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might suddenly jump out of his reach. Slim hands worked
meticulously to remove the stained wrapping. He hesitated for a
moment; then lifted the wrap to his mouth. He took a long time to
finish the food; savouring each bite as though it was his last. When
he looked up, the stranger was gone. He leant back contentedly,
willowy hands hovering over the small pendant at his throat; the last
reminder of his former life.
The corpse of a buck, bloated with the oppressive heat of late summer loomed
in the distance. Unwanted meat had been left to rot after venison was stripped
from the bones. Two young hyenas cackled gleefully over the tender meat. The old
hyena’s nose quivered inquisitively as he approached, brown eyes gazing avidly at
the food only metres away. It was unlike hyenas to share what they scavenged, but
perhaps the ones before him realised the dire urgency of his situation; the
unfortunate predicament he had found himself in. He moved in as they stepped
aside, barely acknowledging the aged hyena. Nose stained with blood, but stomach
blessedly full he retreated away from the other hyenas. The tree beneath which he
settled cast an elongated shadow across the ground; it was welcoming shade from
the blistering heat. Drowsiness washed over him and he fell into a deep slumber.
The sweltering sun crept ever closer to the horizon. He would welcome the night.
For the great, star scattered chasm brought with it the cool breath, of a new day.
‘
The Kindness
of Strangers
10