After a heated argument with her abusive husband, Sarah couldn't bear to sleep in the same house as him so she quietly grabbed her baby and a few supplies and made for the car. She would drive her way to her parent's and she didn't care what time it was. She knew the roar of the engine would make the man come after her. When she got to the car, she slowly opened the door and strapped her infant's car seat at the back, placing the baby in it and hurrying back to the driver's seat. When she got in, she took deep breaths as she turned the keys and the car jerked awake.
The husband on hearing this rushed outside but before he could get in her way, she stepped on the accelerator and zoomed off.
Sarah had to turn down the front and rear door glass for some fresh air to blow in instead of using the AC, she felt the need for fresh air as the evening breeze was cold and soothing. She turned back for a second and looked at her baby who was already sleeping soundly in her infant car seat. Sarah heaved a sigh of relief as she tried to focus on the road despite the many thoughts in her head.
"How did I end up with this man?" She spat and tears welled again in her eyes.
Suddenly, she felt an urgent need to empty her bowels and pulled off the road. She quickly tended to her business and returned to the car, but to her horror, the baby was nowhere to be found.
"Oh no, no, no please no!" She slid her fingers on the window of the car as she regretted leaving it open.
Panic immediately set in as Sarah frantically searched the car and surrounding area. She was about to call for help but she was on a lonely road with thick bushes on each side.
When suddenly she heard a faint cry coming from nearby bushes, she cautiously trailed the sound trying hard not to wake any wild animal that may be sleeping somewhere. The bush was wet and slippery, mosquitoes humming and following her ears trying to distract her but she remained quiet as she stealthily walked in following the cry. The cry soon sounded close enough and she turned on her flashlight, surprisingly she found her baby in the arms of a gigantic gorilla.
Sarah was torn between fear and relief as she realized that the baby was safe, but she knew she needed to get the baby back. She remembered reading about a method used by wildlife rescuers to retrieve infants from gorillas. The technique involved speaking to the gorilla in a soft and calm voice, making slow and non-threatening gestures, and offering the gorilla food as a distraction.
Sarah took a deep breath and slowly approached the gorilla, speaking to it in a soothing tone. The gorilla looked up at her with curious eyes but made no aggressive movements.
Soon she realized she had no food to offer the gorilla and dashed back to her car to get some fruits which she offered the gorilla. Just as the gorilla reached for it, Sarah gently but fearfully took her baby back into her arms and slowly retreated.
The gorilla accepted the fruit and watched as Sarah and the baby made their way out of its sight.
Sarah was overjoyed to have her baby back. She made a mental note to always be more aware of her surroundings and to never take her safety for granted. She placed the baby back in her safety seat, turned up the front and rear door glass.
"What a night!" She exclaimed and hit the road again.