Timothy, the baby elephant, looked down into the quiet pool he had found close to the river where the herd was drinking. He stared hard at the water. He saw his reflection; really big ears, a short trunk which had a high pitched squeak when he called to his mother. He stared, then gave voice to the thought in his head. “YOU look stupid” he told the reflection. He then plotted down and continued to stare.
Since Timothy was so young he had yet to understand how dangerous wandering from the herd was and he did not see the danger just a few yards further along the shore. There, submerged just under the water, with just eyes and snout above the water, was Al.
Al was an old, but very strong Crocodile. It was his usual routine in the late afternoon to find lunch in the stay animals that were foolish enough to come down to the water alone. Al was not fussy he ate anything that did not try to eat him first, which was really anything that he could bite and pull under the water.
Al stared at the small elephant lying on the little over hang at the edge of the pool. As fate would have it, Al had just had a good meal of old water buffalo. Al was not hungry and was sitting in the quiet of the pool digesting his food. He had been almost asleep in the warm pool when he had heard Timothy’s self judgment on his looks. Floating in the water, Al wondered if he could hold a whole baby elephant. After a moment he decided the elephant was not worth the trouble. After all if there was a baby, then there was a hold herd of adults to deal with. He watched the small elephant as the young one continued calling himself names.
“Stupid! Ugly! Ridiculous looking stupid elephant!” Timothy began to cry which caused his short trunk to squeak. Finally, Al had had as much of that noise as he could stand. “What is your problem! And stop that ridiculous noise!”
Timothy who had not seen anyone when he found the pool stopped abruptly. Without moving he looked around. Who… then he saw eyes looking at him from the pool in front of him.
“Well?” demanded the eyes, or a voice belonging to the eyes. Timothy was not sure what it was.
Al finally stood up so the small elephant could see who was talking. Timothy jumped to his feet. Too late he remembered what his mom and the herd had told him about wandering away from the herd at the pool.
Al snorted and repeated his question. “What is your problem?” He stared hard at the small elephant.
Timothy swallowed hard. “Nothing sir”, was his answer.
Al snorted again. “Well if nothing is wrong, why are you making all that noise and waking me up.” Al continued his hard stare.
“I’m sorry sir. I did not see you. I will leave.”
Al snorted again. “You will do no such thing. I’m wake now. SO, one more time, what is your problem kid?”
Timothy shrugged, “Well I was… just…” Then it all came out at once, “I hate how I look and it makes me mad and I was just yelling at myself.” Timothy responded in a voice that showed how upset he was and his trunk gave out a squeak before he could stop it.
Al looked at the small elephant and for the first time he felt pity for what to him was food. Being a croc by birth he was not in the sympathy business so he was not sure what to do. Silence settled between them.
Timothy finally asked. “Are you going to eat me now sir?”
Al was startled. It had been his first thought but he did not expect food to give itself to him. “ No I’m not hungry.”
Timothy dropped his head and turned to walk away.
Before he knew what he was doing Al called out. “Hey, wait boy, stop!”
Timothy stopped and looked around.
Al said “what’s your name boy?”
“Timothy” was the answer.
“Well come here boy. Sit.” And timothy returned and sat down and looked at the croc in the water below him.
“Why do you insist on thinking you are so ugly and stupid looking?” Al asked with a sigh
Timothy startled by the question responded. “Well, look at me! My ears are huge, I could fly if I beat them hard on a windy day, and my trunk... well look at it!” He made an effort to trumpet and the usual squeak was all that came out.
A crocodile’s smile is not a thing of beauty but Al really could not stop himself. Timothy, not knowing what a smile on a croc was supposed to mean, chuckled and blushed as much as any elephant could. “Sorry” he said.
Al controlled himself and looked at the young elephant. “Ok kid. First of all, you look normal for your age. All the calves look like you, so I don’t see the problem. Second you’ll grow out of it. You’re just young. You will grow up and be a strong as your father. By the way who is your father?”
“Valley.” Timothy swelled up with pride. Valley was a great bull who took good care of his herd.
“Valley!” Snorted Al. It would have to be him.
“You know my dad?” Said a very surprised Timothy
“Oh yeah I know him. Made the mistake of trying to eat his mother years ago.” Was Al’s sad answer.
Timothy was too startled to answer.
Al came back from his thoughts of the past.
“Look kid, when your father was your age his ears were too big and his trunk too short and now that I know who your father is, well... you sound just like him when he was your age. You’re not ugly, you’re just young. Some day when you’ve grown into your body you’ll see a big strong bull in your reflection and your trumpet will be loud and strong and you will be a bull elephant just like your father. Now, you have a choice. You can continue to feel sorry for yourself and become food for someone like me. Or you can watch your Dad and your mom and learn from them and become the bull you were born to be.”
Timothy stood up and looked at Al. Then he took a big deep breath and blew it out his trunk. It was far from the bellow of his father but it was not as squeaky as it had been. It was also loud enough for his mother to hear and her concerned bellow came to him on the wind. Al heard the sound of the cow elephant moving towards the pool, he also heard the call of Valley. That was a bellow he did not want to hear again. “Well boy you better get back before your father comes looking for you.” With that Al moved back into the pool and sank to the bottom.
Timothy, feeling better about who he was, turned back to the herd.
Two years later a very large bull elephant stood looking down into the quiet water of the little pool. He stood quiet for a while then lifting his long strong trunk bellowed and then shouted “Al!” Slowly, two eyes appeared above the water, then the snout followed and the eyes narrowed. “What do you want of me Valley?” The croc was not happy to see the big bull.
“I am not Valley. I’m his son Timothy.”
Al watched the big elephant for a minute then stood up out of the water.
Timothy watched the croc while this was going on. “Do you remember me?”, he said.
Al smiled again. He couldn’t help it. “The small elephant with the squeak.”
Timothy looked very serious, then slowly a smile came to his eye. “Yes the small elephant with a squeak.”
“What is it you want waking me up like that. More advise?” Al could not stop smiling even though he figured the great bull before him had learned what it meant.
Timothy shook his trunk, “You know... I’ve learned that crocs do not smile without the thought of food being there. Do I look like food to you old Al?”
“Yes you do.” said Al, “But it’s your lucky day. I just ate.”
Timothy looked seriously at the old croc. Then a deep chuckle came from his throat. “I have been lucky at this pool twice in my life. You are slipping old croc.”
“Come on a hungry day and we will see how your luck holds.” Finally the old croc brought his smile under control. “Why are you here?”
“I have come to thank you. You helped me see that what is reflected in a pool is not always what the future holds. Our reflection does not always give the whole picture.”
The old croc stood and stared at the great bull before him and tried to remember the small elephant he had spared one day long ago and the counsel given. Al realized he was proud of the small elephant now grown into a mighty bull. He snorted in reply, “You look like Valley” and with that he allowed himself to sink into a float that would take him to the bottom, but before he was underwater his ears hear a very high pitched squeak. He could not help it, He smiled as he hit bottom. He looked up... the mighty bull was gone.