I met Terry in 2015 during my tour trough Eastern Africa. I had known that Africa is full of wonders and I was ready to search for them. Zambia was on my way, with an intention of refreshing myself on the astonishing Victoria Falls in a place called Livingston.
It was late at night when the drivers hungry for some customers gathered around the bus trying to catch a pray. Richard was the only one who didn't scrap his claws on the bus window so he was chosen to show me all the wonders of Livingston. He exposed me the itinerary of the the things I had done so far but not in a specific way: rafting on Zambezi with the rapids grade 5 (I did the rafting only once with the rapid grade 1), then safari with rhinos which are very hard to find and to come close (even though I had spent already two weeks in National Parks of Kenya and Tanzania); tasting a crocodile ribs and at the end he mentioned a meeting with the king. So, he promised me to encounter the king and I wasn't sure if I heard it very well. Not with the chief, not with the mayor but with the King. I didn't see this one coming. Who would refuse to meet the king? That was the question I asked myself all that night. Like every woman, I couldn't decide what to wear for such an occasion.
In the morning Richard of Livingston showed up with the a tie and tuxedo even if he had mentioned that no dress code was required. I tried to look elegant and comfortable as well so I chose a black and white combination.
According to the plan, I started the day on Victoria Falls. Richard showed me the monumental stone which hight represents the level of the water that British colonialists had found when they had settled here. Queen Victoria would be probably devastated by the fact that this level is already lower than the bottom part of the monument.
When I came in front of Victoria I was almost to take a bow. What a piece of nature so huge, so loud, so strong, so powerful to tear apart the Earth, standing between the love of Zambia and Zimbabwe and not giving them a chance of being together ever. Even Zambia is straggling to hold its the ends together with a single swinging narrow bridge. I crossed that bridge getting all soaked but I didn't have absolutely any regrets of spoiling my "gown". On the other side of the bridge, right on the edge with Neverland, the Devil himself set his foot making a jacuzzi. While locals don't mind the gap and take a swim freely, I didn't want to tease the Devil so I took a seat on a nice piece of rock and I let only my feet to enjoy this royal coldness.
All the vegetation found in Livingston and wider is a work of the Falls. It is so rich in cellulose that our distant, distant relatives baboons make themselves comfortable here, on the trees around the falls. They still keep the same pattern of stealing the bags and the food as a way of hospitality. That's why I tried to pass them doing absolutely nothing to get their attention. I didn't take a lot of pictures even if it looked like they minded their own business because I know that they can get easily irritated. I just swallowed a big dumpling and took a quick walk through their territory.
When Richard showed up I knew the time to finally meet the king had come. After ten minutes of ride I came to the kings's chamber. It was not a castle but un infinite space under the sky. This king is not limited to stay inside of walls. Terry was young, only three years old but old enough to take over the throne and it looked as if he was not paying an attention to my presence. His two year old sister Diana was with him. She was a little bit more friendly than her brother and I introduced myself to her. Diana was willing to pose for the camera but Terry still didn't give any signs of friendship. I just stayed starring at him, a bit frightened because I didn't know how to start the communication. All at sudden Terry stood up and approached me. My blood got frozen when I saw he was up to my waist and his head was bigger then my whole torso. Hi looked me right into my eyes. Hi might have jumped on me and served me for a dinner to his family. But obviously not as hungry as a taxi drivers, he just started walking and I started following him through the jungle. We didn't communicate much but I felt we knew each other for a long time. The jungle looked like a big maze to me but he knew well all the passes and there was no way he could get lost. We stopped to see the group of his baby cousins playing soccer with some worn out ball. I dropped my sunglasses in front of them and they all curiously gathered around touching the glasses with their paws but Terry warned them with one single roar to behave. I found out that they are very playful creatures even if that play sometimes can have a fatal consequences and Terry does everything to protect his family. He stopped and took a sit next to my foot so I could touch his mane. I still feel the excitement of getting lost in the huge bush around his had and I suggested him a good hair conditioner. I checked if my hand was somewhere around me. No it wasn't. It was on its place and still in use. He told me to try to put some blush to my pale cheeks and I got some color from his thick fibre of his tale. I spent an hour with Terry which is more than enough for such a friend. I was scared, I was worried but somewhere deep inside I knew Terry wouldn't hurt me. That was the first and the last time I saw him. I am wondering if Terry's still out there holding his throne. I am not going to meet him ever again but I will always remember him. He is the only king I've ever met!
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