🐘 The Pink Elephant

Elephants are so responsible that they keep their belongings in the trunk.

    There was a big game hunter who made a practice of only shooting one of each type of big game, and he was bored. He had run out of new animals to shoot. Then one day he heard about a place in the darkest Africa that had pink elephants.

He set off immediately by boat, landing a few weeks later in a little coastal town, and taking a three-day train journey along a rickety old line, deep into the interior.

Halfway there, they stopped to cut more wood for the boiler, and the train driver took the opportunity to slip off and visit his relatives nearby. On the way back, however, he was eaten by a lion, which delayed things somewhat, to the frustration of the hunter.

Eventually, they reached the place where the pink elephants were reputed to live, and he was shown a small clearing that was crisscrossed by elephant footprints. He constructed a hide up a nearby tree and settled down to wait for the elephants.

Two nights later, well after midnight, he heard movement at one side of the clearing, and in the light of the moon, caught a flash of pink. He grabbed his rifle, but too late - there was a blur of pink across the clearing, and the animal was gone.

The next day, he asked the village elders about the elephants. They explained that these elephants were very quick, so he needed some bait to get them to stop and eat.

The hunter collected the best fruits he could find and piled them in the centre of the clearing, climbed up his tree, and sat down to wait.

At 2am that night, he saw a flash of pink and grabbed his gun. Too late - there was a blur of pink across the clearing, and the animal was gone. The fruit was untouched.

The next day, he asked the elders where he went wrong, and they laughed their heads off. They explained that while normal elephants ate fruit, a visiting missionary had befriended these elephants and had got them hooked on M&Ms. That was the only bait that worked. And of course, there were none in the village.

So the hunter waited a couple of days for the next train and took the long journey down to the coast. On the way, they stopped for wood and were all invited to the funeral of the former engine driver, which everyone accepted, to the frustration of the hunter.

Three days later they set off again, and got to the coast, where the hunter searched high and low for M&Ms. He was fortunate to find a packet in a little store near the harbour, and so he set off again in the train.

Halfway along, they stopped for wood, where one of the village children stole the packet of M&Ms and ran off with it. Highly frustrated, the hunter decided to wait in the village for the train to return several days later, so he could get more M&Ms. In the meantime, he learned how to make the local beer and consoled the ex-train driver's widow.

When he got to the coast, he went straight to the little shop near the harbour, but they had no M&Ms. In desperation, he roamed the wharf, asking passing sailors if they didn't have any M&Ms, and finally he got lucky. The sailor charged him an exorbitant price, but he got a packet.

He got back on the train and headed off into the interior. Halfway along, they stopped for wood, and he held onto his M&Ms tightly.

When they got to the interior, he piled the M&Ms in the centre of the clearing and settled down to wait.

At 2am, he saw a flash of pink. He grabbed his rifle, but too late - there was a blur of pink across the clearing, and the animal was gone. And so were all the M&Ms, scooped up in an instant.

The next day, the elders laughed and told him the pink elephants had very quick reactions. He needed to secure his bait firmly.

So he waited for the train and headed back to the coast. Halfway back they stopped for wood, and everyone was invited to the wedding of the ex-train driver's widow in the nearby village. Naturally, they accepted, and a week later, the journey recommenced. The hunter was beyond fury by now.

Getting to the coast, he roamed the streets for a week, pestering everyone he could find. Then he saw - a man with a packet of M&Ms. He rushed up and asked if he could buy them, but the man said he only had one M&M left. The hunter bought it for an exorbitant price and rushed off to find the train.

Off they went again, and of course, they stopped halfway for wood. The ex-engine driver's widow's new husband appeared and jumped on board, saying he had to escape, she was too much woman for him. Not to be distracted, the hunter kept a firm grip on his M&M.[I could torture you here by saying it melted, but I will be kind]

Getting to the interior, he placed the M&M in the centre of the clearing and secured it with a very thick plaited rope bought from the local village, which he was assured would hold a pink elephant, and which he anchored to a large tree. Then he settled down to wait.

At 2am, he saw a flash of pink at the edge of the clearing. He grabbed his rifle, by which time the flash of pink had skidded to a halt in the centre of the clearing and was madly tugging at the M&M.

It was a pink elephant!

It tugged and tugged, and the big tree shook, and the rope creaked, but it held.

The elephant tugged harder, and as it did, its skin turned grey from the effort.

The hunter put down his gun.

He'd already shot a grey elephant.

 Source - Image: ©Storyteller