The Kind Elephant

This story is called The Kind Elephant, a traditional story from Afghanistan adapted by Arezo Mayaar and translated by Arezo Mayaar and Molly Milazzo. This is a LibraryCall adaptation and recording. There was once a kind elephant who lived in a beautiful green forest. The elephant had a heart as big as his enormous gray body, but he was lonely. So one day, he decided to go in search of a friend. He lumbered along until came upon a small brown animal sitting at the base of a tree. The animal had enormous ears and a fluffy white tail. It was a rabbit! The elephant flapped his ears in a friendly gesture and asked the rabbit, “Hello, I notice we both have large lovely ears – can we be friends?” The rabbit twitched her nose and studied him from head to foot. Finally, she said, “You’re so big. Do you like jumping around like me?” And to demonstrate, she hopped around in a neat little circle. The elephant thought about it for a moment, and then he said, “No. I’m afraid I can’t jump very well.” “Well, then you must be quite lazy. I’m very sorry, but I can’t be your friend.” And with that, the rabbit hopped away. The elephant continued on his way, and soon he saw a small animal with webbed feet and a smooth spotted back relaxing by the side of a stream. It was a frog! The elephant flapped his gray ears again and said, “Hello, I notice you are relaxing in the stream. I also love to relax in the water. Will you be my friend?” The frog said, “Well that depends, do you like flies? I catch them like this!” And in an instant, the frog had flicked out its tongue, caught a fly, and was munching happily. The elephant said, “No, I'm afraid I don’t know how to catch flies like that.” “Well then you must be quite foolish! Anyway you’re far too large to be my friend.” And the frog hopped into the water with a splash. The elephant let out a low-pitched cry and weaved his heavy body from side to side. Finding a friend was harder than he thought. When he was feeling a little better, he continued on his way. The elephant soon met an animal with a long bushy tail and a light tan coat. It was a fox! The elephant asked her to be his friend. The fox didn’t even make an excuse. “Oh, no! That… won’t be possible,” said the small creature. “We could never be friends." And she trotted away. And so the day went on. Some animals made up a reason, usually that he was too big, or too different from them, and some would not talk to him at all. “I suppose I’ll never find a friend,” said the elephant with a tear. The next day, the elephant woke up full of gloom. The lonely morning passed as usual, but in the afternoon, as he was foraging for his lunch of grass and seeds, the elephant heard a pounding noise off in the distance. He curled his trunk and listened closely. The noise grew louder, and the elephant suddenly saw a cloud of dust moving toward him. It was a stampede of animals! “What has happened? What are you running away from?” A bear turned back to the elephant and managed to say, "A cunning lion has entered the forest. He wants to eat us all!” Soon, all the animals were hidden away and the elephant was left standing alone in a cloud of dust. But he wasn’t afraid. He was much bigger than any lion. The elephant thought about all the animals that had been cruel to him. Why should he help them? The kind elephant sighed and made his decision. It would have been so easy to punish the other animals, but that was not his way. He called out across the forest in his loudest voice, "Mr. Lion! Come here!” The lion responded with a low growl. He was nearby, crouched down behind a large rock. “I am warning you,” said the elephant, “Do not bother these innocent animals!" “Don't interfere,” said the lion. “Mind your own business.” He began to move towards a rabbit, who was hiding in a hole at the trunk of a tree. Knowing he must do something to save the rabbit, the elephant rose to his full height, stomped his heavy feet, raised his tusks to the sky, and sent out the loudest trumpet sound he could manage. The lion was so startled that he abandoned his hunt and sprinted off into the forest as fast as his legs would carry him. The elephant called out to the other animals, “Come out now! I have good news for you: the lion ran away.” The animals, who had witnessed the elephant’s act of kindness from their hiding places, felt ashamed of themselves for the way they had treated him before. Inspired to be more compassionate, they thanked the elephant and agreed that he was the best friend anyone could ask for. This story was called The Kind Elephant, a traditional story from Afghanistan adapted by Arezo Mayaar and translated by Arezo Mayaar and Molly Milazzo. This has been a LibraryCall adaptation and recording.