In 2004, Thailand was hit by one of the biggest natural catastrophes in recent memory, a tsunami that killed about 8,500 people.
Amber Owen, an eight-year-old from the United Kingdom, was one of many devastated by the tsunami, but her narrative is one of beauty.
Amber and her family arrived in Phuket, Thailand, only days before the accident, and stayed in a beachside hotel where she met Ning Nong, a baby elephant cub.
Tourists would feed and ride him; Amber, in particular, enjoyed communicating with him, and he replied with tons of lovely embraces.
Amber and her mother Samantha went to the beach the morning of the catastrophe, and Amber went directly to Ning Nong to play.
She spotted Ning Nong acting strangely and attempting to depart the beach as she attempted to ride on his back.
“Ning Nong appeared upset. “He kept looking away from the sea, as though he was worried,” Amber recalls.
Amber’s life was spared by Ning Nong’s actions at this very time.
The water then began to flow away from the beach, much like a tsunami, forcing people to hurry to collect shells and even fish on the sand.
Except for Ning Nong, no one thought much of it, and a few minutes later, the massive wave came and began to take people in all directions.
Amber’s only option was to cling on to Ning Nong, who, rather than throwing her off, sprinted into the fierce current to safety.
He proceeded till he reached a towering wall, where he waited for Amber on his back.
“I was terrified. If it hadn’t been for him, I could have been carried away. Despite my youth, it is a day I will never forget.”
Samantha was enjoying breakfast when she heard screaming and went in search of Ning Nong, hoping to locate Amber as well.
“I panicked when someone informed me he was deceased. “Because Amber was usually around him, I knew she’d have his back,” Samantha explained.
“Finally, I saw Ning Nong and Amber at the opposite end of the beach, shielded by a wall.” “I was in hysterics.”
“It’s unbelievable that the elephant sensed something, ran away like that, and popped Amber up on a wall.”
Samantha and Amber ran back to the hotel as soon as the water slowed down, expecting a second wave.
They arrived at the hotel just in time after a 10-minute hike through knee-deep water and moving debris.
The second wave hit, destroying all of the hotel’s ground level rooms, but Amber and Samantha escaped unscathed.
“Thankfully, Amber was secure on the first level of the hotel with me and Eddie by that point.” “I’m grateful she didn’t recognize the danger that we did, even if she was only eight years old.”
Amber’s story made its way into Thai media and is now being turned into a successful show and book by Michael Morpurgo, the guy behind Warhorse.