The White Giraffe

Martine learns that social services are sending her to South Africa to live with her only living relative: her grandmother, Gwyn Thomas. Martine doesn’t know her grandmother, and the idea of moving so far away devastates her. Mr. Grice from social services gives Martine a letter from her grandmother. The letter states that Gwyn Thomas was unaware that her daughter named her as Martine’s guardian and that she has made arrangements for Martine to join her in Cape Town, South Africa. From the tone of the letter, Martine feels that her grandmother doesn’t want her and tells Mr. Grice that she refuses to leave England. She is currently staying with her English teacher, Miss Rose, and ever since her parents’ deaths, Martine struggles to eat and sleep and wrestles with the guilt of surviving the fire. As Martine looks at her grandmother’s letter from Sawubona Game Reserve, she recognizes the stationary and remembers that her mother, Veronica, was happy to receive letters each month on the same paper. However, Martine can’t understand why her mother never told her about Gwyn.

Before her departure, Miss Rose takes Martine shopping for clothing that is better suited for summer and cooks her a large English dinner on her last night, packing an extra slice of chocolate cake for her flight. Mrs. Morrison also gives Martine a pair of binoculars that belonged to her uncle and assures Martine that she can always return for a visit and stay with them. Mr. Morrison wordlessly slips her a small wooden box that contains a flashlight, a Swiss army knife, and a medical kit.

After arriving in Africa disoriented and shocked by the intense heat, Martine waits for an hour in the Cape Town airport, but her grandmother doesn’t arrive. After she speaks with the airport supervisor, Martine realizes that she doesn’t even know what her grandmother looks like. Feeling hungry, lost, and abandoned, Martine assumes that her grandmother decided that she didn’t want her. Just then, a large man calls her name and introduces himself at Tendai. Her grandmother sent him to collect her because she is managing an issue at Sawubona with the delivery of elephants. His powerful presence relieves Martine, and despite the large scar on his face, she trusts him instantly.

Tendai drives Martine along the coast to Sawubona. The name of the preserve is also “a Zulu greeting” (22). Tendai explains that Sawubona is a wildlife sanctuary that her grandfather Henry Thomas, the game warden, owned when he was alive. Tendai, who is a member of the Zulu, has worked on the reserve for over 20 years and greatly respected Henry. He apologizes to Martine that he was not with Henry when he died, but Martine didn’t even know she had a grandfather, much less that he is now dead. Tendai explains that two years ago, Henry was chasing a group of poachers who were attempting to shoot giraffes when he was fatally shot in the crossfire. Because the village lacked critical infrastructure and the seasonal rains washed away any trace of tracks, local officials never fully investigated the case, and none of the poachers were caught or prosecuted. Hearing about the violence in her new home makes Martine uneasy, but Tendai says he is determined to find out what really happened to Henry. The new game warden is Alex du Preez, but Martine can tell that Tendai doesn’t like him.

Tendai takes Martine to the house of his aunt, Miss Grace, who she prepares a delicious meal for her guests. While Martine eats, Grace says that she looks like Veronica, and Martine is startled to hear her mother’s name. Tendai scolds Grace for mentioning Martine’s parents, but she states that Martine should know the truth. Before Martine can ask any further questions, Tendai says it is time to leave. Grace places her hands on Martine’s head, and “Martine felt an electric current pass through her” (27). Grace says that Martine has a gift and that she must carefully consider her decisions before acting.

Martine and Tendai finally reach the fenced entrance to Sawubona Game Reserve, and Martine gets her first look at the buffalo and elephants inside the enclosure. Martine wants to know more about whether her mother ever lived at the reserve, but Tendai says she must ask her grandmother. He lists the animals kept at the reserve: “Twelve other elephants, […] eight ostriches, one hundred and fifty springboks, ten wildebeest, eighteen kudus, twenty zebras, six lions, four leopards, seven warthogs, a couple of troops of baboons, [and] a few waterbucks” (30). Tendai also explains that the local people believe there is a legendary white giraffe on the reserve, even though they officially have no giraffes. He has seen tracks that disappear before he can follow them. Tendai thinks that someone is playing tricks on them, but the local groups believe strongly in a legend about a child riding the white giraffe, which imbues them with power over the animals. They enter the gates of the compound, and Martine is filled with anxiety over meeting her grandmother for the first time.

Martine’s grandmother is dressed in denim and has little to say to her except that she has grown up. When Martine tries to tell her about all she has seen since arriving, her grandmother cuts her off and says that she should only speak if someone speaks to her. Gwyn is angry with Tendai for taking Martine to Grace’s home, calling her a “crazy old magic woman” (62). Gwyn serves Martine egg sandwiches for lunch and explains that she runs a strict household. There is no television and no talking back, and she only goes to Cape Town twice a year. Martine is taken aback by her grandmother’s stern disposition and is further upset when she learns that she must start school the next day. Gwyn takes her to a local shop to purchase new shoes and a school uniform. After dinner, as she helps to clear the table, Martine slips on the newly-polished floor and breaks the teapot. Gwyn is exasperated and questions aloud why her daughter would think that she would be a good guardian for a child.

Martine retires to her room in tears, feeling utterly alone. However, she loves the beauty of South Africa and enjoys lying in the grass, watching the animals as the sun sets. From her room, she has a clear view of the watering hole and watches the animals eat and drink as the day ends. Exhausted from her journey, Martine snuggles into her new bed and wonders why her mother never told her about Sawubona. She falls asleep thinking about the white giraffe.

The next morning, Marine awakens to a beautiful scene of the elephants bathing in the watering hole, but she still feels anxious about starting school. Gwyn has prepared Martine breakfast, which the girl interprets as an apology for her grandmother’s abrupt behavior the previous day. Gwyn drives Martine to Caracal School, which looks “more like a lovely campsite” (40) than a school. Moreover, Martine feels self-conscious as she is the only kid at the school with light skin. She meets Elaine Rathmore, the principal of Caracal, who gives her a tour of the school and explains their environmentally conscious focus. She also shows Martine their extensive sports facilities. Martine has never been athletic, and she remembers what Grace said about having a gift and wonders what her gift is.

Mrs. Rathmore introduces Martine to Lucy van Heerden, a beautiful, tanned blonde girl who takes Martine under her wing. Lucy introduces Martine to the “Five Star Gang” (42), or the popular kids who are all wealthy and attractive. The group makes her feel included, but Martine feels out of place, just as she did at her boarding school in England, since she isn’t interested in the same things that other teenagers are. She notices a small boy sitting alone at lunch, and Lucy explains that he is an “outcast” and that the students call him “Buddha Ben” (44) or “Bonkers Ben” (45) because he doesn’t talk. Martine doesn’t like that the other students bully him and decides to become his friend, but she loses her nerve when she tries to speak to him and later forgets that he exists at all.