Chapter Text
A jeep rides through the rainforest of Thailand, by the evening, the driver was escorting a family of three consisting a father, a mother, and their precious daughter who is causing some mischief.
“Robyn, dear, please sit down or you’ll fall.” The mother, Lillian, pleaded in an English accent.
The playful child giggles while bouncing on her seat, slightly leaning on the edge of the vehicle. The girl's father, Howard, next turns around with a stern frown on his face.
“Listen to your mother, Robyn, or no dessert when we get home.” He spoke with a heavy, stern English accent
Robyn pouts as she plops on her seat, she glances back along with a sincere smile from her father. The girl felt her mother soothing her back averting Robyn’s attention to her.
“Momma, please tell me a story.” She pleads with her emerald eyes, leaning to her mother to make herself comfortable.
“Which one?”
Robyn places a finger on her chin, thought for a moment.
“The little lamb story!” She says enthusiastically.
“Oh, that’s a good one. Are you to hear it, all nice and bundled up?” The mother chuckles, picking up a blanket to wrap Robyn’s small body.
Robyn snuggles within the blanket, her head now moving to Lillian’s lap. Lillian smooths out Robyn’s blonde hair as she begins the tale.
“Once upon a time, there was a little lamb who lived its mother, Mama Sheep. The lamb and Mama Sheep would spend their days playing in the meadows for hours, eating the honey dew grass, drink in clearest streams. Then, one day Mama Sheep told her lamb that she must search for the freshest grass for them to eat, and that little lamb should stay here and never leave.
Once Mama Sheep left, a sneaky fox came and told the little lamb that he knows where the freshest grass was and that the lamb should follow him. The little lamb hoped that Mama Sheep would be there waiting for it, but it was a trap. The fox pushes the lamb into a pit, and said it won’t return until sundown for him to eat the little lamb. The lamb cries and called for Mama Sheep until a kaleidoscope of butterflies took pity on the lamb so they lift the lamb off the pit and flew until-”
As Robyn started to doze off, until a loud bang shot through the night sky. Lillian’s instincts kicked in covering Robyn’s head with her arms.
“Howard, what was that?” Lillian asks.
The driver stops and gets off the car, Howard took off his seat belt and get off the jeep.
“Howard, what are you doing?” Lillian whispers loudly.
“Just stay in the jeep, we’ll be back.” Howard glances at Lillian then at Robyn.
As soon as the men disappeared into the direction of the loud sound with their flashlights. Lillian needed to be with her husband, but Robyn was snoozing, so she hastily made sure Robyn was comfortable enough.
Lillian hops off and follow the men at a far distance, it didn’t take long to hear some yelling. She crouches down to avoid being spotted, her husband began to speak.
“Tell them that this is illegal, and that they should leave this forest or else we’ll call the authorities!” He yells as the poachers, all carrying their guns, mocking at the foreigner as the driver timidly spoke in their native language.”
“Please, we don’t mean to intrude but my customer says that if you all don’t leave this forest, we’ll call the authorities.”
Unfortunately, the men laughed, their leader who wears a defining scar across his face smirks.
“You both know too much, should’ve stayed in your country.” He points his rifle at Howard, while the rest pointed at the driver.
“No, wait, please spare me! I have a wife and-.”
Howard’s body fell as blood splattered from his chest, Lillian cups her mouth, hiding her shrieks.
“He had a family, you should’ve spared him.” The driver shouts.
“It’s nothing personal, it just business.” He pulls out a knife and thwarted at the driver’s head, killing him at an instant.
Lillian scurries from her hiding place, but the noise of rustling leaves caught their attention.
“You three, go after them. You four, bury the bodies, thoroughly...” The leader watches his men chase after Lillian.
Lillian ran as much as her legs can carry her, to get to Robyn. Upon arriving, she picks up her bundled daughter and ran within the rainforest, she didn’t care about where she was going but had to save Robyn.
Her heart beats faster as the men were getting closer to her tail. At this moment, Lillian knew that if they continue longer, she and Robyn will be killed. It was she was sworn to do as a mother, to risk everything for their child, even at the cost of a life. Tears began to form as Lillian thought about what would become of Robyn, alone in the rainforest far from home, she hopes that somehow someone will find her and take her home.
By the corner of her eye, Lillian found a small hole withing a hollow tree. She places her small daughter there, made sure that the blanket covered her entire body. Then, Lillian took off her locket, that carries a small family portrait.
After placing the locket inside the blanket, Lillian silently sobs.
“I love you, my sweet dove.” She kisses her head and ran into the darkness.
Only to be followed by a singled gunshot, far away.
The sun greets Robyn as she opens her eyes. Attempted to stretch her legs only to find herself in a crammed space.
She scratches her head, she crawls out of the hole, only to slip and fall face down. She whimpers as she got up, still in the rainforest.
“That’s strange, why am I here? Where Momma and Papa?” She says, then a reflecting light stings her eyes, she finds her mother's golden locket.
She picks it up inspecting the jewelry.
“Maybe momma left it. I need to find them.” She says to herself.
Little Robyn walked endlessly, the hope that maybe her papa would find her so she can return the locket, then she saw smoke.
To her horror, she gazes at the burnt jeep. How could this happen? The girl sloppily climb to the burnt vehicle, there was no one. Her tiny hands begin to seer with soot as she digs, but she yelps at the hot touch. Then, she ended up finding her open pink backpack, hastily taking it. She didn’t find anything useful inside, but it'd be better to take it with her. After rolling up the blanket into a small bag, she walked deeper into the rainforest.
Hours had flown by, Robyn’s feet grew weaker, so did her legs. Her stomach growls, it seemed like a lifetime the last time she ate. Even worse the sun is setting down, the darkness rising into the jungle. The little girl runs to at least bump into somewhere safe but it was no use, her imagination ran wild as she fears whatever monster could come out.
Her chest grew heavy, tears forming.
“Momma! Papa!” She screams in desperation that they will come to her, yet it’s no use.
“Momma...Papa...” She whimpers, falling to the ground, the evening chills touch her skin.
In an open area, she felt her eye lids closing. Her body pressed to the ground, ear attached as she covers herself, curled into a small ball as she drifts to an uncomfortable sleep.
Suddenly, her ear picks up thump noises as if someone is approaching. As her vision clears, her eyes widen at the marvel. A herd of Asian elephants, consisting females and their calfs, came to her.
On her knees she lowers her head, remembering that some people pay their respects to them like in the legends of gods using elephants as transportation.
The herd halts together as they spot the small child. Robyn kept her eyes on the ground, to make herself vulnerable as possible so they wouldn’t kill her.
Yet, the elephants immediately knew that it was a young human, but alone. They slowly approach the girl, one bold elephant sniffs her with her trunk. They realized that the girl isn’t a threat but sad. Their motherly instincts kicked as they all begin to touch the girl with their trunks. Robyn perks up to feel warmth coming from their gentleness.
From that very moment, the herd took in Robyn as one of their own, and she took the herd as her new family.