Elephant Escapade

Thirty-year-old Marla Blinky was sweeping the Marvin’s Zoo supply shed when she heard music. She followed the sound to the elephant enclosure, where she found 18-year-old Charles Lant playing music on his phone. Elene, the African baby elephant, was dancing behind the enclosure fence, swaying her trunk and tail. Charles smiled and laughed as he watched Elene enjoy herself.

“What are you doing?” Marla shouted.

Charles jumped, and his phone slipped from his hands. It fell to the ground, and he quickly picked it up, checking for scratches or cracks. Finding none, he sighed in relief and pocketed the phone. Marla frowned and stormed over to him. "I asked you a question.”

“I was just playing with her,” Charles said. “I know elephants like music, so I thought-”

“Music time doesn’t happen until 4. And it's only on Fridays.”

“Oh, I didn’t know.”

Charles lowered his head and rolled a pebble with his foot. Marla shook her head, wondering what Mr. Malone, the zoo’s owner, saw in Charles.

“Since you have so much free time, why not help me wash the elephants?”

“Okay, I can do that.”

“Good. Follow me.”

Marla led Charles to the elephant shed to gather the tools. She removed a ring of keys from her side and unlocked the shed doors. “The elephants have a special shower that does most of the work. We just have to handle the scrubbing.”

She picked up a broom and tossed it to Charles. It slipped from his hands and fell to the floor. Marla rolled her eyes as he retrieved it. It was going to be a long day.

~

Once they gathered the supplies, Marla and Charles left the shed and went to the elephant enclosure. They walked through the gates, and six female elephants ran over. Marla pulled the keys from her pocket and tossed them to Charles.

“Lock the gate,” she said.

Marla walked towards the elephants and stood still as they surrounded her. Marla touched each of their outstretched trunks, greeting them by name.

“Good morning Prune, Jellybean, Sugarcane, Lemon, Big Lady, and Elene.”

When Marla raised her hands up, the elephants raised their trunks. She twirled her finger in the air and pointed to the showers. The elephants promptly made their way to their appointed spot. When Marla turned around, Charles was staring at her with wide eyes.

“How did you do that?” Charles asked.

Marla smirked and crossed her arms. “Simple. I’m an elephant whisperer.”

“Really?”

“Yes. These elephants and I share a special bond. One built on trust, love, and experience.” 

“Wow. So, you can hear their thoughts?”

“In a way, yes. Now come on, we’ve got work to do.”

After filling the buckets with water, Marla and Charles got to work cleaning the elephants. Most of them cooperated and stood still during the procedure. The only one that didn’t was Elene. First, the mischievous baby elephant stole a soap bar and tried eating it. Marla scolded her and sent her away. Next, Elene ran around her mother, Big Lady, as Marla and Charles cleaned the elephant. She took Charles’ broom and tried cleaning him until Marla sent her away again. Elene ran to her corner, leaving behind a soap-covered Charles.

"Are you alright?" Marla asked.

“I thought we came to give them a bath,” Charles said. “Not the other way around.”

“That’s Elene for you. You have to stay on your toes with baby elephants."

“Good to know. But I’m probably going to smell like elephant soap for a week.”

“If this task is too hard, you can always quit.”

Charles shook his head as he continued wringing water from his shirt. “It’ll take more than being cleaned by an elephant to get me to quit. Besides, an extra bath isn’t always a bad thing.”

“I see,” Marla said. Although that's too bad. Things would be easier for me if you did quit.

She shrugged her shoulders and went back to cleaning Big Lady. Then it was time for Elene. But the young elephant had other ideas. As soon as they moved toward her, Elene ran to the other side of the enclosure. 

“Elene!” Marla snapped. “Stop fooling around.”

Elene looked at Marla and trumpeted. Her thoughts rang loud and clear to Marla, Come and get me. Marla rolled up her sleeves and moved towards Elene, who took off to the other side as soon as Marla got close.

“Do you need help?” Charles asked.

“No. I’ve got her. Just stand by the showers and wait for me.”

But Charles didn’t move. Instead, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and swiped the screen a few times. Suddenly, Marla heard the familiar tune of Clair de Lune, a song she sang to the elephants during nap time. Elene turned her attention towards Charles and wandered over to him. Charles smiled and beckoned to the oncoming elephant.

“Look at that. I must be an elephant whisperer too.”

At that moment, Marla was glad Charles was too far to see the anger on her face. How dare he try and show me up, Marla thought. Charles patted Elene on the head. Suddenly, Elene snatched his phone and held it up with her trunk. Charles laughed and reached for his phone, but the young elephant stepped back. Charles immediately stopped laughing.

“Elene,” Charles said. “Give that back.”

Elene stared at him, then took off. 

"Hey!" Charles said.

"After her!" Marla yelled.

They ran after Elene, but she was too quick. She dashed around the enclosure, waving the phone around. To Elene, she was playing a game of chase. To Marla and Charles, she was making their job twice as hard.

“We’re never going to catch her,” Charles said.

“We need to corner her,” Marla said. “You go left, and I’ll go right.”

Charles nodded, and they took off in opposite directions. Elene stopped running and watched them. She scratched her ear with the phone as if trying to figure out their plan. Elene stood still as Marla and Charles crept closer to her, making sure to stay out of her line of sight. Once they were close enough, they leaped toward Elene. Suddenly the elephant ran off and the two workers crashed into each other. Marla groaned and rubbed her head as she looked for the runaway elephant. She saw her heading for the gate, waving the phone over her head like a shiny trophy.

“She's heading for the gate,” Marla said. “It's locked, so she can’t go anywhere. Let's get her and end this."

She stood up and noticed the shock in Charles' eyes.

“Oh no,” he whispered. “I forgot.”

“You what!?”

 Marla heard a creaking noise and looked to see Elene pushing the gate open.

“Elene!” Marla shouted. “Don’t go!”

Marla ran towards the elephant to grab her. Elene bolted through the open gate and disappeared up the path towards the zoo’s other exhibits. 

“Elene!” Marla called.

She stopped and glared at Charles. The teen scrambled to his feet and ran past her. 

“I’m sorry! I’ll go get her!”

Charles ran out of the enclosure and up the same path. Marla was about to follow when she heard another noise. She turned around and saw Big Lady charging toward her. Big Lady was very protective of Elene and always kept an eye on her. If Big Lady got out of the enclosure, the ten-foot pachyderm would cause significant damage. 

“Big Lady! Stop!” Marla shouted.

She ran to the gate and blocked the entrance. Had it been any other elephant, Marla would have been trampled. However, because Big Lady knew and loved Marla, the elephant came to a halt. Big Lady looked at Marla and then towards the path where Elene and Charles went. Marla could see the worry in her large eyes. Marla could hear Big Lady’s thoughts as they screamed, “My baby! My baby!”

“Big Lady,” Marla said. “Everything is going to be alright. We’ll get Elene back, but I need you to stay here.

Big Lady stared at Marla, her eyes going from Marla to the path. Suddenly she wrapped her trunk around Marla’s waist and hoisted her off the ground. Big Lady carried Marla to the middle of the enclosure, set her down, and patted her head. Then she turned and charged through the open gates, knocking the doors off their hinges as she ran up the path.

"Big Lady!"

Marla ran out and looked at the doors. She tried to lift one of the doors, but it was too heavy. Marla ran back to the other elephants, who looked from the doors and back to Marla, as confusion swirled within their eyes.

"What's going on?" Lemon asked.

"Where's Big Lady going?" Jellybean and Sugarcane asked.

"Can we come too?" Prune asked.

Marla shook her head and held up her hands.

"Everything is going to be okay. I have everything under control. Stay here until I get back, and don't leave under any circumstances!"

Marla ran from the enclosure and up the path where Elene, Charles, and Big Lady had gone. She pulled out her walkie-talkie and pushed the button on the side.

"I need someone from the repair crew to fix the gates at the elephant enclosure. And I need it done right now."

Marla stuck the device back in her belt and kept running. She hoped the other elephants would heed her words.

~

Because today was cleaning day, the zoo was closed to guests. Good thing it was, for the signs of Big Lady's rampage were everywhere. Fallen palm trees covered the ground, muddy elephant footprints caked the walkways, and a toppled ice cream cart spilled its contents onto the road. Within five minutes, Big Lady had created thousands of dollars in damages. If I don’t fix this I’ll definitely be fired, Marla thought.

“Help!”

Marla stopped running and looked up to see a zookeeper hanging from a lamppost, surrounded by a group of macaroni penguins. Big Lady must have stormed into the penguin exhibit and smashed one of the glass windows, releasing the penguins in the process. Marla ran over to the ice cream cart and slid the lid open, sending ice cream slush onto the concrete.

“Hey, penguins!” Marla shouted.

The penguins turned from the man and looked in Marla’s direction. She gestured to the slush pile of cream. The penguins waddled over to the pile and threw themselves into the slush, squawking and flapping their flippers. Marla snuck off to help the zookeeper climb down.

“Are you okay?” Marla asked.

“Do I look okay?” the zookeeper snapped. “I was almost crushed by an elephant and was assaulted by angry penguins. You expect me to be okay after that?”

“Uh sorry. But hey, at least you’re safe now.”

A golf cart flew over their heads and crashed into the lamppost. A thudding sound caught Marla's attention and she looked up to see Big Lady heading toward the gift shop center.

"That's it!" The zookeeper dug his walkie-talkie from his pocket and hit the button.

“Hello? I need someone near the entrance of a zoo. There’s a wild elephant-”

“No!”

Marla snatched the walkie-talkie from him. The protocol for a rampaging elephant involved tranquilizers. And Marla didn't want Big Lady to suffer because of her actions. If only she had chosen to lock the gates herself instead of trusting Charles. Marla pressed the button on the walkie-talkie and said, “Wild penguins! We got some wild penguins that escaped their enclosure, and we need a handler down here.”

Marla returned the device to the zookeeper, who stared at her as if she had two heads.

“Nobody understands Big Lady better than I do. Let me handle her.”

The zookeeper shrugged and put the walkie-talkie away. "Go for it if you want. But don't come crying to me when you get flattened."

~

It took Marla twenty minutes to locate Big Lady again. She was standing by the fountain near Marvin’s Zoo gift shop. When Marla drew closer, she saw that Big Lady was looking at something in the fountain. It was Elene. The baby elephant was splashing water everywhere. Relief flooded over Marla, and she walked over. Then she saw Charles sitting by the fountain. Head down, and thin arms wrapped around his knees. She didn’t know if he was resting or trying to hide. Either way, her relief turned to fury. 

“Charles!”

The boy lifted his head. When he saw Marla stomping toward him, he scrambled to his feet. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry isn’t going to fix this! I gave you one task! How could you mess it up?”

“I was watching you with the elephants, and it slipped my mind. I never meant for any of this to happen.”

“None of this would have happened if you weren’t here, to begin with. Thanks to you, the entire park is ruined, and we’re both going to get fired!”

“Marla.”

“I’ve been with these elephants for 28 years. I greeted them, fed, played with them, and sang to them. Nobody understands them as well as I do. When I'm gone, who will look after them?"

“Marla.”

"To think that I'll lose my job because of a dumb intern who cares more about his phone than animals.”

"M-Marla?"

“Oh, for Pete’s sake! What?”

Charles lowered his head and pointed behind Marla. She turned around to see four elephants standing behind her: Jellybean, Sugarcane, Lemon, and Prune. Marla's face changed to the color of cream cheese when she recognized the man standing in front of the elephants. It was the 60-year-old owner of the zoo, Marvin Malone. 

“Mr. Marvin! What are you doing here?” Marla asked.

“I was hoping someone could explain what happened here,” Marvin said. “I had a hunch that something was happening here today. I came by for a surprise visit, only to find the place in ruins. I asked around, and several employees told me that a wild elephant had come storming through here. And since elephants are part of your department, I came looking for you.”

“But why are the other elephants here too?”

“I think they were worried about you and Big Lady. They wanted to see if you two were alright."

Marla looked at the four elephants, seeing a mixture of concern and relief in their eyes. She approached them and held her hand up. One by one, the four pressed their trunks to her hand.

“Why do you look sad?” Lemon asked.

“Are you okay?” Sugarcane and Jellybean asked.

“Do you need a hug?” Prune asked.

Marla smiled and shook her head. “Everything’s okay now. And I’m sorry for making you girls worry.”

The four elephants touched Marla's face and lowered their trunks, their eyes filling with forgiveness. Mr. Malone cleared his throat and pointed at a ruined bench.

"Can someone tell me how this mess happened?”

“It’s my fault.” Charles stepped forward and raised his hand. “Marla told me to lock the gate, but I didn't. Because of my error, Elene and Big Lady got out. None of this would have happened if I hadn’t been here. I’m sorry.”

Charles pulled off his badge and handed it to Marla.

“I’ll turn in my uniform and accept whatever consequence you have for me. After today, nobody will ever want me to work here again."

Charles turned and walked away, heading towards the park exit. Suddenly, Elene clambered out of the fountain. She ran to Charles and grabbed his arm with her trunk. Charles paused and looked at Elene, smiling sadly.

“I’m sorry Elene. I can’t work here anymore.”

But Elene wouldn’t release him. When Charles shook his head and gently pulled his arm away, Elene blew her trunk and blocked his path.

“It looks like she doesn’t want you to leave.” Mr. Malone said.

“But I can’t stay,” Charles said. “Not after what I did. Besides, I’m just a dumb intern who cares more about his phone than animals.”

Marvin raised an eyebrow and looked at Marla. She paled and looked at the floor.

“Marla? Is there something you want to say?”

“I was angry when I said those things,” Marla said. “But don’t I have a right to be?”

She raised her head and looked at Marvin. “You’re trying to replace me.”

“Replace you? Marla, what are you talking about?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You’ve been giving me fewer tasks, and you're always asking if I need help with the elephants. Then you give me an intern and have me teach him how to handle the elephants. It's clear you're trying to replace me."

“Marla, taking care of elephants is a hard task. I thought having an intern around would make the job easier. I never planned on replacing you.”

“Really?”

“Of course! Nobody in this park knows the hearts of elephants as well as you. I’d have to be insane to replace you.”

“Then you’re not going to fire me?”

“Of course not. Nobody’s getting fired today, that includes you, Charles.”

“Huh? But what about the damages?”

“We can-"

Marvin paused and looked at the damages Big Lady had created. The broken benches, wrecked exhibits, and dirtied walkways would take more than a few dollars to fix. However, the old man simply sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"The insurance company should take care of the damages. Whatever can't be covered will come out of your paychecks. Seem fair?"

Charles and Marla looked at each other, then nodded in agreement.

"Excellent,” Marvin said. “Now is there anything else we need to address?"

"Yes," Marla said. "One more thing.”

She turned and looked at Charles. He was rubbing his shoulder and looking at the ground.

"Charles. A word.”

Charles walked over to her with Elene following after him. Marla gave him his badge, then took off her cap. She thought back to how he had played with Elene earlier. Even when she had taken his phone, he hadn’t lost his temper. And it was clear that Elene liked his company. Marla sighed and lowered her head.

“I’m super sorry about what I said earlier. Now that I see what Elene thinks of you, it’s clear you treasure animals more than any cellular device. Can you forgive me for my foolishness?”

Charles smiled and nodded. Marla smiled back and placed her cap on.

“Speaking of phones,” Charles said. “I think I know how we can get the elephants back to their enclosures.”

~

As the employees worked to clean the destruction in the zoo, they were treated to a view of Marla and Charles’ elephant parade. Charles took the lead, holding his phone in the air and blasting Les Toreadors through its speakers. Elene marched behind him, followed by Big Lady, Sugarcane, Jellybean, Lemon, and Prune. Marla and Marvin brought up the rear, making sure no elephants wandered off. When they reached the elephant yard, Marla was thrilled to see that the gates were fixed. Charles marched the elephants through the gates and into the enclosure. Then he turned off his phone, and Marla sang the songs for nap time. Once the elephants were settled and resting, they left the area and locked the gates behind them.

“We did it!” Charles said.

“Excellent work,” Marla said. “And great idea on using music to lead them back.”

“What can I say? Elephants love music.”

“Alright, you two,” Marvin said. “You still have work to do. The zoo isn’t going to clean itself.”

“Yes sir,” Marla said. “I’ll get on it.”

“Don’t you mean we’ll get on it?” Charles asked. “I’m just as responsible for what happened.”

“Are you sure? We’re going to be cleaning for a long time.”

Charles shrugged his shoulders. “Nobody said that zoo work was easy.”

“You’re right,” Marla said. “Let’s go get our supplies.”

They entered the supply shed, and Marla grabbed a broom. She tossed it to Charles, and this time he caught it.

“Hey, I’m getting better at this!” he said.

“Very good," Marla said.

“Think I can get better at hearing elephants too?”

“With time, maybe. Now enough talk,” Marla said.

“We’ve got work to do,” Charles said.

Marla smiled, and Charles gave her a thumbs up. After locking the shed doors, the two of them walked up the path to the zoo. As they passed the elephant exhibit, Elene ran to the fence and waved her trunk to greet them. As they both waved back, a thought crossed Marla’s mind. Perhaps working with Charles wouldn’t be a bad thing after all. He may not be able to hear the voices of the elephants, but his heart was with them all the same.