An Elephant's Revenge

by Sharmila Roy Ghosal

Preface

An elephant never forgets. A story of an elephant and how he takes his revenge.


Roger and his friend Charlie were enjoying their evening bath. Like all young and boisterous elephants, they were splashing and spraying water over each other. Stray sounds of music suddenly floated from afar.

"Hey Charlie", Roger said to his friend."Did you just hear the soft strains of music? I wonder whether a fair or a circus has come to town."

Charlie shook his head. "It's a marriage celebration. The tea estate manager's daughter is getting married today."

"Great!" Roger exclaimed and poked Charlie with his trunk. "Since it's an occasion of joy, why don't we partake of the fun too?"

A sly smile lighted up Charlie's face as he nodded his head understandingly.

"Yes", he said. "And the guests are not going to mind, since we shall keep to only a certain part of the house".

"The kitchen" both friends said in unison.

The house was agog with merriment as the marriage was in progress.

Charlie and Roger kept to the trees and approached the house from the rear, where a delicious aroma of a variety of cooked food filled the air.

The cooks and their helpers were all busy with their respective jobs. Some were grinding spices and others frying fishes and potatoes.

Suddenly Tony the head cook, who was frying round puris made of wheat, was surprised to see a trunk being lowered through the bars of the window.

At first, he couldn't believe his eyes, on looking again,he saw that the trunk had stopped near the plate of freshly fried light and fluffy puris.

The tip of the trunk was pointed upwards as if asking for a helping. 'A cheeky elephant', Tony thought mockingly. 'I'll punish him for his impertinence.'

Tony took the spoon dipped in hot oil, with which he was frying puris and prodded the trunk sharply. Screeching in pain Roger withdrew his trunk and together with Charlie ran back home.

Now, it is often said, that an elephant's memory is sharp, he never forgets.

Roger did not forget the incident either. He and Charlie thought of different ways

to teach Tony a good lesson.

Every day, they lay in wait for Tony, behind a clump of trees, next to the road Tony could possibly take, while going home, after the marriage party.

Guests having stayed back after the marriage reception, there was cooking to be done by Tony.

It was only after four days, that the elephants saw Tony coming, his arms bulging with bags, possibly full of food and clothes, that the estate manager had given him, as a reward for his services, during the wedding of his daughter.

Singing softly to himself, Tony advanced towards the clump of trees. No sooner had he passed it then he was suddenly encircled around the waist by a trunk.

Tony screamed and dropped the bags, as he found himself being uplifted.

Roger swayed him, at first to the right, then to the left, gently in the beginning and then violently, so that Tony could feel every bone in his body shake.

"Help, help", Tony cried, but there was no one, far or near, to help him.

At last, after what seemed an hour to him, the elephant perched him on a tree and went back not before opening the bags and spilling out their contents. They smashed, trampled and devoured some in the process.

Next morning, Tony's family members that had come in search of him, found him in a semi-conscious state, on a tree.

Ropes and ladders were brought to lower Tony to the ground.

After hearing what had happened, Tony's brother said :

"Brother, you made a mistake. Never harm an elephant that hasn't harmed you. For, remember, an elephant never forgets and he'll always take revenge for whatever wrong has been done to him"


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