Pinto The Jungle Girl.
Episode 3.
… I jumped down all of a sudden, and started to run after the truck screaming Joe’s name. Lilo too ran as fast as his legs could carry, but the more we ran, the more they sped.
“Pinto! Pinto!!” Joe screamed but Lilo and I were so helpless.
I climbed Lilo again and we ran and ran after them but then, a man peeped from the window, pointed a gun at Lilo, and then shot one of his legs. Lilo tumbled immediately, flinging me aside. I became unconscious for about a few minutes, and as soon as I managed to open my eyes, Lilo was beside me with his cheek rubbing mine. My eyes popped open all of a sudden as soon as I remembered what had happened and immediately, my jaw dropped in awe.
“Lilo!” I exclaimed looking into his eyes.
“That gunsh0t, were you hit?” I quizzed with eyes still glued to his, and he nodded slowly stretching forth his injured leg.
By Blessing-Enejo Abrahams Elleywrites
“O my god!” I exclaimed with hands covering my mouth.
I gently grabbed his injured leg and looked closely at it. There was not much bleeding, but the bul!et was still in there. I stood up and started to rub his head.
“Can you manage to get up?” I asked and he nodded sporadically again.
He managed to stand up standing on just three legs, while the shot leg was suspended in the air.
“You can do this, right?” I asked again staring at him and he gave a nod.
Gently and slowly, we walked back home after spending more than two hours on the jungle road.
As soon as we reached the living room, Lilo fell to the floor and started panting heavily. I brought some water in a bowl and gave it to him but he only took a few sips and then rested back his head on the floor. Gradually, Lilo started losing his strength. I rushed into the kitchen, brought out a kn!fe and I stood before Lilo holding the kn!fe in my right hand. When I was much younger and working in the palace, I used to see those guards extracting bul!ets from each other’s wounds. I would pretend to be mopping the floor but I saw all they were doing, and how they successfully extracted bul!ets using sharp objects.
I moved closer to Lilo, and then squatted before him. I shut his eyes using my left hand, and slowly, started to extract the bu!let. I had never done this before in my entire life, that was my first time. He remained so calm and quiet at first, but as I began dipping in the kn!fe, he let out a very loud scream with his head up. So loud that even the birds perched on the trees close by all flew away as soon as they heard his scream but I didn’t stop. All of a sudden, I pushed out the bul!et and as soon as I did, Lilo fell his head back on the floor with eyes closed, and then slept off.
“I’m so sorry for this Lilo” I said wiping off tears from my face.
I picked a few leaves, squeezed them, and then dropped the juice on the injury. I then went to get a few broad leaves and covered him with them. I was there on the floor for hours watching him sleep, and at the same time thinking about Joe.
“I pray he’s safe” I once muttered to myself.
Later that night, I shut the door and windows, lit up the lamp, and then kept it beside Lilo to keep him warm. That night was the first cry I cried in the jungle ever since Grandma d!ed. I needed to go in search of my brother, to save him but I didn’t know how. I picked up the diamond from where I kept it, stared at it, and then gave it a kiss, and kept it back where I had hidden it. If they had wanted the diamond, I would have given it to them in place of my brother. Ever since Dad abandoned us, Grandma, Lilo, and Joe were the only family I had left. And now that Joe had been taken, I didn’t even know how or where to go in search of him. I was awake all night, thinking of what and what to do.
The following morning as soon as I woke up, I rushed out of bed and went straight to where Lilo was lying in the living room. He was just lying there with a warm body and with eyes still shut. There was nothing in the house to eat, so I dashed into the bushes to pick fruits for Lilo and I, and then returned after a few minutes. But, when I returned, Lilo’s eyes were now opened, but unable to move his b0dy. He tried communicating with me using his eyes but I didn’t understand what he was trying to say and at that moment, I thought he was trying to tell me that he wasn’t ok. I abandoned the fruits I carried in a basket by the corner and then rushed to him.
“Are you ok?” I said rubbing his forehead but he was still moving his eyes sideways, trying to tell me something.
As soon as I raised my head, I saw the shadow of a human standing right behind me…
To be continued!
Do not copy without giving credit to the writer.
©️ Blessing-Enejo Abrahams Elleywrites
