Saffi?

“You OK up there?”

Turn around. It is tight up here. Oh there she is. The sky’s turning. Whoa, step back. Look away. “Yes, I’m alright, just… getting my breath back.”

“Is he up there?”

“No, no he’s not.” He really isn’t. Even up there.  “I’ll wait here. See you back on… on the rocks.”

“If you’re sure… I’ll see you later.”

“Thanks Saffi.”

Now what? I’ve never seen this land like this. Maybe I’ll never will again. Oh if Mufasa could see it too. He’d love it. He’d see his kingdom all new. The sky so beautifully blue, and there: Pride Rock, standing in green, brown and gold. “How wonderful it must be in the rains.”

“Ah yes; very wonderful.”

He’s here! He’s been here all along! Where? If this place was only a little bigger… Where is he? “Where are you? Down there?”

“No, no, don’t look down! Don’t want you falling out.”

Where is he? Why is he upside down? Oh…. “Why not? It might be easier.”

“So are you going to tell me what’s wrong? Lionesses don’t just climb up here for no reason you know. Actually they don’t climb up here at all.”

Tell him? Where do I start? What is wrong anyway? That’s what I’m here to find out. “Rafiki, what’s wrong with me?”

“From here, I’d say nothing, but you tell me. No, no wait! Let me…”

What a complete fool I am. What am I doing in a monkey’s tree admiring the scenery?

“…You can’t sleep. You can’t concentrate. You aren’t hungry. You want to be alone yet you always want someone with you. You think no one understands you.”

“How did you know? That’s exactly it! So Rafiki, what is it? What’s wrong?”

“Yes, yes, nothing’s wrong. Everything’s right.”

He knows everything. I didn’t need to say a word. He knows, but he won’t tell me. He’s playing with me. “How can everything be right when everything’s wrong?”

“So, who is it?”

“Who is what?”

“Who you in love with? Who else?”

I’m not in love! I’m ill. Can’t you see that? In love? With… “Mufasa.” I’ll never be able to show myself again. I’ve got to leave the pride. Sarafina… she can tell me how to live alone. She’ll know.

“Ah, yes. That’ll please your mother, and king Ahadi, and his mate and… ah yes, everyone will be pleased for you. Now then, what is the problem?”

Where’s the rest of the sticks for his bundle. I just told him the problem. “Problem? That’s it.”

“Is it? Not a problem to me. I don’t think the king will mind, and Mufasa? Heh-eh, if he sees it as a problem then we’re all in trouble eh!”

“There’s more…”

“Ahh, in that case you’d better start at the beginning.”

“When’s that?” When did it start? I don’t remember when. I suppose it started when Mufasa was presented, but I don’t remember much about all that. He doesn’t want to know all that does he?

“Oh dear, it must be a big problem.  But, before all that, tell me: how did you get up here?”

“I climbed up.”

“You’re friends with that Sarafina aren’t you?”

“Sort of.”

“You do know I know about the Jamalayla incident?”

“You do?”

“Oh yes. And where is she now?”

“Gone home.”

“Did she tell you that climbing up trees is easy,”

What’s he on about?

“…but it’s getting down that’s the trick?”

“She didn’t actually mention getting down…”

~oOOo~

What’s that up there? Rafiki said I should look up more, maybe he’s right. It’s heading for Priderock. Interesting, it’s turning, it’s coming here. Ah well, it can look all it wants. It’s getting close, landing up ahead. Oh, it’s him. What does he want?

“The king wants to see you.”

“Well he can want on.”

“I really don’t think you’re taking the king of the Pridelands seriously enough.”

“He can’t order me about.”

“Oh miss Sarabi. Ahadi just wants to talk to you; that’s all. He is almost your father after all; even more when you and Mufasa are… well, when you’re together.”

“Well he’s not, and we’re not either. Maybe we never will be. And he should know better than to send you to do his dirty work, Zazu.”

“Now see here! I am the king’s majordomo. Where would he be without me? Delivering messages is but one of my many tasks. Some… well, yes, maybe he could deliver himself but you know how it is. He’s the king and the king can’t go here there and everywhere just to say ‘come and see me’, now can he?”

“Save your breath Zazu, I’m going already.”

“And take Sarafina too, he wants to see her as well!”

“You tell her!” That’ll get him in a flap. So, what is it now? He’ll want to know how I made a fool out of his son, out of my Mufasa. I’d never do that to you Fluffy, you know I wouldn’t. What can he do to me? I’m to be Fluffy’s queen, he can’t just throw me out of the pride. If he did there’d probably be a few who’ll go with me.

~oOOo~

It’s taking a while to reach the rock. Come on Sarabi, think of something… “So what’s it like:  living alone?”

“It’s not what you think. Anyway, I wasn’t alone for long. No, you really don’t want to know.”

“Yes Saffi, I do. I’d like to know, if you want to tell me. Please.” She won’t tell, will she? Ah, she hesitating, pausing, stopping, looking up at me. She has kind eyes, mother’s eyes.

“Look, I was in a pride, long way from here. It got taken over. Two brothers, big guys, mean, throw their weight about. You know the type. They came in; killed my brothers and sisters, all of them. They left me alone: alive that is, because… they took a fancy to me I suppose. I was old enough, almost, but they couldn’t decide. You know, who was going to… first. It all got nasty: they argued; they fought. While they were fighting their petty battles, I left: just ran. My mother followed me out. She said I wouldn’t be able to survive on my own; someone would have to go with me. So we left together.”

Saffi, why didn’t you tell me all this sooner? Why did you keep it all in, it makes everything that happens to me like nothing.

“We ran: anywhere, it didn’t matter where. A few days later we got hungry, we had to eat. So we brought something down together: my half a kill. My first half anyway. We moved on. We didn’t know if they were following: it didn’t matter, we were just going. We saw this big rock thing in the distance; way off. So we thought we’d go there. We’d got about half way, we’d better eat again. Another kill, you know: easy. Only, she… got mauled, badly kicked… she didn’t make it. It was my fault: I didn’t know what I was doing. She died because of me, and I was here: starving, barely alive. You know the rest. So no, I’ve not lived alone, carefree and wild. I was never that…  I ran away. That’s why I’m here.”

“It’s OK Saffi.”

“Whatever you do, don’t, don’t tell anybody. It’s my secret. I’m not telling anyone else.”

“Are you alright?”

“Yes… no, but I can’t help that. We’ve got to see the king.”

 

Ahadi

 

“Do you think we’re in trouble Sassi?”

Of course we are. “I got you into this.” She deserves more. “Don’t worry; I’ll get you out of it. It’s my fault.” The king’ll want to tear me off a strip or two, but hey, he can’t do that much if he still wants me to be his son’s queen. The son he’ll say I’ve dishonoured. The son… Ahadi: he’s a son too. Mufasa: he deserves happiness. Mufasa, Mufasa, Mufasa. It’s been a beautiful evening; we could have been spending it together: watching the river go by, slipping across the lugga, curling up in our kopje.

“Hey, what’s up? Thought of something to get us out of this?”

“No, no, it’s OK. Come on let’s get up there and get this over with.” It is a nice evening: cool. The moon’s up, white, bright and shimmering. Is Fluffy looking at it too?  “Oow! Do you mind?”

“Don’t keep stopping then. It was only a walk by nosing.”

Ah it’s cold; towering over us, tomb-black. All the joy is gone, taken by the silver-shadowed moon. Mufasa can’t be here. He cannot be where love isn’t.

Hard, high, hope-forlorn rock. A lost king’s empty throne….

Twisting over the stone, soft-padding the trickles of soft earth between. Up and on; the slope of the promontory sliding away into the moon-shone night.

“There’s no one here.”

“They’re here alright.” OK Ahadi,

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