Savannah storms

• James Lee, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2006

It was dark. The sweeping savannah was still and silent as if in death. The grass lay still, huddled together, afraid of the upcoming wind. Nonetheless, it was calm. The calm before the storm.

All of a sudden, the cloudless sapphire sky glowed a fluorescent orange and yellow as a massive orb of flames soared majestically from its hiding spot beneath the horizon. As if by magic, the animals of the savannah all awoke as one and dark figures slowly rose from their grassy beds before being enlightened by their divine sun.

A group of gazelle began drowsily grazing on the tall grass, still half-asleep. Soon, the youngest gazelle, only 13 months old, began wandering further and further away from the rest of the herd as it followed a tiny beetle, which tried vainly to scuttle away from the curious gazelle. The gazelle’s mother looked up and called out to her young with a sharp whistle accompanied by a stomp. The young gazelle simply ignored her and continued following the terrified beetle, enraptured by its beauty. His mother began to walk forward when she saw the young gazelle suddenly turn and run. She gave a cry of panic and began bouncing up and down on all four legs warning the rest of the herd to run before turning back to her fawn, urging him to hurry.

The young gazelle looked back and saw a sleek, muscular body leap out from the tall grass like a tornado and began to panic. He glanced towards his mother who was bouncing on her heels, looking terrified. Again, he peeked back at the cheetah and seeing the speed at which it was gaining on him, he was suddenly aware of his thrashing heart.

His mother looked between the cheetah and her son and knew in her heart that he couldn’t get away. Trapped between the love for her child and common sense, she was stricken with paralysis before she began to run towards the cheetah, hoping to distract it from her fawn. But her efforts were in vain as the cheetah closed the distance as if it were a hurricane before she was even within leaping distance. She slowed down and began to back away, wishing in her heart that by some miracle he would survive.

The cheetah growled and swiftly leapt forward, landing with a loud thud on the gazelle’s back. The weight of the cheetah hit the young gazelle like a powerful storm and the gazelle was suddenly aware of the pain and exhaustion from his legs and his knees buckled from beneath him. He looked up to his mother who watched him in anguish and hopelessness. Then all of a sudden, he felt a moment of the most painful wrenching feeling in his neck as his throat was torn away and his dead corpse collapsed onto the dry dirt.

All was silent on the dusty savannah save the soft sorrowful moans of the mother gazelle as she walked away, heartbroken.