The Elephant's Child
In the far-off times, my dear, when the world was young, the Elephant had no trunk at all. Just a black, bulgy, boot-shaped nose that could wriggle from side to side, but could not pick up so much as a peanut.
But there was one Elephant — an Elephant's Child — who was full of endless curiosity. And endless questions.
He asked his tall aunt the Ostrich why her tail feathers grew just so. And the Ostrich sighed and shooed him off.
He asked his tall uncle the Giraffe what made his skin spotty. And the Giraffe sighed and shooed him off.
He asked his broad aunt the Hippo why her eyes were red. She sighed and shooed him off.
He asked his hairy uncle the Baboon why melons tasted just so. And the Baboon sighed and shooed him off.
But still the little Elephant was full of endless curiosity, and he asked question after question after question.
One morning he asked a brand new question. 'What does the Crocodile have for dinner?' he said.
'HUSH!' said everyone, in loud and dreadful voices. 'HUSH! Don't ask that! Off you go!'
Well, that only made him more curious than ever.
He met a Kolokolo bird sitting in a thorn bush. 'Everyone shooed me off,' said the Elephant's Child, 'and still I want to know what the Crocodile has for dinner.'
'Go,' said the Kolokolo bird sadly, 'to the banks of the great grey-green greasy Limpopo river, all set about with fever trees, and find out for yourself.'
So the Elephant's Child set off, with a hundred bananas and seventeen melons for the journey.
He walked and walked and walked, until at last he came to the banks of the great grey-green greasy Limpopo river, all set about with fever trees, just as the Kolokolo bird had said.
There on the bank he saw what he thought was a log of wood. But the log winked one lazy eye.
'Excuse me,' said the Elephant's Child, most politely, 'but have you seen a Crocodile in these parts?'
The log winked its other eye. 'Come closer, little one,' it said, 'and I shall whisper you the answer.'
So the Elephant's Child bent his little nose down close to the log's musky, tusky mouth. And SNAP! The Crocodile — for that is what it was — caught him fast.
'Led go!' cried the Elephant's Child, speaking through his squashed nose. 'You are hurtig be!'
But the Crocodile only pulled harder. And the little Elephant pulled back with all his four legs.
Just then, a Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake came slithering down from the bank. 'My young friend,' said the Python, 'if you do not pull as hard as ever you can, right this second, it is my opinion that your acquaintance in the large leather coat will pull you into that river before you can say Jack Robinson.'
So the Elephant's Child sat back and pulled. And pulled. And pulled.
And his nose began to stretch. And stretch. And stretch. It grew long. And LONG. And LONGER.
At last, with a great POP! the Crocodile let go, and the Elephant's Child sat down very hard indeed.
He looked at his new nose. It was five feet long. FIVE FEET.
'Oh dear,' he said. 'Whatever shall I do with this?'
'Wait,' said the Python. 'You'll see.'
Just then a fly landed on his shoulder. Without thinking, he flicked his new long nose and swatted it dead.
'Excellent!' said the Python. 'You could never have done that with a boot-shaped nose.'
Then he picked up a bundle of grass with his new long nose and popped it in his mouth.
'Excellent!' said the Python. 'You could never have done that either.'
Then he scooped a great gob of cool mud from the riverbank and slapped it on his hot head.
'Excellent!' said the Python. 'You are learning fast.'
The Elephant's Child was delighted. He went home to all his dear relations, and he was so pleased with his new trunk that he showed it off in every possible way. And when his aunts and uncles saw how useful it was, they all set off, one by one, for the great grey-green greasy Limpopo river, all set about with fever trees, to borrow new noses from the Crocodile.
And that is why every elephant you will ever see has a fine long trunk exactly like the trunk of the endlessly curious Elephant's Child.