“Welcome to the Serengeti Safari Park!” The young tour guide exclaimed with a strong African accent, his dark eyes shimmering with excitement. While we entered the dusty old Jeep, I could feel my heart racing. The brown paint was peeling off the side of the car, and the seats were worn down and broken.
As we approached the first wild animals, everyone stood up to take pictures of the lions and buffalos on the vast African plain. The huge trees covered the landscape with shade. I could feel the sun burning my face as I leaned out of the window to take pictures of the lion cubs. We continued driving for a while, until we reached a herd of gigantic elephants. One of the elephants came so close to the Jeep, I could see each discrete wrinkle and line on the skin of the elephant, moving with every flinch to keep the flies away. It was breathtaking watching one of the young elephant calves standing up and taking slow steps for the first time.
After a while, the tour guide brought us to the highest point of the National Park. The sun was setting behind the mountains, filling the sky with thousands of different colors. It was the last piece of sunlight for today, which meant it was time to head back to the village. On our way back, the tour guide explained that he will take a faster way back to the Safari camp, before it got dark. As we drew closer to a small narrow road, the sun was set, covering the forest with darkness. We drove on through the tapered road, for what seemed like forever. My eyes were slowly shutting, and I could feel myself drifting away with the sound of the birds chirping around me.
Suddenly, the car stopped, I could hear screams and gasps of the people around me, everyone rushing towards the front of the Jeep. Not knowing what had happened, I slowly stood up and approached the broken glass window. Far away in the darkness, I could make out a shadow lying on the side of the road. As my eyes scanned the lifeless body, I noticed the blood flowing down the road and into the forest. My heart racing, I got closer and closer to the figure until I saw what it was. I caught a glimpse of the huge body and hooves of the animal. But as I searched for the horn, there was nothing but a hole on its head. His eyes were flickering in the darkness, and as they started closing, I could feel a small tear trickle down the side of my cheek. I looked around me and saw the hurt faces staring at the cold body on the pavement. Even though the ride home was spent in silence, I could feel the sorrow and despair of the people around me, everyone deep in thought about the shadow on the side of the road.