The reserve was in a place far away from everything known because there was kept with great suspicion what was left of the planet Earth. A single entrance and a single exit inside the bowels, the two poles. A light gave energy to every living being, a new sun, a star that shone inside. There was a sky, reddish and an inner sea where microscopic creatures lived. They arrived there many years ago fleeing from the catastrophe and found a way to survive, the inner land had given them another chance.
It was a paradise where certain rules were respected, the most important of which was not to kill. The food chain had given way to a single form of food, a gaseous substance, blue in color, with a sweet smell similar to that of jasmine that came out of some holes in the rock. The decomposition of everything that inhabited the surface of the planet had produced this compound. It flowed without rest, it seemed to never run out, or at least that was what the studies carried out by the personnel in charge of monitoring indicated, but it was not like that and it was running out.
The plants, as a consequence of the adaptation to this change of environment, did not use chlorophyll for photosynthesis but red pigments and their leaves were that color. Insects were also red and lived on them, without pincers or jaws, only a mouthparts as a kind of proboscis through which they sucked the gas that kept them alive. The fungi proliferated in that environment of high humidity, changed from one state to another with amazing speed, the surface was filled with their different shapes and colors: flattened, bulging hats, ear-shaped, and changed in minutes to long filaments with spores that floated in the air and moved towards the orifices where the gas comes out.
The animals that had survived the changes were some species of mammals and reptiles; birds and fish had succumbed to the contamination. Elephants were the least dominant species in this world, as they reproduced very slowly.
Isolde, a small, lively-eyed woman, one of the most experienced keepers, kept track of the number of elephants born in a year.
"The growth rate of the elephants has increased a lot in the last month, in the region of the baobabs, there is almost no more room for other animals. See"
He had handed the registration sheet to his companion Isis, a young woman with very pale skin and reddish hair and pale blue eyes.
"It is true Isolda, this month eigth elephants have been born here, four more than last month, it has doubled, there must be a reason. We have to find out what it is".
"We are going to prepare a reconnaissance expedition. Tell Mauro and Ezequiel to prepare the necessary material and the vehicle that will take us there."
"I can go too?", Isis was anxious to know the land of the baobabs.
"Of course! it's time for you to get out of this gray building and these old books and see the reality with your own eyes".
The caterpillar-wheeled transport moves over the rocky terrain, a gray and reddish rock that forms hills and mountains that reach two thousand meters high, and goes down to a swampy plain, where it dives into the vegetation, thousands of spores float on the surface. On the way out they reach a forest where they hear the sounds of the animals that live on the trees: monkeys, squirrels, bears, tigers, snakes, lizards.
They cross a river and reach the land of baobabs, huge branched trees with roots that protrude from the ground. This region is surrounded by endless caves, no person has managed to find the end, it is a very dangerous labyrinth.
Isolda, Isis, Mauro and Ezequiel get off the transport and start walking towards the group of elephants resting on one side of the caves. They count fifty elephants of small stature and short tusks. Their trunks are so long that they reach the ground, and they insert them into the holes to suck in the gas.
"They look like they are preparing for a long journey, look how they store the gas in the bags on either side of their ears". Isolda points out to the others, the leader of the herd, a female, the oldest, her skin has many folds hanging down. "Look how she is communicating with the others."
The elephant is wagging her tail from side to side, and the others are doing the same.
"We're going to have to stay here for a few days to find out what's going on", Ezequiel starts looking for a place to set up camp. He is a tall, dark man of ancient African descent and a great connoisseur of elephant behavior.
The light begins to grow dimmer, it is time to rest, and the gas diminishes until it becomes almost imperceptible.
As the hours go by and the intensity of the light increases, the activity of the herd increases, and they approach one of the caves in an orderly fashion, one behind the other and holding their tails, the baby elephants are glued to their mothers and with their trunks they hold on to their ears.
"They are going to enter the cave! We have to follow them".
"It's very dangerous Isis, we could get lost". Isolde is cautious
"But if we follow them, we won't get lost", Mauro grabs the bag and starts to move forward.
"Wait Mauro, we have to be sure", Ezequiel holds him by the arm.
"I think we don't have time, and we already know that we can't be sure of what is going to happen, this planet has taught us that everything can change in an instant".
"Mauro is right, let's follow the elephants before they all enter the cave, we have to take the risks", Isolda puts her backpack on her back, and together they follow the herd.
The cave is in semi-darkness and the walls are black and shiny rock, the path ascends and descends, it divides into several paths, the old elephant knows very well where they are going. Ezequiel marks with phosphorescent paint each of the caverns they have entered.
They reach a point on the path where no more gas is coming out of the openings, the elephants use their energy reserves to continue their march.
The expedition members feel exhausted, and at every step they find it difficult to catch up with the elephants.
"I can't go on, I'm too tired, Isis sits down on the cold rock".
Mauro tries to lift her up, but he doesn't have the strength either.
Isolde has already given up and lies down to wait for death. Ezequiel approaches to encourage her.
"You go on, I feel good here, I'm calm. I have lived long enough, and I am not afraid of dying, I have reached the end of this road".
"We cannot leave you", Ezekiel gets a lump in his throat and hugs her.
"You are strong, help Isis and Mauro, I am sure that at the end of this cave, there is hope, something good is waiting for them, the elephants are not wrong, they are wiser than we".
Isis, helped by Mauro and Ezequiel, gets up and moves away from Isolde. They reach the elephants and the ascent is now steeper, after a long stretch of road they see a different light. It is so strong that for a moment they cannot see.
The elephants have reached the home of their ancestors, the ancient African plains. The surface of the planet has changed, time has decontaminated it. The sky is deep blue, the sun is still a yellow star and green plants cover the ground. Nature has recovered from its illness.
"As they could, know it and as they arrived?", Isis was as surprised as she was amazed at what she was seeing for the first time.
Ezekiel approaches the herd that seems to be waiting for instructions from they old elephant.
"Because elephants do not forget, their memory told them it was time to return".
Thank you very much for reading. This is my participation in The Ink Well Fiction Prompt #113
