As I walk across the sunken road, I think about what could have happened, and what is. I gently move my crumpled legs across, and sit to rest on a rotting bench. And I have a flashback, of what happened, every bit of it. And I smile. My name is Rangenda Yamket, and here is my story.
Back when I was a young girl, the world was plentiful. No one thought about their actions, they just happened. No one told you that if you left the hose running we could lose all our rivers filled with grouper and salmon. No one told us if you take a couple extra bags at the grocery store that it would hurt anything, but it did. Once I was ten the world was wasting away, all the beautiful lush green grass in our city was torn up to make room for houses and buildings. The river was no longer clean so it was turned into a sewer, but worst was the ivory.
As a child, we had been very rich. My father was a banker and my mother a college professor. My parents had a taste for power, and when ivory came along it was no different. Since ivory was so expensive, people brought it up as a symbol of power. Once that word came into the picture, my parents when wild. They bought ivory by the tens, the dozens, even the hundreds. Our house was filled with ivory, ivory bathrooms, ivory sinks, and even ivory toothbrushes. My parents were worshiped, and in their idea of heaven.
As for us children, we were miserable. Since our parents were always working, we had a kind African nanny named Anya to look after us. She told us stories of her home and village, even the elephants. "A quiet but peaceful creature," described Anya, "obedient but spirited." We children had only seen elephants in the circus once, but never had we payed any attention to them.
One day, Anya got fed up with all the ivory in our house. She and father had a fight, and it ended up in her slamming the door, never to come back. Then, we got a new nanny.
This nanny was strict. She was stick thin and short, with long bony fingers and a stiffly ironed dress, even her name Ms. Thamkut was unpleasant. She always looked as if she smelled something horrible, her nose turned up and lips stuck out. She disciplined us heavily and had strict rules. "No questions. Children are nuisances and should be silenced and drown it their own thoughts, not bother others with their curiosities."
One day I could stand no longer, and asked her what ivory was. She ignored me but pointed to our library. I slowly trudged off to the directory. After a while I found ivory mentioned in a small book in a far corner of the shelf. This part was rarely used, and the book was covered with a thick layer of dust. I quickly skimmed the pages for any mention of ivory. I found one in the second page. "Ivory as you see below is the tusks of elephants. Ivory is gotten by brutally killing the elephant and cutting off their tusks. For every two tusks of ivory, one elephant is killed."
After reading that, I shivered slowly turned around. I stood up from my stool and ran upstairs to my bedroom. I dove into my bed, the soft fluffy cushions masking my tears.
I decided to take action, and called a Yamket sisters meeting. "What, did you forget to hang your laundry and old Thamkut get onto you?" whispered my eldest sister, Evalenne. "I don't think it's that." Replied my middle sister, Irene. "Look at her eyes." It was true; my eyes were swollen and red from crying. "I called this meeting to discuss ivory. I learned what it was." At that moment my sisters gawped, and Evalenne piped up, "You didn't know?". I looked at her with a stare and she realized I hadn't. "We must take action, will you help me?" My sisters thought about it and slowly nodded, and I explained my plan.
The following morning my parents went ivory shopping, and brought us with them. We walked into a small shop, about twice the size of my bedroom. A small man was hunched over a statue of a dog. "Oh hello master Yamket, I did not see you there." Squeaked the man. "Urchen, I came to pick up my statue. I see you have it right there." The newly named Urchen handed my father the statue.
"Father don't buy it! Elephants are killed if you buy this statue!" my sisters and I shouted. "What in heaven's sake girls! This statue could help me have the power that I yearn! You could be rich girls, go to the best schools! Marry!" shouted father, now quite angry. "But we love elephants. They are quiet but peaceful, obedient but spirited! Do not give up that for the sake of power!" we replied, repeating Anya's words. "Well, now come to think of it my father did cherish elephants, I shall leave it this time girls, but next time we will buy it." In my head I quietly cheered.
We then went to go shopping throughout the complex. Then my sister cried out. "Evalenne, Rangenda! I have found it!" We hurried over to find her pointing into the window of a jewelry store, gasping at a gold necklace. "Let's go inside." Irene quivered, shivering with delight. We quickly thrust open the door and my heart sank. For in the middle of the case was a carved ivory tusk. I pointed it out to Evalenne.
Once Irene saw it, her smile faded away. I nodded, and went to talk to the clerk. "Hello kind sir, would you happen to have papers informing me where this ivory was from?" The man shook his head. I grabbed Irene's arm and dragged her out of the store to where our parents where waiting.
As we walked, I thought about Irene's reaction to the necklace and her reaction to the ivory. When I was still deep in my thoughts, Evalenne ran into a store. Irene and I noticed this and hurried to catch up with her. We wiped out feet on the rug and walked in.
The store was damp and murky, but Evalenne did not seem to care about the dreariness and hurried to a green blouse. She lifted it off the hook and walked over to the cashier. "How much?" she asked, and the man looked up. While they were talking I looked around, and found a small carved elephant, ivory. I ran up to the counter and belted out, "Do you have papers certifying that ivory?" The man, frightened by the sudden change in events stuck his hand into his desk and came out with a stack of papers. They said he was licensed to have ivory and stated where it was from, apparently from an elephant that died naturally. I double-tapped Evalenne's shoulder to say she could buy it. She thrust the money into the man's hand and hurried out with the hanger still on.
As the flashback ends, I once again smile. I lift my old body and slowly walk home through the ruined world. But I know, at least the elephants will be saved.
