Nile River Rivalry

It was a competition older than the two villages. For as long as the two villages existed, separated by the Nile River, so did the annual games. Every year, people from all over would come to cheer on the two teams. To the north of the Nile were the Srenoos, and to the south, the Snrohgnol. Both being an equal distance away from the Nile, made the river the perfect place to host the games. What was the game you ask? A two mile race along the river, ending at a famous feature of the Nile river: a massive swell of water called the Nottoc Bowl. The prize of the race? The winning village was declared King of the Nile for the next year, along with endless bragging rights.

Isnana marveled at the event, and could barely contain her excitement as the event came near. Although she was from the village of Anahg, her family, along with the rest of her village, would make the journey to see the spectacle, as it was the biggest sporting event in the region. Isnana never thought it was fair that her village did not compete in the competition, even though her father reminded her time and time again that it was for the top athletes only.

“You know Isnana, us elephants are not the fastest creatures out there," he would tell her.

She would remember how the participating teams would run through the towns in preparation for the race, and it was true, they were quite fast! Still, she did not think that was good enough reason why they couldn’t participate too! She gathered up her friends, and in typical Isnana manner, devised a game plan. They were going to join the race!

The day of the race arrived. The start line had been drawn, and the two teams were warming up. The kids were usually free to run around and play while the adults socialized, so no one even noticed what the kids were up to…

The announcers called for the two teams to line up, and all of the spectators took their seats. Isnana and her friends were nowhere to be seen, but with all of the buzz of excitement, no one took an interest. The racers lined up, and crouched down into their running stance. Bang! The gun sounded, and the runners were off. The two mile race had begun, and little did the spectators know that that a third team would soon be joining the race…

Two miles down the course, crouched in the bushes, were Isnana and her friends. From where they were sitting they could see the finish line, as well as the racers coming from the start line. When the racers neared, the gang was going to jump out of the bushes and cross the finish line. The plan was set, and now all they had to do was wait…

The runners in the lead approached, and Isnana began her countdown...

"3… 2… 1! JUMP!" yelled Isnana, and all the kids jumped out of the bush.

Gasps spread through the crowd, stunned to see children on the course. The runners themselves were shocked, and weren’t sure how to react. However, one of the runners in lead, a Gazelle from the Srenoos village, lovingly took the trunk of Isnana, and began to lead her toward the finish line. The other runners followed the example, and each took one child by the hand. The crowd went wild with cheers, overjoyed at the demonstration of good sportsmanship. Hand in hand, the runners from the Srenoos village, as well as the Snrohgnol, and the children all crossed the finish line together. The crowd went crazy! The children were ecstatic! However, this glory only lasted a moment before the event coordinator came storming over, furious at the children for ruining the race.

“How could you silly children do this?? You ruined such a huge event, where are your parents??” he fumed.

The professional runners, all having finished by now, surrounded the children, and fired back at the director,

“This race is not about winners, it is about bringing two communities of people together," retorted the Gazelle from the Srenoos, who was still holding on to Isnana.

“These are the future runners of this race, and they are going to change the world!” he exclaimed.

The crowd went wild with cheers. Red in the face, the director stormed off, and by a vote of the people, the trophy was awarded equally among all of the runners, the kids included! For the next year, there was no boasting or bragging, just celebration!