Long ago, when freshwater was soupy thick, two sky-high mountains stood between the teeth-grinding hills. They were separated by clouds of bubbling water. The two red stones on Mama Mountain’s chest hang loosely like emptied breasts. 

Now and then, the she-mountain smeared her lips with sunbow lipsticks. Soon, the midnight sun mirrored a chain of white rocks, creating her necklace. Below the floppy breast-like rocks, red and blue flowers sewed Mama Mountain’s apron. The purple bib stitched from a row of wind-trimmed roses speckled her beauty. At the feet of Mama Mountain, a bunch of green and orange stones painted her high-heeled shoes. The yellow-flower iris attracted a hut-carrying tortoise that nibbled the sweet-smelling and vanilla-tasty flowers. 

In fact, the dome shell creature hitchhiked on Mommy Mountain, and loafed the misty mornings on her citrus-perfumed lap. To the passers-by, the shy reptile mimicked a baby sucking the rocky breasts. Before the reddish-yellow sun dips between the mountainous couple, the tortoise strolls towards Papa Mountain. Pa Mountain showed off his rock-muscular chest, while the yellow flowers blooming around his ringed hips sketched a walking stick. 

The scaly tortoise munched the golden leaves, and hiked to the peak of Daddy Mountain. At the top, the tortoise performed sit-ups and push-ups on a carpet of white roses that looked like Papa Mountain’s smoke rings. The ox-wagon travellers scribbled in their logbooks about the feminine and masculine mountain, and their adopted vegetarian tortoise. Below Papa Mountain’s beer tummy, the pale yellow water seeping out of a pipe-like rock looks like urine. Strangely, the tortoise sipped this orange-flavoured Khoikhoi tea after his walkouts. 

Later, a spoor-trailing serpent camped between the cloud-touching mountains. This rubber-smelling snake with white stripes stirred the freshwater with its ear-splitting breathing. That morning, the sun’s petals hugged the snow-bearded mountain, while the childish tortoise was visiting Tata Mountain for his snack of fluffy flowers. The white stripes’ snake swallowed the sedan-size tortoise in a spine-chilling dish. After witnessing the heart-stopping death of the playful tortoise that used to sprinkle the flowers’ seeds; the ice-melting mountains sobbed, sparkling teardrops in a week-long lamentation. The sorrowful mountains left permanent river-like tearstains between the hills. Since that day, the scorching sun drained the water, and dry riverbeds had replaced the once-thick water valley.

Footnote 

• The snake is the tarred road

• Tortoise is the beetle car