The Elephant Keeper

The Elephant Keeper — page 1 — Orphaned The sun was a glowing red ball in the eastern sky when Aaron left his family’s hut It was still dark but he knew ago It had been his father’s job until he got sick Then the manager knowing the family needed the income offered the job to Aaron just where to place his bare feet on the dusty path He walked the six kilometers between his village and Lion’s Lodge twice a day He’d started working at the lodge just a few months

The Elephant Keeper — page 2 — He wasn’t nearly as strong as his father had been before his illness but Aaron worked hard He carried bundles of reeds and learned to thatch roofs He hauled lumber handed nails to the carpenter and sharpened the ax He fetched water from the well for the workers and did other hot jobs such as burning debris and raking leaves

The Elephant Keeper — page 3 — As Aaron approached the gate he was startled by a strange noise Must be an animal he thought but he could tell right away that this wasn’t just a hippo in the nearby Zambezi River Aaron dashed through the lane of palm trees rounded the corner and stopped dead in his tracks He couldn’t believe his eyes a small elephant was ﬂailing around in the lodge’s swimming pool The elephant held its trunk in the air to avoid drowning and kicked wildly ears ﬂapping like sails on a boat that had sprung a leak Aaron glanced around nervously for the mother elephant Was she nearby Fear knotted in the pit of his stomach Elephants often roamed near his village trampling everything in their path Hadn’t they just recently killed one of the villagers

The Elephant Keeper — page 4 — But there were no other elephants in sight and this one needed help fast Aaron raced to the cottage where the gardener slept Help Hurry he called pounding on the door What should he do He had seen elephant mothers use their trunks to guide and prod their babies Could he somehow guide this one to the edge He ran to the pool shed and ﬂung the door open With shaking hands he rummaged through the equipment grabbing a rope a hose a rake When he got back the gardener still in his pajamas was beside the pool The manager came running from the lodge followed by the cook who had heard all the commotion Sleepy guests appeared at their windows Soon they too converged on the lawn in their pajamas holding cameras

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