Vanished

I kidnapped an elephant from a traveling circus train crash. At least I think I did. I know I found myself in those hills.
It all started in October, the leaves were dying their vivid colors. I had no reason to leave my town, but I left anyway. There was no end destination in mind. I took my car and just drove away. Scenery flew by and my foot remained fixed to the gas pedal. I didn’t tell anyone I was going, nor did I take anything with me. I wanted to travel without burden.
My car broke down near the mountains. I left it there and kept going. Everything is worse at night because that’s when the paranoia kicks in. I walked until sunrise. I had no identity, no location; I was no one.
There was a town that one only dreams about, homey and free of chain stores. It was a destination among many. They knew I didn’t live there; that I was a stranger, yet someone took me in.
She was widowed. I liked her. Despite my repeated protests, she would insist on cooking me massive breakfasts every morning. She told me she missed cooking for someone. I already miss the stories of her childhood. Her home hadn't changed over the years; it was frozen in her memories. Wallpaper contaminated with mildew clung to the walls. Nearly everything but the heavy furniture had yellowed. I stayed for a week and left with a renewed faith in humankind. It was rejuvenating that some people were still pure of society’s ills.
I moved along on my way, knowing winter would be soon be biting at my heels. Things were better on foot. Nature mattered.
The trampled grass was the only proof of my existence.
That night I slept by the river and prayed for safety from nature’s beautiful destruction. Days continued to melt by and still nothing mattered to me. I was free from life’s responsibilities, all of them seemingly unnecessary. My family probably thought I was dead.
November snuck in and things continued to die. My shoes snapped dehydrated branches and startled unseen wildlife. I continued trekking across the unknown land.
I found another town and received unexpected stares. What had happened in the world while I was gone? Everything clicked when I caught my reflection in the counter top. I had become an unkempt vagabond. It was time for new clothing, some warmth.
I stayed in this town. I met the single serving friends that you open up too, knowing full well you will never see them again and that all you say won’t matter if you give it time.
There was a faded banner in the distance, one that bore the harshness of weather for many years. The sun-damaged banner boasted that the circus was coming to town. Memories of my childhood flooded back to me. I used to think of joining a circus, despite being clumsy and having no visible talent. Acrobats and other circus performers always amazed me. They always seemed so free. I wanted that sort of weightlessness and more importantly, I now longed for some sense of worth to my existence.
The banner was abandoned but my renewed sense of passion was not. It was at that moment I decided to join a circus. It was an odd and childish desire but I was already on a path to absurdity.
The biggest problem was finding my location and finding a circus to join.
Not wanting any possessions, I continued to walk.
The time that progressed became hazy. Eventually, like a mirage, I saw caravans on the horizon.
As if by fate, I had indeed found my circus. I felt happy, something that was a rare sensation for me. I met and spoke to the right people and soon was given a place. As it turns out, the animal keeper was looking for a replacement and somehow I got the job.
They told me they were going to head south, to avoid the weather. We moved out the following day and I began to learn what it took to care for an elephant and the appetite this enormous animal dictated. Not to mention the other four cages of animals. Exhaustion gained a new definition.
I didn’t like socializing with the others. They were all kind to me, but my time of solitude had left me a recluse. So I spent my days with the animals. I watched them watch me and we learned each other’s behavior.
It took me a bit to learn who to feed first. The former animal keeper didn’t alert me the tricks of his trade. The lion, that muscular beast, would be very vocal in his complaints. The first time I experienced this I was scared out of my mind. Basically all I did is chuck a huge piece meat in his cage, I didn't know what he did with it, it smelled to bad for me to stick around.
As for the elephant, Lily, I knew I would stay with her, her eyes showed me warmth that I could not find in another human. It was one of thanks and acceptance. She did not care who I was or where I came from. She was content with the fact that I was there to care for her. She told me so, in a manner of speaking. Elephants use every method they can to communicate with others. She liked to prod me with her trunk.
She was the only animal that tried to communicate with me, unless I was missing something. The ponies seemed content with each other.
The rain came and the dirt became mud. The groan of the caravans became a melodic part of the trip south. I felt as if I had traveled backwards, I had been away from home for an eternity it seemed and all the convenience was gone. This traveling was legitimate work.
When we arrived near the mountains, the rain turned to snow and the progression slowed even further. Things became slippery and we could only move during daylight, it was the least treacherous time.
Tragedy struck the following week. Some of the caravans lost control on the ice and crashed. In the chaos of broken items, I wanted to flee. The past months had been filled with disillusion, and this was far too much to take in. My charge, the elephant, was obviously distressed and freezing cold. In the confusion, I quickly unlocked her cage, gently tugging at her collar. We headed down the path and it was then I saw the blue and red light bars.