Name: Hadi Aqil

Class: 5 Gratitude
Date: 17/8/23
An Autobiography of
A juvenile hippo

It was another beautiful day as I splashed into the river to protect my delicate, prone-
to-sunburn skin from being fried in the blazing hot sun. I never thought that it would
be the last time that I woke up in the beautiful, lush green African savanna that I call
home…
I was playing in the river with my friends while my parents and the others were
drinking to satisfy their throats that were as dry as a bone when suddenly, I heard a
roar for help. I turned around and saw a Nile Crocodile gnawing on a male hippo’s
leg. These crocodiles are a common problem for us when we drink from the rivers of
sub-Saharan Africa as they also live there. Although a hippo could easily beat a
crocodile in a fight, this hippo seemed to be struggling to fight the crocodile so my
two best friends, Rocky and Lulu, and I sunk our teeth into its hide to try to pull it.
“Stop trying to pull me, you pipsqueaks! I am trying to eat here!” exclaimed the
crocodile.
My father appeared from nowhere and pierced his jutted canines which were sharp
as the tooth of time into the crocodile’s skin. The reptile let out a deafening shriek
before scrambling out of my father’s tooth and swimming away.
“Now, that is how you deal with a croc.” My father quipped.
That was what I admired about my father. He was a strong hippo and always know
how to deal with predators trying to invade the territory. The whole herd was so
caught up with what was happening that they did not notice the platoons of big
moving objects with bright glowing yellow eyes advancing us.
The big moving objects were no other than human transportation.
I knew Rocky and Lulu noticed them as well. Their faces were as pale as death itself.
We were rooted to the ground and we were like deer in the headlights when we
stared at the objects. My father noticed my lifeless expression and realized what was
going on.
‘’Humans are coming!’’ my father bellowed in a serious tone.
Pandemonium broke out when they saw the platoon of human transportation
advancing, only meters away from them. The whole herd was in full panic mode.
Hippos were rampaging around the river but did not know where to go.
Lions and crocodiles are dangerous but they are nothing to us. Humans? They can
only mean bad news. After all, their poachers and hunters were the reason that our
population declined and that our habitats are confined to limited areas. The
transportation came to a stop right in front of the river.
The humans left their transportation and started leaving trails of cabbage leading
towards this hollow metal cuboid with a small transparent rectangle etched on one of
the walls carried by their transport.
‘’Wait, how did they make it transparent?’’ I asked no one in particular.
I remembered that they could freeze water using their advanced technology but I
doubt that the thing would still be intact in the sun. Later, I came to know that this
unique material was known by humans as ‘glass’. I looked down and saw a piece of
cabbage on the ground. Instinctively, I ate it. I saw another one, so I ate it again.
After my thoughts about glass, I remembered the trails of cabbage leading to the
hollow, metal cuboid. I did not want to enter it but the bait was so alluring (and
delicious) so I was convinced to be lured into the containment, followed by Rocky
and Lulu then my parents.
The metal containment closed in.
At first, although there was lots of food and plenty of water to go around, the
containment was stuffy and hot like an overloaded sauna, even for my parents. After
a while, it suddenly started to get cold, a temperature that is abnormal in Africa.
“Auntie, it’s so cold. How are we already in the Arctic?’’ Rocky asked my mother.
My mother looked out at the transparent rectangular window and answered,” No, we
are not in the Arctic. We’re still in Africa!”
We looked out and saw a pack of hyenas ambush a water buffalo.
“Where are our parents?” Rocky and Lulu said in unison.
“They should be somewhere in one of the containment cuboids.” answered my
mother.
We waited for hours, hoping that we would be released soon. Long story short, we
finally stopped somewhere but it turned out that we were entering the stomach of a
big metal bird which flew to Giza Zoo, Egypt.
Finally, we were released from the containment and into a weird-looking place which
had a watering hole and did not look like home at all. But my expression lit up when I
spotted a familiar face.
“Grandpa!” I exclaimed with joy and hugged him
“It’s exhilarating to see you again, kid,” said Grandpa.
Now, I live in the hippo habitat of Giza Zoo entertaining the visitors who see me
every day. Although I am not in Africa anymore, living there with my family and
friends makes me feel at home.