by Jan Burchett
“Then we’ll have to put translators in so we can understand everything they say,” said Zoe. She peeled off the small rubber earpiece from the side of her BUG and popped it into her ear.
Zoe scrolled through the menu of her BUG. “I looked it up on the plane,” she said. “They speak a form of click language called Nama, although many Namibians speak English too.” They both found Nama and entered it into the translator.
“All right, let’s go,” Ben said. They slipped their BUGs into their pockets and walked toward the grazing herd. The two children stood together. One was a girl a little younger than Ben and Zoe. Her hair was tightly woven into braids, and she wore a bright red T-shirt over a wraparound skirt.
The other goatherd was a boy who seemed to be around five years old. The girl held a long spear in her graceful hand.
“Hello!” Ben called as he and Zoe approached. The goatherds looked up and stared at them.
“Can you help us?” Zoe asked slowly. “We are visitors in your country.”
The two goatherds glanced at each other but didn’t speak.
“We’ve traveled a long ways,” said Ben. “We are thirsty.” He clutched his throat and stuck out his tongue. “Water!”
The girl took a jar that was bound in cowhide from her belt. Without a word, she handed it to Ben.
“Thank you,” he said, taking a small sip.
Then he handed it to Zoe who did the same. Asking for a drink was a good excuse to talk to the two kids, but Ben and Zoe didn’t want to leave them short of water in this hot, dry landscape. Ben dug through his backpack and pulled out two of Uncle Stephen’s special energy bars. He passed them to the girl, who inspected them.
“Cherry,” she read slowly.
“You speak English?” said Zoe.
The girl nodded. “A little,” she said. “But my brother doesn’t.” She handed a bar to the little boy, who unwrapped it quickly and began to eat.
The boy turned to his sister. “I like it,” he said in his own language. Ben and Zoe had to pretend they didn’t understand.
The boy smiled brightly at them, nodding his head and rubbing his tummy.
Ben and Zoe smiled and grinned back. “I’m Ben,” Ben said. “This is my sister, Zoe.”
“My name is Tukwenethi,” said the girl. She waved a hand toward her brother. “And this is Jossy.”
“Thank you for the water,” said Zoe, handing back the bottle. “Is it from a well or a pool?” she added. Ben smiled. That was a clever way for Zoe to ask for information about the well, he thought. They won’t suspect anything.
“All our water is from wells,” said Tukwenethi. She pointed to the north. “There is a pool there, but it is bad water. It makes people sick. Only animals drink from it.”
“Is your well far away?” asked Ben.
“Not far,” Tukwenethi said. “About two hours’ walk. But we cannot use it. There is a lion mother there and she will not let us get near. Now we have to go to the next well. It is a day’s walk away.”
Jossy pulled at his sister’s arm. In their language, she told him what she had said.
Jossy’s eyes widened. “There’s a ghost in the well!” he said. His translated words rang in Ben and Zoe’s earpieces. “It moans and cries out. Mommy said someone went there last night and it was still there. I would be brave and fight a lioness, but not a ghost.”
Ben gave Zoe a knowing glance. The cub was alive!
Jossy spun around and stared up at the far side of the hollow. Now Ben and Zoe could hear something too. Adult voices, speaking in Nama. And they seemed to be coming closer.
Ben and Zoe looked at each other in alarm. They had to disappear — and quickly!
Tukwenethi turned to see where the voices were coming from, shading her eyes from the glare of the sun.
“We have to leave,” whispered Ben. “If we go back the way we came, we can hide behind the bushes.”
“But the two goatherds will see us leave,” Zoe whispered back.
“I’ll make sure they forget about us for a moment,” Ben said. He scrolled through the menu on his BUG.
Ben pointed his BUG toward the herd. At once, the hologram of a cheetah appeared in the middle of them. The terrified creatures skittered about, bleating in fear.
Spear raised, Tukwenethi and her brother ran to see what was wrong.
“Done,” whispered Ben. He shut off the hologram before the two goatherds could see it. “Let’s go!”
Ben and Zoe scrambled up the side of the valley and hid behind a bush. They watched as two men hurried down to see why the goats were so agitated. The moment the children couldn’t see them anymore, they darted back to the WASP.
“I feel bad about not saying goodbye to Tukwenethi and Jossy,” said Zoe. “But we have to continue our mission.”
Zoe pulled the sail until it caught the wind. Ben released the brake, and they were once again sailing across the sand.
Ben checked the satellite map on his BUG. “The well is just a short distance away,” he said.
“We’ll finish this mission before lunchtime!” Zoe said cheerfully.
“Now who’s obsessed with food?” Ben teased.
They continued to glide across the desert, their WASP soaring over the dunes. The bushes were less common now, and the ground was sandier. The ground shimmered in the heat of the morning sun.
Zoe adjusted the WASP’s course to catch the breeze. “The well should be near here,” she said.
Ben checked his tranquilizer gun. “As soon as we’re in range of the mother, slow down and I’ll put her to sleep,” he said. “We’ll give her the smallest dose we can so she’ll wake up quickly. That way, she’ll find her cub once we’ve rescued it.”
“There’s the well,” said Zoe. “It’s up ahead.”
The dusty, open ground led to a small stone mound with a simple wooden framework and pulley above it. A rope trailed down into the well.
“I can’t see the lioness, though,” said Ben, looking all around. “Where is she?”
“Probably left to hunt for some food,” whispered Zoe. “We’re going to have to be careful. She could come back at any moment.”
They let the WASP roll slowly along the track toward the well while checking for any signs of movement. When the WASP came to a halt, they jumped out, folded up the sail, and grabbed their tranquilizer gun.
Zoe watched as Ben took a rope from the back of the buggy and ran over to the well.
Every rustle of leaves in the bushes made Zoe whirl around and grip the tranquilizer gun tightly. She felt her heartbeat thunder in her ears.
“I hope nothing’s happened to the cub since last night,” she whispered anxiously. “It could have fallen into the water and drowned.”
Ben activated the spotlight on his glasses and peered down into the well’s narrow circle of darkness.
“I can’t see anything yet,” Ben said, shining the light across the black expanse. “Wait a minute. Did you just hear something?”
Zoe tensed. She heard a barely audible wailing sound echo up from the depths of the well.
“The cub’s still alive!” Zoe said in relief. “But it doesn’t sound like an animal at all. I’m not surprised the local people thought the well was haunted.”
Ben inspected the pulley above the wooden framework. “That might be strong enough to hold a bucket, but not one of us,” he said. “But we can tie the rope to the WASP and wedge it against the well.”
“You climb down the well and I’ll keep watch,” Zoe said. “But hurry.”
Ben brought the WASP over to the stone wall and tied the rope to the frame of the vehicle.
Zoe suddenly raised the tranquilizer gun. “Freeze!” she whispered. “The lioness is back.”
With their breaths held, Zoe and Ben watched as a large animal emerged from behind
a rock. She had a long, sleek body. Her powerful muscles shifted under her golden coat as she moved. Her tail swished as she padded purposefully toward the well.
“Can you hit her with a dart from here?” Ben whispered between clenched teeth.
Zoe shook her head. “No,” she said. “I’ll try to get to her side.”
The big cat stopped as she caught sight of Ben. The lioness let out a low, deep-throated growl. Zoe’s finger tightened around the trigger as she edged away from the well.
But the creature suddenly crouched, ready to pounce. Zoe had to shoot!
POP! As the dart struck the lioness’s side, the terrified animal snarled and whipped around to see what had attacked her.
The next second she was bounding toward Zoe. She backed away. For one long, terrible moment it looked like the dart had not effected the beast.
But then the lioness’s steps faltered. Dragging herself up on to the stones of the well, the lioness slumped down. Her head hung drowsily over the well’s rim.
Slowly, Ben crept up next to her. She was completely unconscious now. He felt a stab of panic at being so close to this deadly predator.
“She was trying to protect her baby,” whispered Zoe. “If only she knew that we’re here to help.” She gently stroked the lioness’s ear. “We’ll soon have your little one out of there.”
“We need to hurry,” said Ben. “We don’t have long.”
Zoe sat on the WASP, gathered up the loose rope, and held it tightly. “I’ll feed out the rope as you descend,” she said.
“And then just hit reverse on the WASP to pull me back up,” said Ben. “I’ll give two tugs when I’m ready.”
Ben took the free end of the rope and tied it around his legs and waist, making a harness. He eased his legs over the edge of the well and found a foothold. He gave Zoe a thumbs-up to let more of the rope out. Then he began to squeeze past the warm, limp lioness. At that moment, the sleeping animal gurgled and her lips twitched, revealing a row of huge, sharp teeth. Ben froze. Had the tranquilizer begun to wear off already?
The lioness’s mouth relaxed and she went still again. Ben took a deep breath to calm himself and edged his way into the well. He searched for footholds in the rough stone. He stopped and looked down.
Far below, the water gleamed in Ben’s spotlight. His stomach turned — the well was much deeper than he’d thought. He moved his head, trying to locate the cub. He couldn’t see anything, so he began to climb down.
The sides of the well were slippery. Ben knew that he would have to take it slowly or he’d fall. He inched his way down, wedging his fingers into tiny crevices. Then he paused to rest. Above him was a tiny circle of sky, broken by the outline of the lioness’s head. He shined his light down and caught sight of a little ledge near the bottom. The glint of two round eyes reflected back at him.
He’d found the cub!
Suddenly, the narrow sides of the well seemed to be pressing in on him.
Ben began to feel hot and panicky. He started to think that he couldn’t go any further.
Then he heard a faint, pitiful mew. Forgetting his fears, Ben climbed down toward the sound.
The cub was lying on the ledge. By light, Ben could see its golden fur, the dark spots on its head, and every rib sticking out of its body. It raised its head weakly as Ben dropped into the narrow space next to it.
“We’re going to get you back to your mom,” Ben said to the little creature.
He slowly reached out, grabbed the cat by the scruff of its neck, and held it tightly in one arm. The cub barely struggled.
Ben tugged the rope twice to give the signal. At once, he heard the distant whir of the WASP engine echoing down the stone walls. The rope tightened as he felt himself being hauled up toward the warm light.
At last he could feel the warmth of the sun on his head and shoulders. He was about to reach for the edge of the well to haul himself up when he realized he was level with the face of the lioness. The bleary eyes were flickering open.
The huge creature was awake — and staring right at him!
Ben could feel the cub struggling weakly in his arms as it smelled its mother’s familiar scent. Any second now, she would realize her baby was there. If Ben moved, the lioness would attack.
Zoe watched, horrified, as the lioness stirred. She couldn’t leave the buggy. Without her weight holding it in position, Ben and the cub would fall back down the well.
The rumbling in the animal’s throat grew louder and more threatening. Then the lioness got to her feet and turned to face Zoe! There was only one thing to do. She had to tranquilize the mother again. Zoe raised the gun and fired. The lioness stumbled, turned, and fell to the ground.
Ben hauled himself and the cub over the edge of the well. As soon as the rope went slack, Zoe jumped off the WASP and ran over to help him.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “You’re shaking.”
Ben laid the little cub gently on the ground. “I thought she was going to eat you,” he said nervously.
“No way,” Zoe said with a grin. “She didn’t stand a chance against my super-quick trigger finger.”
Zoe gazed at the baby lion. “You are a beautiful little boy, aren’t you?” she said. She stroked the soft fur of its big, floppy paws. “But it looks like you could use a good meal. Let’s check you out and see if you’re okay.”
They both knelt beside the cub. “He doesn’t look too bad, considering the poor thing fell pretty far down the well,” said Zoe, checking the cub’s limbs.
“The ledge was near the water, so he’s been able to get a drink, at least,” Ben said. He set the cub on his feet. The little creature tried to take a step but collapsed.
“Is he too weak to walk?” asked Zoe, lifting him up. “Wait, what’s this?”
A deep gash ran down the inside of the cub’s left front leg. He mewed and struggled weakly as Ben inspected the wound.
“The wound is bad,” he said. “This little fella needs treatment.”
“Then we have to help him,” said Zoe. “There’s no way we can leave him with his mom. They’ll never get back to their pride. They’ll be sitting targets for any predators around. And this cut could get infected.”
Ben nodded. “Looks like our mission has changed,” he said. “We need to fix his leg.”
“And take him back to his family ourselves,” said Zoe. “That is, if we can find his pride.” She glanced around at the dry, dusty desert as it baked in the intense heat. “This was supposed to be the end of our mission. Now we don’t know how long we’ll be out in the Kalahari.”
“We’ll be okay,” said Ben. “We have the kit, the WASP, and plenty of food and water.” He stroked the soft fur under the young lion’s chin. Ben stood. “We’ll let WILD know about our change of plans, but first let’s get out of range of our friend over there.” He jerked a thumb toward the sleeping lioness. “I don’t want to be around when she wakes up and smells her son. There’s not enough wind to make a fast getaway, so I’ll drive.”
“Fine with me,” said Zoe. “That means I get to hold this little fella!” She picked up the cub and climbed onto the WASP. She made the cub comfortable on her lap. “I’m going to call you Jossy — after that nice boy we met earlier.” She stroked his soft fur. “I’m sorry we have to take you away from your mom for a little while, but it’s for your own good.”
Ben jumped in and turned on the engine. “I say we head for the pool that Tukwenethi told us about. She said all the animals go there. So I bet that Jossy’s pride drinks at it, too.”
“I’ll find it on the BUG,” said Zoe. She held it above the dozing cub and began to scroll through for the satellite map. “That’s where his mom will probably go when she wakes up and realizes her baby is gone. But hopefully not until we’re far away.”
“Then we’ll have to make sure she doesn’t catch up
to us,” said Ben.
“It took you forever to get down the well and back,” said Zoe. “And she only woke up when you were almost out. So she should be asleep about the same amount of time again.” Then a thought hit her. “The lioness won’t know we’ve taken her cub, Ben. She might stay at the well!”
“Good point,” said Ben. “We’ll have to leave her a trail to follow.” He reached over the side of the WASP and picked up a handful of stones. “If we rub these against Jossy’s scent glands and drop them as we ride, hopefully she will pick up the scent and come after her cub.”
“But that basically makes us bait,” warned Zoe. “We’d better get a lot of distance between us and her.”
“No problem,” said Ben. He reversed the WASP away from the well.
“You need to head northwest,” said Zoe, pointing. She navigated through her BUG menu. “I’m going to fire a tracking dart into our lioness first. That way, we can keep an eye on her location.”
“Good idea!” Ben said. He circled the WASP around the well as Zoe aimed the BUG at the lioness. As soon as the little dart had been fired, Ben turned the wheel and hit the accelerator, and they zoomed away.
An orange light pulsed next to the well on Zoe’s screen. “Poor lioness,” she murmured. “I’ve made her into a pincushion with all my shots.”
“She’ll be fine,” Ben said. “Just remember, it’s for their own good.”
Zoe smiled warmly at Ben. She nuzzled her finger under the sleepy cub’s chin.
* * *
They traveled onward. Every now and then, Zoe rubbed a stone against Jossy’s cheek and dropped it over the side. She checked the tracking signal. “Mom hasn’t woken up yet,” she said.
“Then I think it’s safe to stop and fix Jossy’s leg,” said Ben. The WASP came to a halt by the thick trunk of a baobab tree. Its fan-like branches cast a small shade in the hot midday sun.
“It’ll be nice to escape the heat for a while,” Zoe said.
