The Elephant's Messages

The Elephant's Messages

A short story by Daniel Laux


I've had many unusual jobs in my life. Some of them were a lot of fun, like the time I worked as a pizza chef in a five star pizzeria. And some of them were extremely boring, like the time I worked as a lifeguard at the local swimming pool. But if there's one job that left a strong impression on me, it would probably have to be when I worked closely with my good friend Samuel. Let me tell you all about it…

It all goes back about ten years, right after I graduated college. My uncle Bruce wanted to help me get on my feet in the real world, and so helped out by getting me a job at the local zoo.

"One of my friends there is a keeper, and he's needed an assistant with his work. I told him about your strong work ethic, and he agreed to let you in. You start work this Tuesday" Uncle Bruce said.

"Thanks Uncle Bruce" I said.

"Ah, don't mention it. It's the least I can do for my one and only nephew."

"Yeah but, I'm not your only nephew. Don't you remember my cousin Scooter?"

"Who's that again?"

That following Tuesday, I arrived at the zoo to begin my new job. I started by looking for my new boss, which wasn't too difficult to do. After walking passed the monkey house and the seal pool, I saw a husky man with a dark moustache standing by the elephant yard with a sign in his hands that said "DOUG". That was him! And so, I walked up to him and began to speak.

"Hi there," I said "I see you're looking for someone, and I think I can help out. Tell me, do you know someone named Bruce?"

"Yeah, he's a friend of mine" the man replied, "Are you his nephew?"

I nodded.

"Welcome aboard" he said with a smile on his face, "you can call me Bob. Come on, let me show you around."

I followed Bob into the elephant yard, and he showed me around. It was a very large exhibit, with enough space for five elephants to live in. The exhibit itself resembled a large field, with lush green grass growing all around, and it also featured a deep pool with a blue ball floating in it, a dirt patch for dust baths, and a big cherry blossom tree for shade. In the far corner of the exhibit was a big red barn for the elephant, and nearby were the food and water troughs. Overall, it was a simple, yet homely exhibit.
Afterwards, he explained all of the basic chores I had to do. It wasn't too much; all I had to do was fill the trough with hay, scrub the elephant's body when he got too dirty, answer questions from visitors, and clean out the elephant barn. After showing me around the yard, Bob and I walked over to meet the elephant, who was standing by the cherry blossom tree.

"Doug, I'd like you to meet Samuel" Bob said, "he's pretty shy for the most part, but he's gentle. He won't give you much trouble."

"Nice to meet you" I said, as I patted the grey beast on his trunk. Samuel followed that with a low rumble of approval, as he flapped his ears back and forth in the hot summer's day.

And so, I began my work. The work itself wasn't too difficult for me to do. But what did make it difficult was the fact that elephants are such big animals, and because of their size, there was extra work involved. Samuel was no exception; he stood about ten feet tall, and was very heavy. And so because of this, there was extra hay to feed, extra barn to sweep, and an extra large torso to scrub. But I didn't let that bother me. After all, the pay was good, I got plenty of exercise from the work I did, and I was even given some time to take breaks. During my breaks, I would go into the elephant barn and either read the newspaper, sketch some pictures of Samuel, or just simply talk to him (those times were saved when I was feeling rather lonely). I have to say, it was a good way of making a living!

One day, however, I came to work feeling a bit depressed. My birthday was approaching, and my family and friends didn't seem to take notice of it. Because of this, I wasn't putting as much effort into my work as I normally would do. Unfortunately, I believe Samuel took notice, and thus during my break, he came into the barn to see what was going on with me.

"Yeah, sorry if I'm not giving you my normal get up and go attitude, pal" I said to Samuel, "I just haven't been myself lately. My birthday's tomorrow and nobody seems to have given it a second thought. I sure hope you understand."

Samuel just swayed his trunk a little bit, and looked at me with possible sympathy. Afterwards, I continued the day like I normally would, despite not thinking so clearly.

The next day, I realized that I left my sketchbook and pencils in the elephant barn. When I got to work, I checked the barn to find my stuff. Luckily, I found everything right near Samuel's hay loft, which made my search much easier. But as I walked over to get my sketchbook, Samuel grabbed it with his trunk, and simply handed it to me. After I thanked him, I opened my sketchbook to see if anything had happened to my sketches. To my surprise, I opened up to a page, and I saw these words:

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY"

I didn't recognize the handwriting. I wondered who could have written that, let alone remembered that my birthday was today. I thought about this for a while, until I came up with an unlikely conclusion: I left my sketchbook overnight in the elephant barn, I thought, and I told Samuel that my birthday was coming up. And since the saying "an elephant never forgets" was most likely true, he probably remembered what I told him and decided to give me a humble little birthday message to make me feel better. But after I thought about this, I decided that it was a ridiculous notion, since animals don't normally write things down. Either way, I figured the only way to know was to test it. I placed my sketch pad on Samuel's hay loft, I sharpened one of my pencils, I placed it onto my sketch pad, and then I asked a question.

"Samuel, did you write this?" I asked, as I showed him the previous message.

Samuel walked a few steps towards me, grabbed the pencil with his trunk, and began scribbling on the paper. Less than a minute later, I looked to see what he had done, and to my surprise, I saw this message:

"YES I DID."

I was overwhelmed by this discovery. I began pacing the floor and muttering to myself things like "this is impossible" and "this is amazing". Samuel walked up to me, and then placed his trunk on my shoulder to calm me down. After I embraced this incredible truth, I decided to speak to Samuel again.

"How did you learn to do that? I've never seen an elephant write before." I said.

Samuel picked up the pencil, scribbled on a new sheet of paper, and came out with this:

"I'VE BEEN READING YOUR NEWSPAPER. THE LANGUAGE LOOKED EASY TO COMPOSE, SO I DECIDED TO TRY IT MYSELF. TELL ME, AM I DOING A GOOD JOB?"

"Yes, you're doing an excellent job!" I told him.

After work, I went home and found there was a surprise party waiting for me. I was, for lack of a better word, very surprised by this. I was afraid that all of my friends and loved ones forgot about my birthday, and to see that they were just planning a surprise made me feel a lot better. But as I was having my cake and popping the champagne bottle, I couldn't help but think about Samuel. He remembered my birthday, and he was the first to wish me a happy birthday before everyone else. Thus, I decided to make it up to him.

The next day, I got to work extra early to speak to Samuel again. I came with a bigger pad of paper, some bigger pencils, and a piece of what was left of the birthday cake. When I entered the barn, I found Samuel looking through an old newspaper at the Sunday comics section. When he heard me come in, we walked toward me and flapped his ears in excitement.

"I wanted to thank you for wishing me a happy birthday yesterday" I said, "and to show it, I have some things for you."

I first pulled out the piece of cake. Samuel sniffed it with his trunk, and then quickly stuffed the cake into his mouth as if it was a simple bonbon. After the cake was finished, I then propped up the new pad of paper, sharpened the new pencils, and gave one of them to Samuel.

"In case you ever want to write to me again, feel free to write away!" I said.

Samuel suddenly scribbled something on the pad, which eventually came out as a new message that said this:

"WHILE I APPRECIATE YOUR GENEROSITY, YOU DON'T NEED TO GIVE ME ANYTHING. I'M JUST HAPPY TO SEE MY ONLY FRIEND BEING HAPPY."

I was very moved by this; I never would have imagined an elephant considering me a friend. After I embraced Samuel's trunk, I suddenly realized something.

"Wait a minute; I'm your only friend?" I asked.

Samuel scribbled another message, saying:

"I'M AFRAID SO. FOR THE MOST PART, I'M QUITE LONELY HERE, & YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO'S BEEN AROUND TO KEEP ME COMPANY."

"Gee, I didn't know that. I'm sorry to hear that. I wish there was something I could to help." I told the humble pachyderm.

Samuel scribbled another quick message, this one saying:

"JUST KEEP DOING WHAT YOU DO. THAT'S THE BEST WAY YOU CAN HELP ME. THAT, & BRING ME ANOTHER NEWSPAPER WITH THOSE PEANUTS COMICS. I SURE DO ENJOY THOSE PEANUTS!"

And so, for the time being, I did what Samuel said. We continued on with our normal activities, and I even bought him a Peanuts comic book, just like he asked me to do. Samuel was quite happy with that gift, and later thanked me by helping me clean the barn. Yet despite all this, I couldn't help but think about what Samuel wrote to me. I felt bad for him, and I wished there was something else I could do to cure his loneliness.

One night after work, I went home and decided to do some research on elephants, hoping that there might be a good explanation for why Samuel was lonely. I first discovered that elephants are very intelligent animals, and are able to remember things quite easily. That's certainly true, I commented to myself. As I kept reading, I then discovered something new: in the wild, elephants travel in big groups called herds, and are very social animals by nature.

Ah, so that's why Samuel's so lonely, I thought to myself, he just needs another elephant to socialize and live with. And so, I made myself a new goal: to find a way to get Samuel a companion elephant!

The next day at work, I approached Bob to ask him a question.  I found him grooming the zebras, but he didn't seem too busy for me to ask him something.

"Excuse me Bob," I began, "but I was just wondering something."

"What is it Doug? I'd be happy to help you out. But first, can you hand me that hoof trimmer by your feet?" Bob said.

I handed him the hoof trimmer. As he began trimming one of the zebra's hooves, I bent down and began to speak.

"I was wondering, but do you think that maybe we could get another elephant for the zoo?"

"Well, I've never really thought about it. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I have this feeling that Samuel is lonely in his yard. And I've also read that elephants usually live in herds. That's kind of why I want to help him out."

"Personally, I think it would actually be a good idea to bring in another elephant. In fact, if we got ourselves a female elephant, we could possibly start a breeding program. The only problem is that the zoo has been low on funds lately, which is why we haven't been able to get anything new lately."

Just then, I thought of an idea.

"Well then, why don't we raise some money?" I asked Bob.

"I guess that could work. But you'd have to come up with something that would bring in a lot of money." Bob said.

"Don't worry; I think I have an idea." I said.

And so, I rushed back to the elephant yard to find Samuel. He was busy resting under the cherry blossom tree, not really doing anything in particular. When I was certain he wouldn't get up anytime soon, I rushed back into the barn, grabbed a small sheet of paper and a pencil, and rushed back to him.

"Hey Samuel, I think I have an idea that will cure your loneliness forever." I said.

Samuel looked at me, as if he was paying very close attention.

"I think if you showed the visitors at the zoo your ability to write, then maybe we'll be able to raise money to get you another elephant for companionship. What do you think?" I asked.

Samuel did nothing for a minute. Then he grabbed the pencil and began scribbling something. His message came out as this:

"I DON'T KNOW. I'M NOT REALLY GREAT WITH LARGE CROWDS. I MEAN, WHAT IF THEY ALL LAUGH AT ME? OR THROW THINGS AT ME? I DON'T KNOW HOW I WOULD REACT TO ALL THAT!"

I had forgotten that Samuel was very shy when it came to zoo guests. But luckily, I was able to reassure him.

"I think when they see you write something, they will be amazed with your ability. I don't think they would dream of laughing at you. Plus, I will be there to make sure nothing happens to you." I explained.

Samuel said nothing, this time for about two minutes. Then he grabbed the pencil again and wrote down another message. It said this:

"VERY WELL, I WILL GIVE IT A TRY."

The next day, I came to work with a big easel in my arms. When Bob saw me, he was unsure of what to make of it. I explained that it was part of an idea I had. I placed the easel in the center of the exhibit where everyone could see it, and then I ran back for the paper and pencils. Once I was done setting everything up, I ran to get Bob, and then I ran to get Samuel.

"Alright Samuel," I said "show Bob what you can do with this."

Samuel grabbed the pencil, but did nothing. Bob was starting to look disappointed. I tried again.

"Can you please show us?" I asked.

Samuel looked at me with his large eyes. After he saw the desperation in my face, he took the pencil and began to scribble on the paper. After a little bit of time, a short message appeared, and it said this:

"GOOD MORNING GENTLEMEN!"

Once Bob saw this, he was amazed and shocked at the same time. After I had to calm him down, he was certain that Samuel's writing would make them a fortune. And with that, Bob ran off to tell the zoo's administrator of the good news. Once the administrator heard what he was told, the fundraiser began. We began advertising Samuel as "the world's first elephant writer", and that began getting media attention.

A week later, a huge crowd of visitors flocked around the elephant yard to see Samuel do his writing. After Bob introduced everything, I ran to get Samuel, who was still in his barn. He was very nervous, but once I assured him I was going to be there, he marched behind me towards the center of the exhibit. But once he reached the easel, he saw everyone looking at him, thus making him nervous again. He didn't do anything for a minute, and people were starting to grow impatient. I had to do something to give Samuel confidence.

And then I remembered something: Samuel loved the Peanuts comics. And so, I came up with an idea; I ran over and grabbed the blue ball from the pool, I told Bob to hold it, and then I walked back. Suddenly, I started running at high speed towards Bob, who did not know what to expect. As I got closer, he jumped out the way, thus causing me to miss my kick, and land flat on my back. The crowd looked at me, and then they looked at Samuel, who began scribbling a message right after witnessing my action. When he was finished, his message said this:

"GOOD GRIEF! DID ANY OF YOU GUYS JUST SEE THAT?"

The crowd cheered at what they saw. And after a great round of applause, Samuel felt very pleased with his accomplishment. And from then on, Samuel continued to write messages on his easel for zoo visitors, often taking humorous requests, and sometimes very friendly messages to others. Shortly afterwards, more visitors began showing up, and eventually we made enough money to get Samuel a new elephant companion.

The zoo purchased a female elephant named Marilyn, who seemed very nervous when first arriving at the zoo. But luckily, she and Samuel had many things in common, and so they were able to get along with each other. Once they both settled in, I felt a great feeling of satisfaction go through me. And it was then I decided what to do from then on: I should help make the lives of others much better. I should work for charities!

I spent two more years at the zoo before moving on to work at various different jobs that involved helping others. And with all those jobs, I still felt a great sense of satisfaction helping others. But still, they never compared to when I helped out Samuel at the zoo.

Eventually, I began to miss Samuel. And so, about a week ago, I decided to take my wife of three years and our newborn son to the zoo. And once we got to the elephant yard, there I saw Samuel, who was standing alongside Marilyn and what looked like their calf. They looked happier than I ever could have imagined. But once Samuel saw me, he marched over to his easel, and began scribbling a new message. And while my wife and baby were amazed to see Samuel write, I was more amazed at what was being written. The message said this:

"THANK YOU, DOUG! THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!"

"You're welcome, Samuel." I responded. "You're very welcome!"

The End