A cool breezes swept dirt from the dry grounds of the Kalahart desert through the air as a mod of meerkats slept peacefully below. It was another calm night as the animals of Africa dreamed knowing no danger was to harm them that night. All slept but one audacious little kit who wanted to watch the sun rise.
It was not long before the morning light touched the ground and spread through out Africa. The kit’s eyes grew wide in amazement at the sight of the mixture of colors in the once dark sky. The kit scurried down a hole as the sun’s light began to shine through the leaves of a nearby tree.
Leaping gracefully over her brother and sister she approached her parents, lightly panting. She gentle pushed against her father’s head in attempt to wake him, “Daddy?” He continued to snore as she shook his arm, “Daddy?”
She continued this, but still, he would not wake. Finally, she came up with a clever idea that was shore to work. She got down on all fours and slowly stepped back a few inches behind her. She dashed off at a great speed and leaped into the air. At that moment, her father turned on his back just as she landed on his stomach.
The meerkat yelped in pain as his stomach went in. Planting his elbows on the ground he bent forward as much as he could to find his youngest daughter with a blissful grin spread across her tiny face, “Morning Daddy!”
“Kya, what on Earth…?” The kit’s father began to speak.
“You promised me you would watch the sun come up with me today, remember?” Kya interrupted
“Huh? Oh, yes! Yes, that’s right,” The meerkat stood on two legs as his daughter jumped off his stomach. He yawned as he stretched his arms out.
Kya’s head peaked out of a hole in the ground which was soon followed by her father’s with Kya on top of his. Kya giggle as her father reached up and removed her from his head, setting her on her feet. The kit ran on all fours toward a boulder more than ten times her size.
Once on top of the boulder, Kya sat down with her small feet hanging off the edge. Not too far behind her, her father did the same. The two inhaled the fresh morning air and exhaled at the same time followed by a deep sigh. There was a long moment of silence before either one of them spoke.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Kya’s father smiled.
“Yeah, all those pretty colors,” Kya studied the colors, “Dad, do you suppose that if you walked far enough you could touch the sun when he wakes in the morning?”
“Maybe,”
“What do think it’s like on that side of the world?”
The meerkat father scrunched his face in thought, “I don’t know sweet heart…”
“Well, guess!”
“Alright, alright,” He thought for a moment as he scratched his chin, “Well, I bet it’s a wonderful place, where everything is perfect. A place where there is no such thing as work! We’re free to do as we please and have fun all day!” Kya’s father could see the excitement in Kya eyes.
“I’d like to live in a place like that…”
“Every one would like to live in a place like that… but, there’s no proof that there really is a place like that…”
“But, there’s no proof that there isn’t!”
Her father chuckled and rubbed her little head, “Hm, you got me there!”
Kya’s father sighed, “I’m not sure if touching the sun is possible in a place like that, but I’m sure there’s some place out there similar. I mean, any thing is possible.”
Her father’s words brought a small grin to her face. A dreamy look grew on her face as she gazed at the dawning sun. With a deep sigh she spoke the words that were on her mind, “One day, I’m going to adventure off where no meerkat as gone before… and find that place,”
“Well, don’t go venturing off too soon, you’re still just a pup,” Kya didn’t even bother to look at him; she was deep in thought. Her father took this chance to leave knowing she didn’t like to be disturbed while daydreaming.
As he quietly left her to think, he noticed his wife watching the two of them from entrance of their tunnel. A joyous smile was upon her face as he approached her. He wrapped in arm around her shoulders and glanced back at his daughter (whom was still watching the sun) with his wife.
“She’s growing up fast,” Kya’s mother finally spoke.
“Yeah, a little too fast…”
“Is something wrong?” His wife eyed him; a bit of fear in her eyes.
“It’s nothing, really… I’m just a little worried…”
“Worried? What on earth could you be worried about?”
His wife looked at him and watched as his eyes motioned toward Kya. She understood what he was trying to say. Kya was known to wonder off on her own too much. She detested being told what to do and didn’t like to listen to orders. Her grandfather thought of her as being moronic, but her parents knew it was because she had no fear.
“She’s a daredevil that one,” He smiled and shook his head.
“Lord knows what she’d do if she came face to face with a predator,” Kya’s father could almost swear he heard his wife’s heart pounding after saying those words, “but I’m sure she’ll be fine,”
“Who knows, maybe Kya is who she is for a reason… and besides, I don’t think we have the power to change her any way,”
With that said, the two of them jumped back down the hole and into their tunnel, today was going to be another busy day.