A Night of War

As I got out of the car, the heat hit me like a slap in the face. It was my third time in Victoria Falls, but it was October now, suicide month. It was called suicide month because of the weather. The rains were on their way but had not yet arrived to give respite to the building heat. Temperatures were increasing daily and the insects seemed to be multiplying by the minute, preparing themselves for the adventure of the rains that lay ahead.

Even the adrenalin junkies that lived in the town found the heat too much. After a day on the river, they headed straight for the bars. With at least minimal air-conditioning, these were some of the coolest places in town, and of course the beer was served icy cold and in abundance.

I'd spent the last two days on the road, trying to hitch from the capital city, Harare. So, although the night was scorching and the sunset had failed to do much to decrease the temperatures, the choice between an early night and a party at 'Explorers Bar' was simple.

I went straight to the campsite, and although I didn't have a tent, I soon found myself a nice patch of grass. I spread my sleeping bag out, and decided in this heat the best option was to lie on top of it, with just a thin cotton sheet for protection.

By eleven o' clock while the rest of the town was still going strong with the beers and cane spirit , I was snuggled up beneath the stars having refused every offer of a drink I was going to get that night.

For half an hour, I lay there feeling completely at peace. The stars shone up above and, as always, I checked for the constellation of Orion who I considered my guiding light when travelling. I watched him, with his sword loosely hanging off his belt; a true warrior figure dominating the sky.

The moon, almost full, was pouring its light over the world. Simultaneously both white and yellow, it kept the campsite alive. This was a disadvantage at this moment as the nearest pub was just kicking out, and the moon provided just enough light to make me clearly visible to all the drunken campers who thought it absolutely hilarious to come over and see who I was; a joke that I was unable to share in my sober and over-tired position.