Old Tropes

Ayana stood still, and the Elephant Bird picked her up and flew up into the sky so high it seemed they could touch the moon. Ayana knew this was supposed to be scary, but she was just glad to see Kembe again.

He pointed downward. She saw their village far below, and Mount Kilimanjaro beyond it. That reminded her of her climb, and she told Kembe about it. He looked impressed, then excited when he heard about Anansi and kind of green when she showed him Anansi’s sticky, yucky gift.

Kembe told her that the Elephant Bird had taken him to its nest where he thought it would feed him to its young. But the nest turned out to be empty, and after a while, he realized that this was the last Elephant Bird, and it was asking him for help. Kembe had then told the Elephant Bird that he couldn’t help without Ayana.

Ayana was still deciding whether to be flattered or angry. She looked forward and realized that they were flying a lot lower. Ayana suddenly realized where the bird was taking them. She screamed and pointed.

They were headed right at Victoria Falls.