On their first night at the orphanage the latest team watched a man race in to the compound with a spitting cobra wrapped round his arm ... head gripped vice-like in a reassuringly experienced hand. The writhing slowed until finally the creature hung as straight as a rod, deadly fangs dripping poison in the open mouth above.
So I wasn't too surprised at Jayaraj's email this morning about elephants in the camp. Here's the article from The Times of India ...
Six extremely dangerous beasts on the rampage for food after poor rains left their forest home short of the fodder they need. They crushed homes to raid food from kitchens as owners lay still-as-a-board so as not to be seen. Behind the herd you can see the blue roof of the new dining hall our team made so beautiful and that I wrote about in 'Reverse Entropy' on night 18/40. They loped into the orphanage itself and rested where the new church is being built.
It's a little insight into life so different to our own. Never will elephants rampage past my tent ... even if sometimes it sounds like they do. Never need I worry about a two-fanged bite that could spell the end of my days. But Jayaraj worries.
So he's building a wall. A wall to keep the dangers out. Snakes can't scale it and elephants won't crash through it. Monkeys can swing over it, but they don't bring the same danger ...
Soon there won't be a chance for elephants in the camp, and another peril will have gone from the little ones' lives. The job is endless, and the perils countless ... we're on our way and so much has been done. I doubt, thought, that there'll ever be an end to navigating through danger, or an arrival at completely safe harbour.
So we voyage along with them, and pit our all alongside Jayaraj and his team for the safety of the children through whatever each day brings.
If you'd like to give to that end, then please ...
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