why elephants have long trunks

7/29/2019 Why Elephants Have Long Trunks

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WHY ELEPHANTS HAVE LONG TRUNKS

Once upon a time in Thailand, when elephants had shorttrunks, an elephant named

Chaang was about to change the

world.

He lived in the city of Ratchasima

near the Thailandish desert and

was a carrier in the caravan thatmoved through the desert to Khon

Khaen. He had a friend the

pangolin called Liin. Because of Liin, Chaang was not well

liked by the other elephants. Pangolins were almost as

bad as white mice. The others were scared as hell when

Chaang and Liin came to the lunch area, where the

elephants were fed their water for they couldn’t do it

themselves, but still mocked Chaang when he came.

Supporting Chaang, Liin always said,

”They are just jealous that they are not as fearless as you

are.” But Chaang wouldn’t listen. He wanted to be liked

and also, he wanted to be able to drink by himself and not

be helped by those humble humans. It was almost as

inacceptable as if feet would touch your head, for those

big majestic creatures to be drink-fed by little creatures



only about half as big as they were. Many elephants had

tried to change that,but all of them had failed.

On the third day of the third moon passing, Chaangs

caravan left Rachasima. They were in for a long, hot

march across the dessert for it was summer and the sun

shone unpitying on the caravan. On the third day around

noon a breeze came up. The mahouts drove their

elephants on, not troubled by the slight breeze. Around

two a clock the wind grew stronger and the mahouts

sheltered their eyes, still driving on their elephants. Whenit was three a' clock the breeze had developed into a

storm and you could only see one meter ahead. The

mahouts were struggling to hold on to their elephants but

were slowly, one by one, blown off their rides. With no one

to direct them, the elephants dispersed and shortly

afterwards, it was everybody for themselves.

Chaang woke up with sand all over him. He was confused

for a moment but then remembered the sand storm and

how he had settled down to come over the sand storm. He

had done a good job. The sky was completely blue and no

cloud was to be seen anywhere. The dunes looked likehuge yellow, sandy waves like in the ocean, where

Chaang had only once been.

Great , Chaang thought to himself.



I'm alone in the desert with no chance of finding water

anywhere. And if I did who would drink feed me. He felt

the need for water rising up his throat, rasping and drying

his whole mouth and body.

I need to get water quickly. I will dry out if I don’t. Wait,

there was something glinting there. Chaang began to run

towards the glinting getting faster and faster with his tiny

feet.

Hah the others will die but I’ll live. Suckers. He came to a

dune and peeked over the top, his eyes just skimming the

rim of the dune.

But there is nothing here. Nothing. WHY? Oh. STUPID,

STUPID, STUPID. It was a mirage. I’m so stupid. No, I’m

smart this can happen to anybody. I’m going crazy. You

are not going crazy. I am talking to myself. You are not

talking to yourself. Oh, now I am crazy. Chaang took a

deep breath. Hey, what was that? That sand just moved.

I’ll go there. But what if it is a mirage again? I'll look stupid

in front of myself. Nah, I'll go there. Chaang paced forward

towards the moving sand. He anticipated all kinds of

things: An underground layer, a nice fountain or even a

secret passage back to Ratchasima. He stopped when hesaw the sand move again but, also saw a lizard exactly

colored like the sand.



Damn it. Again? This can't be happening. I don't usually

have luck like the pig in a butcher family. Wait? Talking of

butchering don't I smell a fire, cooking a nice hot stew?

Chaang began to run again.

Okay, my eyes tricked me twice. My nose can't trick me. I

know it too well .

Chaang walked

towards the smell.

He could see the

smoke of the fire

now.

My nose is, as

always, flawless. My,

o my. This smells

awesome. And

before Chaang knew

it he was standing in

front of a guy sitting

in a perfect lotus

position.

"Hello. How may I help you my dear sir?" The guy

murmured in weird singing voice.

"Well," Chaang answered, "If you wouldn't mind I would

like to have some stew please."



"I am the wish come true maker. If you can accomplish

three easy tasks I shall grant you whatever you want." The

wish come true maker boomed in a voice that was almost

scary.

"That is very cool but I would just really like some stew."

"You shan't have your stew unless you accomplish three

tasks!" The wish come true maker sounded angry.

"Any wish?" Chaang asked suspiciously.

"Any wish."

"Well then give me the tasks!" Chaang commanded.

"Okay, here they come. You will have to get the water out

of a bucket without touching the bucket, or going on your

knees, you will have to get fruits from a tree, without

having something to stand on or standing on your hindlegs and you will have my feet touch your head for a

minute without wincing even once."

Chaang stood, with his mouth agape.

"But all those things are impossible or will make me

undignified, I can't do it."

"If you rather wouldn't have your wish..."

"No, no, no, no, no. I do. I can do it."



"Okay, let's start." With a snap of his fingers, the wish

come true maker made a bucket full of water appear. The

water was still swapping back and forth a little bit.

"Begin!" The wish come true maker commanded, and

Chaang bent forward. But his knees collapsed under him.

Damn it . He got up.

"I told you not to touch the ground. Do it again!" And

Chaang bent down again. His knees began to wobble. His

face grew more determined. Collapsing to the ground, he

let out a grunt.

"Again! "

"Oh, come on. It's too hard. Please give me a different

task."

"No. You get the task you are assigned. Now proceed."

Grudgingly Chaang went down. But then an idea struck

him. He took his foot and kicked the handle, spilling all the

water on the ground.

"Hey! No fair you can't touch the bucket." The wish come

true maker exclaimed, hitting his laps in discontent.

"Oh, but I didn't touch the bucket. I touched the handle. And you didn't say anything about the handle." Chaang

explained.



"Yeah, but, but, you. And then. You did. It's not fair,"

whined the wish come true maker.

"You should state your tasks more clearly. I accomplished

the first one. Let us go to the second one." Chaang

explained further.

"Well then. Let's proceed." And with a snap his fingers,the

bucket and the water disappeared.

"But,I was still thirsty!" Shouted Chaang.

"Oh,I'm sorry. Next task." And with a snap of his fingers a

nice tree with fruits appeared in front of Chaang.

"Get the fruits down. Without something to stand on or

standing on your hind legs. Come on,move it! Move it!

Move it!" The wish come true maker shouted and hopped,

in a circle, around the tree. Chaang moved in front of the

tree and looked up. These fruits must be five meters of the

ground. I am only three meters tall. How do I get them.

Chaang tried to raise his trunk to the fruits. But it was no

use. The trunk barely even passed the top of his head.

How do I do this I can't stand on my hind legs or standing

on top of something. That is just impossible. UNLESS!

Chaang rose onto his front legs. He tried to get his hindlegs of the ground. The second they were in the

air,Chaang collapsed onto his left side.

"Damn it, stupid legs." Chaang muttered,and got up.



"That was the first try. You still have two tries. Good look."

The wish come true maker said sarcastically. Chaang

murmured something and went onto his fore legs,this time

also using his head. He kicked his shorter hind legsup,thinking I can't fail now. But my legs were always little

stumps. They're so tiny . The legs came up for what

seemed like ages. Time slowed and he could see a

butterfly two hundred meters away landing on a dune,the

patterns on its wings seeming brighter than ever. His legs

were right above the rest of his body and he scraped oneof the fruits,feeling the rubbery peel of an orange against

the soles of his feet. The exterior of his body now began to

drop towards the ground.

"One trial to go until you fail.

Muahahahahahahahhahahah!" The wish come true maker

laughed crazily. I can do this, I can do this. I want thiswish. He went up grunting heavily. He lifted the weight

from his hind legs onto his front legs and put his head on

the ground. He did it slowly. Taking aim and slowly coming

up. Kicking out he let out a gasp. He missed the fruit. But

he hit the branch. All the fruits went from the branch and

the smile on the face of the wish come true maker was

wiped away.

"Very, well, lay down your head so I can touch it with my

feet." The smug smile returned to his face," I bet you

cannot resist to wince."



"We'll see. But if you want to bet I have terms. If I indeed

wince,you shall be allowed to touch my head for another

minute. But if I do not wince ,you have to grant me two

wishes." The wish come true maker considered it amoment. It was tempting. The indignity the elephant would

suffer was unimaginable. But he would have to give more

than one wish and he hated giving even one wish.

"Okay very well. Let us begin."

Bending down Chaang thought This better work. Or I'll dieout here without having achieved anything. I don't want todie out here all alone. What if anybody gets to know somebody's feet were on my head. I will be undignified forever. His feet must be so dirty . They will stink horribly.

And the hair on his feet must surely tickle my head and I will wince, which will result in me dying out here all alone.Then the feet touched his head and he felt every hair on

them and could smell every single smell. He felt theburning feeling of disgrace rage across his head andsuddenly he wanted to give in to the stream of emotionsand start shouting at the thing or man, or whatever it was.However he remembered the time when he had stumbledin a boulder and started crying. Once he had stopped ithad simply felt better and, so he decided not to shout. The

wish come true maker, maybe guessing his line of thought, taunted,"It is not bad to feel the need to shout or wince.

Everybody would understand that you winced after feet

have touched your head for over half a minute now."



Chaang felt a glint of hope. Only half a minute left now. I

must resist I can't just give up now. That would be weak

and I would blame myself for my whole life, however long

that may be.

So Chaang decided not to wince and remain in his frozen,

stubborn state of mind. After another ten seconds the

"wish come true make went another step and started step

dancing on Chaangs head.

Oh now he's gone too far. Chaang thought, clamping his

eyes shut while the tapping on his head grew more and

more annoying. If I see him ever again after I have gotten

my wishes I shall have to give him a good nice good

beating for going this far. He has to pay for this. Chaang

tried to ignore the tapping on his head by thinking of cake

but not even cake could distract him from the remarks of

the creature above the feet. They got so annoying thatChaang, at one point almost stood up and stampeded

over the "wish come true maker". Then as suddenly as it

had begun it stopped. The pressure on his head was

taken away and Chaang let out a loud cry of rage and

relief. He stood up and looked at the sweaty "wish come

true maker". He was completely out of breath and lookedvery disappointed. Chaang decided not to give him a little

break and immediately said,

"My first wish is that....."



"How did you do that?" The "wish come true maker"

interrupted.

"Do what?" Chaang asked, knowing exactly what he

meant.

"Why didn't you wince? I was sure that the disgrace must

be too much for you."

Chaang decided not to let him know and answered," My

first wish is that," Chaang added a suspense building

pause," Every elephant has a long trunk." The wish cometrue maker looked irritated but snapped his head and

immediately the weight where his short trunk had been,

doubled. He felt something touch the floor and looked

down. The trunk was as long as his whole body and he

tried to move it. He felt double as big when he heaved his

trunk up. He marveled at the feeling for a few minutes. He

put it down and said happily,

" It's perfect. Finally us elephants can be independent. My

second wish is that I get back to Ratchasima."

And with a poof and much smoke he appeared in

Ratchasima. He saw many elephants with long trunks with

blank expressions on their faces. They hadn't graspedwhat had happened. He saw Liin and she turned towards

him. Liin ran towards Chaang and happily shouted,



"You're back. Everybody thought your caravan had been

lost. Why do all these elephants have long trunks?" So

Chaang began to tell his story and more elephants

gathered around. Many were amazed and others couldn'tbelieve it. When he had finished a few elephants were

starting to say they were going to run away and others

said they were going to open businesses. If they did run

off or they did open businesses is another story. But for

now you know why elephants have long trunks.

why elephants have long trunks

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