Echoes In The Mist

by Rifi Strawn

  “We’ve tried to feed her, but she refuses to eat.” Denise’s voice dropped. “The poor baby cries nonstop and gets so exhausted that she can’t even open her mouth.”

  “Let’s continue to keep her hydrated and medicated through the IVs. It’s a severe physical and emotional trauma she’s suffered. The rest will help her.” He picked up the giant feeding bottle full of formula from the table outside and walked in to see the baby elephant. After gentle strokes on her head, he offered the bottle. Tutu looked at him and shrieked. “It’s okay. It’s just me. I’m not going to hurt you.” He put the bottle down and checked Tutu’s IV supply. Shoulders dropped, he sat on the floor next to Tutu. His gentle hands moved up and down her trunk. “You’re going to be okay, my baby girl.” His whispers and tender touch had Tutu opening her eyes and blinking her long lashes at him.

  Stanley looked through the window of the enclosed area. Jeremy waved her in. She walked in the door, and sat next to him on the floor. “Tutu is responding to your TLC. She seems better since we got here.” Reluctantly, she raised her hand. “Is it okay for me to touch her?”

  “Yes, but be gentle and only touch her head.”

  She followed his example and carefully touched the leathery skin and thin course hair. She’d never been this close to an elephant, and it felt strange and wonderful. “How’s she doing?”

  “She’s hanging in there,” he said with hope. “She’s a real warrior. Like I said, most baby elephants die from wounds to the trunk like this.”

  Stanley stroked Tutu’s forehead. “What if she freaks out and hurts me?”

  “Pretend you’re her mother. She needs you.”

  Her whispers and touch grew more confident. “She likes me, too.”

  He smiled. “Elephants are emotional, like humans. They respond to love and pain just the same. It’ll be light soon.” He glanced at the time. “I need to check on the other patients. You can stay here or come with me to see how the lion cub is doing.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  On the way to the cub’s cage, they passed Jeremy’s assistant. “Denise, keep trying to feed Tutu. Every sip of that formula gives her strength.”

  Stanley stood back as he sedated the young lion. Within seconds, the cub was down. He carried the limp body with Lucky’s help to the examining room. The skilled vet checked the cub’s shoulder and took x-rays.

  Jeremy smiled. “This little bru is recovering well from his surgery. I operated on him two months ago and didn’t know if he’d live. He’s healing beyond my expectations.”

  She worked up the nerve to stroke the sleeping cub. “Oh, my God. He’s so cute. How did you find him?”

  “Lucky and I found him crying on the ground during one of our rides out in the bush. He was in bad shape. After I sedated him, we brought him to the rehab center for treatment. The x-rays showed he had a missing bone in his right shoulder. It made sense why the mother abandoned him. He had a birth defect.”

  She gently stroked the soft fur. “Thank God, these animals have you to help them.”

  “I’m thrilled with the splint I made to fix the joint. He’s using all four legs.” He examined the sutures, and waited for the cub to wake up. “We need to check this bru’s speed to see how fast he is. He’ll need it to escape from predators when we release him into the wild.”

  Later in the day, Stanley stood at a distance while Jeremy and his assistant tested the cub’s speed. The rambunctious young lion chased after a rat in the outdoor enclosed area. Jeremy’s miracle intervention almost had the cub running at a safe speed.

  She laughed in celebration. “Oh, my God, you’re a miracle worker. Now please get Tutu up and running, too.”

  Jeremy documented the cub’s clocked speed in his chart. “This bru is in top shape. He’s ready to get back out there.”

  Minutes later, Tutu’s shrieks echoed in the metal building, and they rushed back to her. Stanley stroked her back while Jeremy whispered sweet things into her large, droopy ear. After an hour of continuous encouragement, Stanley grew tired and yawned.

  “Let’s get you out of here,” he said.

  “You stay. I’ll go home on my own.”

  “It’s not a good idea. The risk of kidnapping is higher than ever. Whoever is behind this massacre was planning to take the meat, skin, and bones. If someone takes you, they’ll use you as leverage to negotiate with me. I couldn’t stand to see you hurt.”

  Lucky walked in just as they were ready to leave.

  Jeremy patted the tired man’s shoulder. “Hey, bru, how’s Makeda and the herd?”

  “Safe for now. We have extra rangers watching them.” Lucky’s sad eyes moved to Tutu. “How’s she doing?”

  “Still hanging in there,” Jeremy said.

  Lucky gleamed with hope. “I knew you could help her.”

  “Let’s not get too optimistic. Our baby is battling through some painful, deep wounds.”

  “Where did you find her?” Stanley asked.

  “She was caught in a wire trap. I had to work fast. Every time she shook to free herself, the wires tore her up more. I was afraid a lion would get me. The smell of blood from the dead elephants was bringing them too close.”

  Jeremy hesitated. “You should’ve radioed for help.”

  “I did, and the rangers came within ten minutes. They chased the lions away so I could free her.” He sighed. “Tutu got even more hurt when the rangers helicoptered her here. She was scared to be so high in the air and screamed, but it was a faster and safer way to get her here.”

  Jeremy’s eyes welled with tears. “How many elephants did the poachers get?”

  “About fifteen. The poachers killed a fifty-year-old and some babies. Tutu must’ve run away during the attack and got caught in the wires.”

  Jeremy examined the stitches on Lucky’s arms. “You got torn up pretty bad.” He counted twenty sutures on one arm. “How are you doing?”

  “Okay. Denise gave me some painkillers.” Lucky looked down at his arms. “I am glad the rehab center also helps humans.”

  Stanley crossed her arms. “No one saw the poachers coming?”

  “They always attack late at night so no one will see them,” Jeremy said. “They know it’s hard for the rangers to follow the elephant herds into the forested areas, so they put the snares there. Often, we have to chase the elephants out into the safe open areas with a helicopter.”

  Lucky checked the time on his phone as the ambient light of dawn arrived. “I better go back to the river to keep an eye on Makeda and the herd.” He gave Jeremy notes for Tutu’s rescue. “For your files.”

  “Thank you.” He looked at Stanley. “Hey, do you mind staying here a bit longer so I can dictate Lucky and Denise’s reports. I don’t want to forget anything.”

  “Yeah, sure.” She sat in a chair across from his desk at the rehab center as he documented the report on the computer. When he finished, she got his attention. “What are the chances of Tutu’s trunk healing?”

  “I don’t know.” He sighed. “An elephant trunk has thousands of muscles. Once Tutu is up and walking, her constant contracting, expanding, and squirming will make it a challenge for the sutures to stay in place.”

  “What if you sedate the nerves that control the trunk until she heals?”

  “Sedating a trunk is worse than numbing a human hand. The elephants need it to pluck grass, pull fruit or leaves from the trees, breathe, and smell. It’s also a defensive weapon. It’s so sensitive and useful that they won’t survive long without it.” He walked to the glass window connecting his office to the animal critical care area and checked on Tutu. “Usually, injury to a trunk can cause instant death. We have a miracle baby in our care.”

  She glanced at the wall covered with his certificates. “You have impressive credentials to help these wild animals. You worked hard to train for this job.”

  “It was all worth it.”

  She glanced at his awards and certificates of recognition from the w
ildlife sanctuaries and zoos in Africa. “It seems this rehab facility is a ground-breaking hub for your new experiments.”

  “I’ll do whatever it takes to get an animal back into the wild.” She answered an incoming call from a zoo and took a message for Jeremy.

  After a quick glance, he put the note down. “I’ll have to get to this later. It’s the rehab center at Krueger National Park. I help them and the zoos with complicated cases.”

  “You need to clone yourself or something before you wear yourself out.”

  He checked the time. “I’m tired and I know you are, too.”

  On the drive home, her mind was on Tutu. “How long does it take for a trunk to heal?”

  “Trunks heal naturally. Tutu’s trunk might not entirely mend.”

  “Every time I hear her shriek or cry, it breaks my heart.” Her gaze softened. “I can’t even imagine her pain. I ran into a glass wall and broke my nose in high school. It hurt so bad that I couldn’t stop crying. Tutu must be in excruciating pain.”

  “I’m doing my best to keep her comfortable.” His gaze dimmed with sadness. “In a cruel twist of fate, Tutu lost her entire family in a matter of minutes. A couple of days ago, she was probably happily nursing on her mother and following her around in the bush while she grazed.” He looked at his ringing phone and put it down on the console. “It’s the chief again. He wants the elephant meat to feed the village.”

  “There’s plenty of it to feed both the animals and the village,” she said softly.

  “If I allow the chief to take the meat, I’ll only encourage more elephant massacres. I’d rather the animal scavengers get it than the people. Elephant meat is not a solution to end hunger.”

  “But you’ll also be starving the orphans.”

  “I don’t want to contribute to the elephants’ extinction.”

  Stanley bit her lower lip. “I can’t stop thinking about Tutu. She could die from starvation. She’s barely drinking her formula.”

  “She wants her mother’s milk, and I don’t know how to get it for her right now.”

  “Denise said a one-month supply of formula costs nine hundred dollars. That stuff is expensive.”

  “It’s the closest to the nutrients in mother’s milk.”

  “You better get some more fundraisers going.”

  “Yeah…that’s for sure.” He sighed. “In the wild, the elephant calves nurse for three years. My goal is to find Tutu a surrogate mother soon.”

  “Makeda has milk. Luki is weaning off. Maybe we can latch Tutu onto her.”

  “You can’t just force a nursing elephant to accept another calf. It can be done, but it requires a period of introduction.”

  “Too bad Tabo can’t breastfeed an elephant,” Stanley joked. “She said she’s been nursing the neighbor’s baby for a year.”

  “In Tabo’s culture, nursing mothers help feed each other’s babies.”

  “Just like elephants?”

  “Yes. I’m guessing Makeda has enough milk for both Luki and Tutu. She’s been uncomfortable lately because Luki isn’t emptying her breasts. He’s more interested in solid food now.”

  Stanley pursed her lips. “How will you get Tutu to stand long enough to nurse? She can barely get up.”

  “She has to drink the formula to gain strength.”

  “Can you milk an elephant like a cow?”

  “Yes. But it’s difficult.”

  She yawned again.

  He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “You’ve had a rough stretch.”

  ~*~

  Jeremy and Stanley drove through the lodge gates.

  She sighed. “I probably have all kinds of animals living in my hut by now.”

  He parked the Rover and held her hand. “Honey, I want you to move in with me.”

  She blinked. “Are you sure about this?”

  “It’s safer, but the truth is I can’t sleep unless you’re in my arms. I want you with me.”

  “What if we hate living with each other?”

  “Then we’ll learn to work out our differences.”

  She laughed nervously. “This sounds like a marriage.”

  “I’m committed to you. You’re it for me.”

  Her pulse raced from another unexpected turn in her life. “I’ve never lived with a man. I might be a terrible roommate.”

  He smiled. “I have a feeling you’ll be the best and most exciting roommate I’ve ever had.”

  “I hope you want me for more than just sex.”

  He caressed her face. “The bottom line is, I can’t live or breathe without you.”

  She smiled and put her arms around his neck. “Then, let’s seal this deal with a kiss.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Stanley stepped inside Jeremy’s hut for the first time. She gasped at his high-end art and contemporary furnishings. “I’d expected the manager to have more perks than the volunteers, but this place is a total surprise. You fooled me into thinking you were roughing it like me.” She smiled at the mosquito bites on his arms and face. “I know you didn’t get them in here.”

  “They’re from working outside. But the mosquitoes do come in here if you leave the doors and windows open too long.”

  Her roaming gaze moved from his living room to the kitchen. “You have a damn penthouse here.”

  He put her suitcase down and gathered her in his arms. “Make yourself at home.”

  “Your upgrades are impressive.”

  He pulled her shirt and peeked at her breasts. “And so are yours.”

  “Who helped you fix this place?”

  “Mum did.”

  “I thought that big wooden giraffe looked familiar. Did it come from her storage room?”

  “No, the chief gave it to me for my work in the village.”

  “The same chief who kills elephants for their meat?”

  He sighed. “Yes, but we don’t know if he’s the one behind this massacre. He’s always been very supportive of protecting the elephants.”

  She stroked his chest. “Maybe the chief will do the right thing in the end.”

  “I’m so glad you’re in this with me.”

  “I love you, and I love elephants. I also have a vested interest in this project.”

  She released from his tender hold to admire the elephant painting above the sleek black sofa. “Is this Makeda?”

  His voice choked. “No, that’s Zulu—Makeda’s father.”

  “He’s so regal looking.”

  “I made a huge mistake when Zulu died,” he said. “I gave his meat to the village, and now we have another massacre. I feel responsible for it. Zulu’s death should’ve been respected and full of regret. No one mourned him except for Lucky, the staff, and myself. They sold his skin and bones for profit. I vowed I’d never let that happen again.”

  “You did the right thing at the time.”

  “Zulu would’ve never died had I been here. He’d still be grazing on trees and protecting his herd.”

  “You don’t know that, babe.” She hugged him. “Maybe it was a good thing you were gone. The poachers would’ve killed you, too.”

  “When the herd passes by here each day, it breaks my heart to see Zulu missing at the end of the line. A part of me dies every time an elephant is killed. I nurse them back to health from babies, watch them grow up, and then they become victims of savage greed.”

  She caressed his back. “Makeda and the herd will need your protection more than ever before.”

  “But every day it gets more difficult to protect them.” He hesitated. “I learned through a reliable source that the poachers mistook Makeda’s herd for the wild one.”

  Her heart raced. “You need more guards. We need to stop them before they take Makeda.”

  “There isn’t enough money in the budget to hire more help. We’re already struggling to treat the elephants.”

  Stanley stood helpless and glanced at the blank screen on her phone. Mr. Reed still wasn’t returning her calls. She had no
choice but to wait for him. Any deviation from the rules of her aunt’s will could cost her a fortune.

  Jeremy walked toward the kitchen. “Would you like some coffee with Amarula?”

  “I’d love some. I’ve been dragging all morning without my daily dose.”

  She eyed the well-used high-end appliances in the kitchen. “How often do you cook?”

  He stirred Amarula in a large, white ceramic mug and gave it to her. “Every day.”

  “Thanks.” She took a delicious sip. “I guess you’re not into eating rotisserie chicken from the supermarket.”

  “What’s that?”

  She laughed nervously. “Oh, God, am I in trouble.”

  “Honey, I don’t expect you to cook for me or wash my dirty laundry.”

  “I know. Show me the rest of your place.”

  His spacious bedroom was furnished with contemporary dark wood furniture. The sliding glass door offered a breathtaking view of the river. They walked outside to enjoy their coffee. Something darted across the grass, and she didn’t flinch. It was probably a small, timid animal.

  Excited to see the bedroom and bathroom, she stepped back inside as he followed her in. She was drawn to the dramatic headboard. “What kind of wood is this?”

  “Zebra wood.”

  “I love the contrast of the dark and light stripes.” Her hand skimmed the soft, white linen bedding.

  “I can see your mother’s elegant touches here.” She loved the horn bases of the identical lamps on the matching nightstands. “Are these impala horns?”

  “Yes. I like to recycle.”

  “I see.” She admired the horned-framed, oval mirror above the chest.

  He pushed the curtains aside and opened the windows.

  “What about the mosquitoes?”

  “They won’t come in as long as the porch fans are on.” He sweetly looked at her. “Change whatever you want to make yourself feel at home.”

  “There’s not a thing I’d change. I haven’t had a single mosquito bite.”

  “The only bites you’ll get here are mine.” He kissed her neck.

  She removed a piece of straw from his blue dress shirt pocket. “You smell like the rehab center, and I probably do, too.”