…he walked along the muddy trail, the leaden sky muffling the sound of his steps, the low yellow sunlight contouring the cocoa trees, and in the distance, the green continuous forest canopy. Two hornbills passed slowly above him, like him directed to the forest. As the path started heading down toward the river, he saw the tree-house of the elephant watch. Since the last herd raided the plantations, injuring a man and killing two goats (and destroying a whole harvest), they had set up a continuous warning system. Every now and then, thundering detonations shook the suspended air. As he walked by, the sentinel slowly raised one hand in a solemn and silent farewell. He wondered whether the explosions were meant to scare potential elephants, or actual ones. Of course, asking would be out of the question, ruining the stillness of the moment, and the depth of the man to man interaction.. As a light and quiet rain started to fall, he reached the flooded river…