Man Vs Savannah

• Muhammad Khan, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2016

I woke up to the sound of a loud bang of thunder in the distance and I looked up at the sky. There were no clouds. Then I realised that the thunder, was indeed not thunder, but the engine of the safari your bus starting up. I got to my feet, picked up the bag that I was using for a pillow, and started sprinted with all my might, yelling, “WAIT FOR ME!”. Then I saw the bus accelerating past the large Acacia tree and I knew there was no hope. I was just wasting my energy. I don’t why I kept running. I saw the bus disappearing in the horizon and I collapsed on to the ground. I broke up in tears. ‘This is the end of Harrison Smith,’ said a voice in my head.
There I was, in the middle of the Savannah grasslands, all on my own, with no one to talk to, with no one to feel comfortable with. The only thing I had to defend myself was a machete that I received from my mother before I came here. I looked at my watch, 3:18. I had been lying down for what seemed like half an hour. I got up and made my way back to the acacia tree. I supposed that that was the safest place for me. Away from all the lions. Away from all the dangers. Night fell and, as I expected, the roaring of the lions kept me awake all night. I didn’t get a wink of sleep all night. As the sun started rising I realised that I had a map of the bus route in my bag. I frantically unzipped it and pulled out. I had a chance of surviving!
The bus had to go the long way around the rainforest to get to the next destination. I could take a shortcut through the rainforest and possibly get there before the bus. The rainforest was roughly 500m away. It was a big ask, but it was my only chance of survival. I packed my bag and headed for the rainforest. I heard a loud roar. I turned around. I can’t believe I forgot all about the lions. I started running. I dropped my bag and kept sprinting. As I looked over my shoulder I saw that the lion went after my bag and not me. But that didn’t stop me from running. I sprinted all the way to the rainforest before I even dared to stop and catch my breath. I had never felt so tired in my life. I collapsed and stumbled down a steep dip. I felt a strange sensation on my leg. I looked at my leg and, to my disbelief; I saw a sharp piece of wood sticking out of my calf muscle. I felt like my leg had come off as the blood poured all over my limb. I slowly started pulling the wood out. I had never felt any pain close to the agony I was experiencing at the moment.