written by Nicky Sulter

The Noise in the Night

illustrated by Jo McLaughlin

In a busy city there are many sounds that carry on way after bedtime. Jabu lay listening to the cars whizzing past on the motorway, the sirens of the emergency vehicles and the screech of brakes as the traffic lights changed. He was not used to these noises. He came from a quiet village, where after sunset, all was still until the entire village was woken, often way before first light, by the non-stop crowing of the resident rooster.

Jabu had come to stay with his Ma. She worked in a big house, where she took care of the three children of the family who lived there.

He was going to a new school in the city. He had to wear a crisp, white shirt with a scratchy collar, a blue and white striped tie, a stiff, uncomfortable blazer, shorts, and worst of all, closed black lace-up shoes and socks. In the village, he often didn’t bother about shoes.

Jabu felt worried about going to a new school where there were so many children from many different places. He longed for his village school, where everyone knew him well and cared for him. He sometimes felt left out - not just because he was new .

One evening , sitting high in the branches of the tallest tree in the garden, Jabu caught the sound of something he had never heard before - not a car engine, a siren or the screeching of brakes. It was a deep, booming, powerful rumble. It sounded so out of place next to the hum of the city. It frightened him a little. It made his heart thump.

On many nights, when the wind blew in the right direction, Jabu heard, over and over again, this strange, rather scary sound. No one could tell him what it was or where it came from.

Weeks went by, but Jabu still felt left out at school. He was different, he knew that. People stared. He felt uncomfortable and excluded.

One still, hot Sunday morning Ma put on a pretty summer dress and a big bright hat. She was taking Jabu on an outing. It was a surprise.

The walk was not long and Jabu skipped happily next to his Ma, kicking the stones on the pavement. “Where are we going? Please Ma, where?”, he kept asking, but Ma was quiet. It was a surprise.

When they arrived at the big gate many, many people were milling around. There were bus loads of families, babies in pushchairs, children in their Sunday best outfits, Gogos leaning on their sticks, determined to enjoy the day, men selling colourful balls, and windmills. Jabu felt a prickle of excitement.

Once through the gate, Ma explained that they were going to see many different animals; new and old, big and small, but there was nothing to be afraid of - all the animals were behind walls, fences or bars.

Jabu, his heart racing, rushed ahead in amongst the crowd but, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. An earth-shattering noise, drew him towards a cage where, high up he spotted two small, furry creatures, just like those cheeky monkeys who stole from the crops at home. Their screeches were deafening – like whooping sirens. Frozen, Jabu watched and listened.

He swung around to see if his Ma was close by. She was not there. But, once more, he was rooted to the spot. This time by the sight of an enormous, grey animal with gigantic ears, an incredibly long nose, and as he looked up, he saw long eyelashes and gentle, wise eyes. He felt very tiny next to this giant.

“Look, Look Dad, it’s trunk is almost tickling me, ” yelled a small boy, close by.

Just in time, Jabu felt his Ma’s comforting arm around him, while she whispered in his ear, “It’s an elephant.” They watched, spellbound as the elephant slowly collected up bunches of hay with his trunk, and then carefully stuffed them into his mouth.

They moved on hand-in-hand. Ma bought an ice cream for Jabu. It was cool and smooth and so tasty. As they walked slowly up the hill, his mother tried to answer all his questions about the elephant. But his attention was quickly caught by two odd looking heads in the trees.

“Those long-necked, blotchy animals are giraffe,” explained Ma. “ A mum and her child, just like us!” said Jabu.They watched while the two giraffe ate from a high tree-like platform. Every now and again, while chewing the grass, the tall creatures would look across and stare, as if they were wondering where these tiny things came from.“Ma,” whispered Jabu ,while pointing. “Do you see those two? They are almost as tall as the giraffe.” Ma chuckled.

From one cage to the next, Jabu pointed and gasped and laughed as he discovered more and more animals he had never seen.

“That bull has very big horns Ma, and phew, it’s so stinky!”

“It’s a buffalo. It looks like one of the bulls at home, but it is very dangerous. Those giant horns are not just to improve his looks. They are very grumpy animals and if you make him cross –

qaphela!”

Ma sat down to rest her feet. “Ma, Ma, get up! Look! Look! Can you see the two enormous bottoms over there? What are they? They’re huge”

“Jabu! No!” Ma was hot and tired and irritated by his rudeness. “Come boy! I don’t know what they are. Anyway, we need to get back,” she said sharply.

“But we haven’t finished, look there are more cages over there. Please, please can we see,” begged Jabu. And then he heard …

raaaaaawwrJabu felt the sound inside his chest. His whole body shook. He instantly recognised the call and had to find where it was coming from. He raced on, leaving Ma shouting behind him. Down the next path he flew, following the sound. At last he could solve the mystery.

He dashed around the corner and in front of him was a large open area. And there, like a king, sat an animal unlike any of the others. As Jabu gazed in wonder, it turned its great furry head, stared at him with big yellow eyes, opened its huge mouth and …

raaaaaawwrThat was it! Now Jabu knew where the night-time roar had come from. He could hardly contain his excitement.

But suddenly, he noticed something strange. The great beast was different to the other animals in the enclosure. Yes, it was the same huge size and the same, beautiful shape. It had the same way of resting with its mighty paws stretched out in front.

But, it was an entirely different colour. The others were a rich, golden colour, but its fur was white. He’s just like me thought Jabu, an albino. And he doesn’t even care about it!

As if to agree, the lion gazed gently up at Jabu, yawned, and closed his eyes to the low afternoon sun.

Drifting through the window that night, on the warm summer air, Jabu felt comforted by, what he now knew was the sound of a lion’s roar. Not just any lion, but a lion who was different from the rest, but who still belonged, just like Jabu.

2013