A Friendship

On the coast of Trincomalee, I, and everyone else, watched as the two friends met again. I just so happened to travel to the Pearl of the Indian Ocean years ago to visit family when I saw the friends the first time. It was an elder man, now probably in his late 70's, and a now 15 year old elephant, walking side by side on the beach. For strangers, it seemed like a very strange sight. I saw them when I was a teen, and now seeing them as an adult, it made me realize the strength of their friendship.

When I was a teen, I went to visit family on the island. Like many of the locales and tourists, one of the key things to visit was the beach on the coast. The cerulean coloured blue water crashed onto the shores of the beach, showing just a glimpse of the force of nature that was the Indian Ocean. As I ventured onto the beach and walked on the golden white sands, I saw them for the first time. From far away, you would think the old man was being chased by the elephant. I ran to my parents and pointed in the direction of the old man, fearful that I was about to witness the man getting hurt. My parents told my relatives, who laughed off the notion. They told myself and my parents about the two friends, and how they met.

Years ago, when the elephant was just about 3 or 4 years old, the old man was on the beach, enjoying another brilliant sunset on the shore. A shady man was watching the old man from afar, watching like a hawk. The old man was known around town as a once wealthy individual, who was stricken with grief from the loss of his family during the 2004 tsunami. He would always visit the beach every sunset, looking at the water in a solemn and silent manner. Sometimes, if there were anyone who wanted to get the street vendor food nearby and didn't have enough money, he would pay for their food. The locales all knew him by name, and no one would bother him when he would sit at the same spot he would always sit at on the beach. Even during storm season or rainy evenings, the old man would always be in that same spot. One time, when a cyclone hit the area, a bunch of locales had to band together to drag him to safety. As soon as the weather died down, there he was again the next evening, staring at the waters.

But this time around, it seemed like the shady individual had other plans. He watched the old man, as he started to creep towards him. The old man never budged his eyes from the water, and would only divert his attention once he was ready to leave. The shady individual ran towards the old man, hoping that he could rob the old man. It was a bold decision, considering the way the old man was beloved in the community and anyone and everyone would run to his support if need be. As the shady individual got to the old man, he pushed him down, trying to grab the old man's wallet. The old man was trying to fend for himself, with people from afar beginning to run to the old man's defense. But a saviour came from nowhere. Out of the trees at the far corner of the beach, came an elephant, charging full speed ahead. The shady man stopped what he was doing and looked at the elephant, almost in a trance. The elephant was rushing towards them, full speed ahead and shouting a loud cry from its trunk. The shady man began to run away, but the elephant caught up to him. It smacked its trunk on the shady man, as he fell to the ground. The elephant lifted its front legs from the ground, towering over the shady man as the onlookers watched. Everyone thought the elephant was going to trample the shady man, but all it did was smack its legs back down to the ground, just shy from the shady man's legs.

It almost felt like an unspoken threat, as the shady man got up, weeping in fear, and ran off into the now slowly darkening night. The onlookers all looked as the elephant slowly went back to the old man. The old man got up and looked at the elephant, who with its trunk, extended it towards the old man, almost like a symbolic handshake. The old man shook it, with the elephant making an almost joyous sounding noise. From then on, whenever the old man would go to his spot, the elephant would always be nearby, almost like a silent guardian. The local kids and folk would go and feed the elephant and play with it, but the elephant's eyes never darted away. One year, the old man fell ill for a month, and was forced to bed rest. Falling into a somewhat depression, the old man would cry himself to sleep, from not being able to visit the beach. But life and the universe work in mysterious ways, as the elephant, after a few days, found where the old man was resting at. Until the old man got better, the elephant did exactly the same thing as he did on the beach: always staying near his side, not letting its eye sight divert away.

My relatives said that it had been about 12 years since that initial incident, but the same thing would always happen. Through rain and shine, through thick and thin, the elephant and the old man would be seen on the beach. Over time, the old man began to move around a little more on the beach. Instead of staying at that same spot, he would walk the shores with the elephant. The unique thing was, both of them would just walk and not make a sound or talk. It was an unspoken bond, and the only speaking would come when strangers came to talk with them or want to take photos with them. Now, as an adult, I asked my parents and relatives if it was okay I went to talk with the old man and elephant. They said sure.

I went over to talk, as the old man smiled and welcomed me to sit down. He told me he named the elephant Karnan. I asked him why he named him Karnan, and the old man said that it was actually his son's name. He believed that his son was reincarnated into the elephant. I sat and talked to the old man, as Karnan came and extended his trunk towards me. I shook it, with Karnan shrieking another joyous laugh. After sometime, I had to go back home with my parents and relatives. I said my goodbyes to the friends, as I walked away. I looked back to see the two just looking at the water. It was an amazing sight to see. How humans and animals can just coexist, without saying a word, but understanding each other so well. I'll never forget that time I met those two and interacted with them. Sometimes we think we know life, but an instant like this can remind us the beauty and sanctity that comes with living. We all are given life to live and to understand why we live it. For the old man and Karnan, it might be a simple understanding, but they understand their lives a lot better than others. They have each other, and they spread joy and happiness to others without trying. I hope they are enjoying another sunset, basked in the glow of the sun and the salty air of the Indian Ocean.