with dark red and blends with the reddish soil on the African plain until you could no longer tell them apart. I take out my camera and snap away. Finally, it seems, I am starting to be myself once again.
It has been a year since I travelled out of the country. It was not because I was busy or did not have time. In fact, I had a lot of time to think, to remember and to grieve. One day, I just decided to try and leave the past behind. I decided to go to a place where I didn’t know anyone and no one knew me. I needed a peaceful place to reflect and to get my hobby started again. And that is why I came to Africa. Maybe, I will find what I’m looking for, joy, excitement and peace. All of which were taken away from me, along with my brother.
As the sun began to disappear into the ground, I put away my camera and turned on the lights surrounding my camp. I didn’t bring much on the trip, just the regular camping equipment because I was going to head back to the city tomorrow. I lit a pile of dry wood that I collected earlier in the day with a lighter and sat back to enjoy the perfect blend of cool air and warm fire. And that’s when I saw them.
A group of three African elephants were walking slowly and, surprisingly, quietly towards a tree surrounded with bushes just a mile away. I could not see them clearly in the dark, just outlines of their majestic stature. Their big ears were moving back and forth as though fanning themselves despite the cool winds. They took sure, synchronized steps towards the tree and surrounded it. Then, they just stood still.
I watched them for a long time. Silently standing there and occasionally moving their feet. I didn’t understand why they were doing that, why they had come out of nowhere to stand in front of a tree. They looked solemn in the darkness, and that made the sight all the more beautiful, but I did not take out my camera out of fear that they’ll run off.
I didn’t realize I had fallen asleep until I jolted awake for no apparent reason. I looked over to where the elephants had been but to my dismay, they were no longer there. I stood up and walked over to the tree. At first, I had no idea what was so interesting to them last night but then I noticed something of an odd color hidden in the bushes. To my great surprise, I found that they were bones, yellowish brown from age and half hidden under the soil.
Now I understood. Those elephants must have lost another dear to them, and they made this journey to visit the loved one they had lost. I faintly remember reading somewhere that elephants have very good memories. They are much more intelligent that we, humans, give them credit for. And maybe, they are like us in many ways too. We both grieve our lost loved ones, but just like the elephants, we must also move on. I will not truly be able to get over my brother’s death, nor can I ever forget. But the elephants have shown me that I do not need to numb myself and forget the past. I realized then that elephants may have understood something with their infinite wisdom that I, as a human being with all my intelligence, have not. All of us must live our lives, keep all our experiences and memories with us and move past the sadness without forgetting all whom we lost on the way. We must keep our past with us in the present in order to move into the future.
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