Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Free writing: bed, rock, elephant

Suddenly it was light, and loud. Daytime. Urgh. I was going to need a megadose of caffeine to cope with today. Shouldn't have stayed up till 4 am again. Awfully loud, and kinda open air feeling. Should be dark, quiet, should be still asleep. I pried my eyes open to look for the clock and see who'd opened my curtain. What I say was an elephant about to drop a rock on me. Big elephant. Big rock. I rolled aside, getting tangled in the mosquito netting—where'd that come from? The rock dropped and smashed my bed. Whoever's bed this was, anyway. Where am I? Elephant has small ears, pretty sure that means it's Indian not African. No mahout. I'm staying still and the elephant is not trying to trample me, very important point. I'll keep staying still. Some kind of bamboo hut with woven grass panels for the walls, no glass in the windows, jungle-covered hill outside, old stone palace or temple or something half covered by jungle. The elephant trunk sweeps half the wall away, then he ambles off and starts pulling up grass. I slowly sit up, carefully watching the elephant. It doesn't respond. If it comes after me, well, an elephant can outrun a man who's in good shape, it can certainly outrun me. They can't make sharp....right turns? Left turns? Don't recall. Better not to attract its attention.

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