It is a hot and humid Monday afternoon in the Bushveld. Conditions are perfect for a wildcat thunderstorm even though the rainy season had ended. Fifteen minutes before the end of class, Lucky is immersing himself in the theorem of Pythagoras.
Totally unannounced, and with the speed and ferocity of a lightning bolt, the classroom door swings open and crashes into the wall.
Lucky fractures the chalk and swings around from the blackboard. Several pupils fall from their chairs as they are torn from their daydreams in which Pythagoras played no part.
Pigeon stands in the doorway. His feathers are ruffled and his eyes even bigger than the twenty-six pairs staring back at him.
“Lion … wants to see you … now!” Pigeon utters between gasps for air.
“Class dismissed!” shouts Lucky as he storms out of the room. Lion is one of his former pupils. Moreover, he has been Lion’s confidant since the Trophy Hunters took Lion’s father in the year of the Big Drought.
In spite of their close-knit relationship, Lion still is the king of the Bushveld. He is a fair but demanding leader. No one dares dawdle once summoned to appear before the king.
“Hundred hungry hyenas!” Lucky cries as he pulls into the afternoon rush-hour stampede. “Traffic is definitely becoming worse. There are just too many animals reaching old age since those human conservationists moved into this area,” he mumbles while overtaking a tortoise plodding along in the fast lane.
About an hour after abandoning his class, Lucky arrives at Lion’s den. He immediately walks up to Lion who is peacefully perched on an old termite mound. Lion stares across the savannah with his big amber eyes; his silhouette etched against a red African sunset.
Lucky clears his throat to announce his arrival. He looks up at Lion to gauge the purpose of his summons, but Lion continues staring into the distant beyond without uttering a word.
Not wanting to interrupt the moment, Lucky joins in with a stare of his own. His heart drops down from his throat as he switches from rush-hour stampede to total serenity.
And so, the two of them sit side by side and in total silence until the red-orange sky makes way for a million bright flickering stars that gaze down upon them.
YOU ARE READING
Lucky Go Happy
SaggisticaLucky Go Happy follows the adventures of Lucky the rat who is sent on a quest by Lion into the African Bushveld to find out what makes other animals happy. Through his encounters with some interesting characters, Lucky captures some refreshing new...
