Only dried grasses stirred within the domed savannah. He’d always had to live alone. I waited by his favourite baobab.
Before spotting his lumbering form, I sensed his mind. His, and another’s. My stomach clenched – we were promised the holidays.
He welcomed me with eager, gentle strokes of his scarred trunk – no sorrow, your doctors healed someone.
Then I saw her. A tiny goat, atop his shoulders, her surgical scars still fresh, mind wide with wonder, reaching for us – home?
He nuzzled her with his trunk – home.
Soon, I’d have to leave again. This time, they’d have each other.
© 2021 Rebecca Glaessner
December 2: Flash Fiction Challenge « Carrot Ranch
In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story that includes the littlest Christmas goat. Who does the goat belong to? What is happening? Go where the prompt leads!
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Rebecca Glaessner Author 
I like the goat and the elephant as friends. Maybe the story doesn’t require the goat to be injured.
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I was thinking of an extinction case, scientists bringing creatures back from the brink, or from DNA samples of old. I agree, the focus on their coming together could’ve been enough for this piece too. Trying to squeeze in the understanding that the animals were unlikely to exist at all, was tough for 99 words. Thanks for stopping by!
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Yes, that 99 word thing… sure makes us hone our skills. You’re getting all kinds of great story and scene seeds to sow and grow.
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Excellent story, Rebecca. Unlikely friendships, indeed!
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Thank you! Glad you enjoyed this one
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…at least they will have each other. I like this.
I had to look up the tree. Amazing plant. Reminded me of cactus that are hundreds of years old.
A cactus doesn’t even get its first arm until it is 50 years old.
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Wow! I didn’t know that. I have an Aunty whose passion is in cacti, her garden is gorgeous, some she’s only just seen flower for the first time in many years and others are huge from decades of free growth. I love how remarkably adaptive cacti have been in order to survive, how resilient and beautiful and selective they are. Biology was a favourite subject of mine, so cellular interactions are fascinating on all levels. All living things, even bacteria and viruses, just blow my mind. Baobabs are similar to cacti in how they survive and present themselves. Beautiful organisms, all of them. I can’t pick a favourite animal or plant just because they’re all so deeply unique and deceivingly complex all at the same time.
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I had relatives who lived in Arizona. We drove through this ‘forest’ of Cacti… Basically there were two kinds. Of course I don’t remember which (I looked it up one was/is a Saguaro). But the one that has the prickly spines and often the ‘butt’ of back into them… jokes – that one that stores water for other animals… we saw some that had up to seventeen arms and were at least as tall as a small house.
I even got cacti seeds. I grew some – but either with trying to transplant them into a bigger pot or overwatering… well I don’t have them anymore. Some cacti only bloom once a year if they bloom at all – if I remember correctly.
A video of the park…
https://www.nps.gov/sagu/index.htm
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How beautiful a place, that park. Makes me think of Dune, and the Fremen’s hope for its greener future. I love how the folks living nearby the park, caring for their own native cacti, allow the animals to eat the fruits first before harvesting it themselves.
The kids have their own cacti, I killed one of them (overwatering/mould) but the others seem to be hanging on, 8 months down the track..
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Very sweet! Just what we need to think about, now…
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Thanks Liz! Glad you felt the warmth of this little scene
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I’m wondering about the goat’s surgery?
Baobabs are amazing trees.
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Me too. I was thinking she’s genetically modified due to the extinction of goats, and animals are rare, but they managed to get one to survive? What’s your thoughts on it? And baobabs are wondrous.
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