The Quest

• Annwen Roberts, Grade 6, Taroona Primary School
• Short Story
• 2014

Finalist in the 'The Text Generation 2014' competition

The African savannah. A dry wind scuttles across the hot, parched sand, the sparse shrubs that scatter the plain waving in the desert wind. The harsh blue sky nestles around the sun, glaring menacingly down on the hot, sandy savannah.
A mother elephant takes laboured breaths, trying in vain to suck in the suffocating air. Her trunk swings as she moves her legs, the wrinkles bending as the sand grates on her feet. Suddenly her knees buckle as she lets out a heart-wrenching cry, all her body weight collapsing as the sun takes her determination. Her calf, running up beside her, trumpets and nudges her body. A savage, warm wind sweeps and tosses the dust into the small calf's eyes. It trumpets in despair, blinking as the small grains shadow its vision. The cow on the ground lifts its trunk, touching the calf's flank. The movement is soft, using the elephant's last shred of energy, but the calf's soul reaches out and it stands still, staring at the one who has nourished, cared for, and loved it since the day it was born. The mother elephant wraps its trunk slowly around its calf, drawing it towards her. Its eyelids shut, and a violent wind whips up around it. An anguished cry echoes from the calf as it nestles lovingly against its dead mother.
Suddenly the image fades and David Attenborough's voice rings out.
"With nothing to care for it, the calf will surely die. It is not strong enough to continue the quest for water."
I sniff, and slowly, with a trembling hand, reach the power button, fumble with my shaking fingers, press down and turn off the TV.