Jungle Revolt: The True Colour of a Fox

By Fomundam Eric Awandeh

In the jungle of animals, where everyone is compelled to live on edge, not knowing what to expect the next moment, misfortunes and sufferings of all types,when they befall individuals, are accepted as a natural and blessed necessity for the continuation and sustaining of life. Once in a while, however, this rule is overturned in the anguish of the pain caused by such a dreadful reality. In Jungle Revolt, the merciless slaughter of the family of Mr Pig before his own very eyes compels him, in his humbleness, to dare this long established and fast rule of the survival of the fittest in the jungle. And notwithstanding the obviously formidable challenges to such an unprecedented undertaking, he manages, at the expense of his own life, to shake the foundations of the rule leaving behind a lasting legacy that does not necessarily annul the rule, but brings relief to many.
Jungle revolt tries to explain a peculiar and age old human phenomenon. On account of different abilities and natures, stronger human beings tend to lord it on the weaker ones who, on account of their weakness are generally resigned to the undesirable fate. Occasionally, however, because of this unpleasant reality, these weak ones stand up in revolt, yearning for a better life, and even though they may not reap exactly what they desire, their situation, compelled by a Higher Power could not be exactly the same again.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Sep 6, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456789299

Fomundam Eric Awandeh

The author, born in 1976 in the north western regional headquarters of Bamenda, Cameroon, grew up to quickly notice the great disparity in the fortunes of different people in his society, and the world at large, and became interested to understand the explanation of this disparity which, in this piece, he does not take as much interest in the cause of the disparity as in the reaction of the less privileged, which he believes must come one day, and the resultant consequence of such a reaction when it does come. He is also the author of the renown NELSON MANDELA: A Purpose fulfilled.

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© 2011 Fomundam Eric Awandeh. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 9/1/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4567-8928-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-8929-9 (e)

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Contents

PRELUDE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

PRELUDE

Many, many years ago, before Man had domesticated any of Nature’s creatures, and before these very creatures had lost their ability to speak, here and there, in the midst of the apparent calm and satisfaction and peace amongst all the inhabitants of the jungle, an undercurrent of uneasiness reigned. Occasionally, and even sometimes frequently, a pack of animals could be seen crossing one part of the jungle to the other. Others were seen here and there grazing or playing or bathing in the sunlight, or even in the cool shadows. Elsewhere, the ultimate reality of this apparent heaven on earth was perceptible in the cry of a helpless animal, almost always an herbivore at the mercy of the ruthless claws and teeth of a carnivore who was simply procuring its daily requirement of food, just as the herbivores searched out and consumed plant life.

Like a spell from an Omnipotent Hand, no one really cared, accepting the activities of the food chain as a helpless reality that might even be cherished. Then, it happened to a particular victim, and all of a sudden, that victim believed that Nature had made an error that must be corrected. As enormous and unprecedented as this idea was, it just seemed to be that rare moment in Nature when major developments must prevail, ushering in a new age. At such moments, whether the jungle inhabitants were ready or not, they were pulled along with events, even if they were to suffer for their decision to do so.

The truth, however, is that there was really nothing arbitrary in these developments, which were only the fulfilment of the one great rule of all life—creatures must always reap what they have sown!

CHAPTER ONE

From a distance, only the wonderful endowment of trees in countless varieties and sizes, grass, flowers, and other plants was evident. Though turned brown for the most part by the harsh dry season, the luxurious growth was testimony of Nature’s magnanimity. But that was only one part of the story. In the midst of this steaming vegetation, which could project a false sense of passivity, was anchored a more active reality: the fauna—otherwise known as beasts—gave true life to the jungle and, by apparent right, at least for the greater part, held a grip over the sprawling vegetation.

This was the jungle, the home of the earth’s beasts. While it was indeed home to those who in various ways enjoyed it, it concealed at the same time a cycle of the most vicious and fast rule—the rule of the survival of the fittest! Thus, just as the class of beasts called herbivores, without any reflection or second thought, fulfilled their daily desire for food and energy by devouring the helpless and stationary plants, they themselves, in turn had no choice but to face the prospect of serving as food to others, except where, with exceptional vigilance and skill, they could thwart the ever-ready onslaught of their own predators, the carnivores. As it was, everything and everyone lived on edge, expecting anything to happen at anytime and having little or no means to overturn this fast rule. And until things changed, the reality had to continue, even if to some it was a reality of absolute injustice. Like anything created, change was not necessarily inevitable. It could come, but the big question was, if it did come, would it reshape everything so that the jungle really became a veritable heaven for all?

Mr Pig, very fat, healthy, and looking very nasty from the effects of the pool of mud in which he had just been wallowing, emerged at the far end of the narrow track he had beaten out for himself. A thick coating of sticky mud covered a large part of his body. His family of two piglets, equally dirty, and his wife, pregnant and bigger than he, followed behind and uttered the same growling sounds he was uttering. It was a hot morning, almost at the beginning of the dry season—and this dry season promised to be harsher than the others they had witnessed. The sun had just risen from the east, but its rays, not withstanding the partial shade provided by tree leaves, were already as hot as if it had risen earlier. They were sweating and feeling very uncomfortable despite their visit to the muddy pool they had just left, but hunger was pushing them forward. They were hurrying to their newly established daily routine of pear eating.

A short while ago, while strolling in the forest in search of food reserves, Mr Pig had come across a large pear tree and got a most splendid surprise. The tree was laden with large black-and-green pear fruits; indeed, even the ground around the tree was covered with inviting fruits. Some had gone rotten. These were evident by the flies feeding fat on them. Others, mostly those that had just fallen, had not gone so bad.

Hasty to satisfy his voracious appetite, he had hurried home and gathered up his lucky family, then led them to the pear tree and its ever-tempting fruits. Thereafter, the long trek to the site had remained an unavoidable daily chore.

‘Hurry up, would you?’ Mr Pig commanded now, increasing his pace and growling, barely resisting the urge to cry out for those pears. ‘Those pears!’ he shouted. ‘If only we could carry that tree home, who would ever be hungry again?’

‘There’s always a way to achieve any desire, darling,’ said Mrs Pig philosophically, adding, ‘If only we could first get rid of those savages! Those amorally ruthless gluttons who call themselves kings of this jungle. A jungle that has to belong to everybody equally and fairly has become the sole property of a group of unkind creatures that Nature has forcefully set upon us all. If only we could eliminate them, then that and other desires could be easier to accomplish.’

‘No hope about that, is there?’ Mr Pig said discouragingly. ‘We only have to be happy to see the end of an old day and the beginning of a new one. In that sequence, life keeps going. And by the way,’ he added impatiently, ‘I’d be very happy if you would stay quiet and quit talking about those cruel bastards! Don’t talk about the Lion, Leopard, Panther, and the other monsters that live here. You know they scare me. Merely thinking about them literally makes me sick!’

‘Sorry, darling, I won’t lead your mind to thinking about them again, but I just hope we shall continue to make successful runs to our tree. Every day we see blood spilled on our path. Death is no longer a strange phenomenon,’ Mrs Pig said. Her joy in anticipating the prospect of the meal they were about to savour could not disguise the sadness in her eyes.

Soon, they arrived at their pleasant destination. The tree, a real giant for a pear tree, was situated in a small clearing in an area of the forest that was otherwise thick with giant trees of many varieties that formed a large canopy overhead. Beneath the trees was a dense undergrowth. Mr Pig was quite sure that his new hunting ground was safe from the wild cats and the other herbivores. Proof of this was the luscious fruits that were lying all over and those that had already gone bad.

‘I don’t think that, from here, they can even lurk somewhere and watch us,’ Mr Pig thought by way of consoling himself as, with passionate appetite in his eyes, he led his family to the pears.

As the family had expected, there were many pear fruits under the tree, and they immediately went to work eating them greedily. In fact, they all became so involved that they forgot about each other. For his part, Mr Pig had found several unusually large ripe fruits and was gnawing at them. The fear that had been in him only moments before disappeared as his jawbones munched steadily and rapidly. Shortly, one of his children, attracted by the size of Mr Pig’s pears rushed over to share with him, but was quickly discouraged. ‘What a stubborn and greedy child! How dare you interfere with your father’s meal in all this abundance? Eat that way, will you?’ And the young one, growling, ran off in the other direction, leaving his father to continue with his feast. Mrs Pig, who had stopped eating to hear her husband’s words, swore quietly to herself. ‘Even his children mean nothing to him when it comes to food!’

For a short while, Mr Pig lifted his head and looked at the thick bush and trees that surrounded them, and for once, his attention turned from eating. Apparently he felt guilty at the way he had treated his own son. ‘I speak harshly to my kids,’ he thought. ‘But I love them. They’re all I have got—my only kids. I cannot stop wondering if they’re safe in this deadly jungle. If those savages could tear through this thick bush and hungrily appear in front of us now, what would happen?’ He trembled at the thought, momentarily losing his appetite. He turned and looked at his wife, and strangely found himself admiring her. To him, she was clearly the most beautiful female Pig that had ever existed in the jungle. She was the only survivor of a Pig family that had been ruthlessly devoured by the wild cats. The raid had been launched at midday when his wife’s Pig family had been blissfully resting after a heavy meal. The impatient wild cats had not wasted any time, and in a twinkling of an eye, the licked bones of the annihilated family had lain in scattered heaps. At that time, Mr Pig’s