Inspiration

By Sanjay Menon. Sanjay, 12, studies at the Sandford Park School, in Dublin, Ireland. Please read his article and leave your thoughts and comments below.

Rays of light shone through the gap in the mountains, illuminating the camp and enveloping it in a warm glow. A young man, just 21, woke from underneath the primitive shelter, the sun’s rays forcing him to shield his eyes with a scarred hand. His face, once full of life, was now devoid of colour due to months under the cruel stare of Mount Kilimanjaro. A warm breeze shook him back to the reality of the real world. He would now begin the long trek back to his village. As his fleet stride carried him back his mind reflected on his past life. Dark memories enveloped him and even darker thoughts contorted his figures. He was destined to be chief and what a great chief he would have been. But his honour once as solid as a bar of iron had been scattered and forgotten like dust in the wind. His own tribe had dissed him.

As the chief of his tribe he was open to challenges, as was custom. He was expected to overcome these challenges boosting his honour.  But if he lost then the challenger would become chief. This was now his predicament. Only the tribe’s elder, Zanara, believed in him and had advised him to keep trying. He had argued that he would be shamed again but the elder said “There is nothing more dangerous than an enemy with nothing to lose, which is what you have become”. His sole thought of restoring his honour is what kept the blood in his veins, his heart beating and urged him to take another step.

A trumpet, loud and clear cut across his thoughts. He froze. Again, he heard it. He scanned the horizon and saw a herd of elephants clustered around something. His better instinct told him to continue but his curiosity was just too great. He ran and stopped at a safe distance from the activity. He couldn’t between them so he crept forward and climbed a nearby tree. What he saw both horrified and amazed him. A baby elephant had fallen in some quicksand and the entire herd was gathered around, trying to pull it out. He watched, transfixed, as the calf was pulled up slowly by all members of the herd. The fight was between physics and the sheer will of the herd. Slowly the calf was brought up and into safety. What had seemed like a hopeless endeavour had turned out to save the calf’s life. There was hope. There is always hope for those who seek to find it, who persist. Those who try will succeed.

45 comments on “Inspiration

  1. Jaimy Elsen Roy on

    Well done and impressive!! This is just a part of you and the more you write, the deeper are the hidden treasures within you. Good luck!

    Reply
  2. Sachin Sebastian on

    Great piece of writing. Vivid descriptions bring the story to life. The narration is fit to be a script for any movie, effortlessly helping the reader visualize the scenes. You definitely have a way with words. Especially liked the way you have left details of the back-story to the reader’s imagination. Keep writing!

    Reply
  3. Auburn on

    Beautiful Sanjay. What an incredible gift and what hard work to create something so vivid and beautiful. Would love to read more!

    Reply
  4. Noelle on

    Congratulations Sanjay ! This is a beautiful piece of writing . I love the way you set the scene – wonderful use of language .to draw us into your story . I look forward to reading more !

    Reply
  5. Vipin Kumar Kaimal. on

    Good one. Keep writing and build up own style. Also start speaking. You have potential. All the best. God bless you.

    Reply
  6. Gaurav on

    Excellent work adding up experiences and presenting them as a story. The way you paint picture with words is amazing.
    Hoping to see more of it..

    Reply
  7. Ranjith on

    Very thought full and inspirational writing. Never loose hope and fight till you achive what you aim for. Well written Sanjay…

    Reply

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