Chapter i A few months later, Africa found himself walking towards the Goat enclosure. It was strange, as he had told himself that today he would go to the dromedary, to say hi to saucepans but it seemed that he wanted to hear the Goats story. You might know the goat better as the Abyssinian Dove. But as he was walking towards the dromedary’s enclosure he realised he had heard all of the stories except the one of the Dove. So as he walked towards Saucepans (for thats the name the dromedary), he suddenly turned on his heels and walked towards the Doves enclosure as it was, unfortunately, at the other side of The Zoo. When he got there he realised, for the first time what a sad enclosure it actually was with its bleak grey walls and grassless concrete floor. He then thought maybe that the rarer animals had it easier as at least they had an edible floor. Or at least, edible for herbivores. He also realised that The Zoo manager needed to be more caring about his animals, That it would be better if Pa Bia was in charge, if Ma Bia was a vet. Neither of them would stand for it. And so, here we are back to The Zoo. “Hello Shepherd” said the Dove, “its about time you came to ask me some questions.” “I know dove that I haven’t asked you your story and you have the right not to give it to me but I would appreciate it if you would tell it to me.” Africa told her. “Ok then,”said the Dove, “since you asked so nicely.” And so, Africa was of, staring into the Doves eyes looking, looking, looking. Looking in the eye of the goat. As dots of light come through my eyes the world came into focus. Chapter ii The grey plains pressing on for miles, sheep crowded around me, and in the centre, holding me up, the King Of Goats. He was looking at me, a fondness in his eyes and a smile on his lips. The King had a long bushy beard with waist length grey hair. It was all scraggy but it smelt nice, almost as if it was familiar. I knew then that he is the one that would do all in his power to protect me. He seemed old as when he smiled his eyes crinkled around the edges. Then I saw my mother. She was tired after the long hours of giving birth to me but when she saw me looking around she bleated with joy. The King put me down next to her and she started to lick me with her tongue as rough as the bark of an Acacia tree. But it didn’t hurt, oh no, it felt, nice, like a million people massaging my back. I felt clean. My mother herself was beautiful with her delicately petite horns like cream cheese and her coat like grey silk. Whilst my mother licked my in my happy world, I heard The King talking man, that I would later know as a shepherd, to get me a basket to sleep in for the night. As I settled down in my bed for the night I felt the tension in the air and I heard the King sobbing quietly. In the morning I found out that my mother had died during the night and the shepherd had been fired… Chapter iii A few months later (six to be exact) the King comes up to me with a new shepherd, a boy this time. That was novel as all the others (status: fired) had been fully grown men. To begin with I thought he wouldn’t have a chance but their was something different about this one. I have hopes. I grew, he grew with me. He was only about 6 when he started but he already had an amazing understanding of me. He got that I was missing my mother like none of the other shepherds before him had. Every day the lion would hunt us trying to capture my friends and herd and one evening the miracle shepherd had an idea. He thought that if we fed the lion he would leave us alone. Food was so hard to come by for animals in these parts and we were thankful that we could eat anything. It had never occurred to us that the lion was hungry but we were so trapped in our little bubble nothing about the other animals had ever occurred to us in our little bubble that other animals are basically starving to death out there. The King was unsure about the idea but said that he would give it a trial run. A few weeks later the trial had apparently worked and the lion left us alone. We were ever grateful to the shepherd but later we realised that we had some other problems. Chapter iv I can see a spotty animal. I don’t know what. The King seems to hate him. The King says that they are dangerous. The King says that it will kill me some day. The King says that if i’m not careful I will die sooner than I think. Miracle boy says otherwise. Miracle boy says that they are good. Yet Miracle boy thinks the best out of everyone. I try to believe him. Still, at times I think that maybe everyone isn’t as good as he tries to believe. ‘Thats me’ thought the boy in the middle of The Zoo. ‘Took you long enough’ thought the dove. Chapter v The spotty animal has been prowling the grass for a few days now but hasn’t yet pounced Today I saw Miracle boy talking to the spotty animal. But he didn’t seem angry. He didn’t seem annoyed. He didn’t seem sad. No, he seemed business like, like he wanted to talk to him in a happy way. From that day forth the cheater and the Shepherd were inseparable. In the long hot days that followed never did once the unlikely friends leave each others side. They even went to the town together. I think that the main reason that they never wanted to leave each others side is the fact that their lives have always been very temporary and that they have never had a proper home… For most of Shepherds life his settlement had been so temporary having to travel about all the time never knowing where he was going next. Everyone trusts him but I don’t know wether he trusts himself. If you hear the stammer in his voice and his hesitation about different words you can feel the way that he wants to know wether what he is saying is right. The only time that he is confident is when he is telling us his fabulous stories when the confidence in his voice you could never sense that he is nervous when he does anything else. Chapter vi Our other problem is the hyena. She was scary. She wsas smart. She was good at hiding. But most importantly she was dangerous and mean. She was also HUNGRY. (Or hangry) The Shepherd then came up with another of his miracle suggestions. He said that he would put us in a thorny bush. We have fur proof skin but everyone knows that hyenas hate thorns. All hyenas try to keep away from thorns. They know that they hurt them. To begin with the hyena tried to get in but she soon realised that the thorns hurt (badly). So soon after, she settled to laughing outside to try to get Africa’s attention. After a few days The King gets fed up and says to Shepherd (as he knows that shepherd has a way with animals), ‘quiet that thing will you’. For some bizarro reason Shepherd obeys The Kings every word. The King has repeatedly told him to contradict him if Shepherd thinks it necessary but Shepherd never does. Instead of Shepherd asking the Hyena to move he gives him the Grey Lion of Africa’s leftovers and now the Hyena stands guard helping to watch over me to try to protect me. Every evening all the living beings in Grey Africa come from far and wide to listen to Shepherds stories. The only living beings in Grey Africa that can’t hear his amazing stories are me, my cousin, my brother and hyena who has taken it onto herself to protect us. Chapter vii One evening whilst Shepherd was telling his stories for all to hear, a human crept up on us. Me and the other Abyssinian Doves didn’t notice it but the hyena did. She immediately sounded the alarm but was to soon drugged by a piece of spiked meat. She couldn’t resist and I get that. After the humans drugged the hyena they set about drugging us. It was easy as they gave us our favourite grass and we were out like a light. The last thing that I remember hearing is the sound of cheater saying, ‘blast that hyena. She is so incompetent. I guess I shall have to submit myself to be captured to make sure that the doves were ok. Chapter viii It had only been a few months before you came and boy did this zoo need you. You told us all stories about the three Africas and you thrilled us with your tales. And now, when I close my eyes I can see grey plains but in the midst of them, sand with saucepans the dromedary and green Africa with the parrot you told me all about. But my favourite part is that I can see my mother, she’s licking me like I am still a kid and I don’t have a care in the world. (Though I am enjoying Toa the grumpy ice-cream seller getting chased by an elephant.) And so, Shepherd, that is my life’s story…
