Reviving The Jungle

Honey Coated Reflections

Dawn crept into The Jungle as quietly as a teenager sneaking into the house after curfew, sure-footed and smooth. While everyone else continued their slumber unmindful of the new beginning, deep in the jungle someone stirred awake. Griz got out of bed, rubbed her eyes and made her way slowly to the pantry. There was just a week before The Great Slumber Party and she needed to double check her stock.

Blueberry Marmelade that Haaz licks off the bottle? Check
Raspberry jam? Check
Frozen salmon? Check

Frozen salmon in the jungle you ask? Now I know you won’t believe me but you see, Griz knows someone who knows someone whose ancestors were from Alaska and that’s how she knew how to save salmon for a wintry evening snack. Of course, it is a secret and the only reason I know it is because I was there when Griz did it.

So can we please forget the salmon and get back to the story?
Griz stared long and hard at the row of shelves. Something wasn’t right and then it hit her – Honey! How can one go to bed peacefully knowing there was no honey to wake up to? She looked into the cave; Haaz was on his back, his rotund belly doing a rhythmic dance of its own. Realizing he was not going to wake up in time, Griz rushed out towards Elephant Grove for that one bottle of perfect honey.

If you’ve ever been to Elephant Grove earlier, I am sure you would love the walk. First you passed Emeralda Square, the luscious pasture where Griz met Duck and exchanged stories, then came the MangoMumpteen, the hippest hangout joint in the jungle where we met every evening for a drink. Ofcourse, Gif & Gef missed the last one as they were out gallivanting as usual. Them giraffes can't keep their necks in place, if you ask me. But yeah if you ever want to drown your sorrows in a mango martini or throw the cause of the sorrow into the barrel, then that’s the place to be!

Now Griz didn’t like walking alone in the jungle, much less early mornings when there was hardly a robin out. Dawn was growing stronger and the few rays of sunshine that escaped the huge green canopy above hugged their dews, bringing a sparkle to the entire jungle. But nothing seemed to shake Griz from her goal. She walked a straight path to the Grove to catch Ms.Bumbles before she sold her best honey to someone else.

As she passed the MoonBeam Lake, Griz paused to take a drink. She leaned towards the blue waters and looked deep into her own eyes. First thing she noticed were the gray hairs on her fur. The dark circles around her big brown eyes weren’t adding much glamour. The more she stared at her reflection, the more faults she found; a little nick there, a cleft that would’ve looked better on Haaz, the baby fat she never lost…the list was endless and soon she forgot all about the honey.

The Sun rose higher, the jungle got louder but Griz stayed rooted to her spot caught in an unbreakable spell. She stared deeper into her brown eyes and saw them slowly dissolve into the blue ripples of the lake as the wonders of the lake swam into view. The green moss bed at the bottom, fishes in every possible hue wiggling their tails in an aquatic choreography, the water lilies trying to reach towards the heavens…she saw it all, for the very first time.

And then she rolled on the bank and laughed and laughed till she cried. That’s Griz for you. Do you wonder if she really made it to Ms.Bumbles and got that jar of honey? This is what she told us that evening, “You know what Zeb? I found my honey at the bottom of the lake that morning. All I needed was a change in perspective.” I nodded my head absent-mindedly as I looked at Griz through my third martini glass. Geez! Griz did look twice her size from this angle. Guess I need to change of that perspectush now. "Duck, will you order another martini for me please?"