A retelling of how elephant got his trunk from Just So Stories By Rudyard Kipling
In the High and Far-Off Times, Elephants roamed the land without their iconic trunks. Instead, they sported boot-sized noses that wiggled this way and that but were of little use for picking up things.
Among this ancient herd, one Elephantโa new Elephantโan Elephant’s Childโnamed Elbert stood out because he was curious. He asked many questions. His mind brimmed with questions, each one a step on a journey that would change the face of his kind forever.

He asked his tall aunt, the Ostrich, why her tail feathers grew as they did, and his tall aunt, the Ostrich, sent him to bed early without dessert. He asked his tall uncle, the Giraffe, what made his skin spotty, and his tall uncle, the Giraffe, made him stand in the corner. And still, he was full of curiosity!
He asked his broad aunt, the Hippopotamus, why her eyes were red, and his broad aunt, the Hippopotamus, made him write “I will not ask silly questions” one hundred times; and he asked his hairy uncle, the Baboon, why melons tasted sweet, and his hairy uncle, the Baboon, made him sit quietly and think about his behavior. And still, he was full of curiosity!

He asked questions about everything that he saw or heard, or felt, or smelt, or touched, and all his uncles and aunts scolded him and gave him extra chores. And still he was full of curiosity!
One fine morning in this early time when the Moon and the Sun were still figuring out their dance, curious Elbert asked a new fine question that he had never asked before. He asked, ‘What does the Crocodile have for dinner?’ Then everybody gasped and said, ‘Hush!’ In a fretful tone they said โElbert! That’s too dangerous to know!โ They all looked very worried indeed.
By and by, when all the fuss had died down, Elbert came upon Kolokolo Bird sitting in the middle of a wait-a-bit thorn-bush, and he said, ‘My father has scolded me, and my mother has sent me to bed without dessert; all my aunts and uncles have given me extra chores for my endless curiosity; and still I want to know what the Crocodile has for dinner!’

Then Kolokolo Bird, with feathers ruffled, let out a long, mournful cry and said, “Oh, Elbert, if you really must know, you’ll have to travel to the banks of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River. It’s a mysterious place, surrounded by tall fever trees. There, and only there, you might find your answer… if you’re brave enough!โ
That very next morning, when the Sun had barely started its daily game of hide-and-seek with the Moon, Elbert packed a hundred pounds of bananas (the little short yellow kind), a hundred pounds of sugar-cane (the long sweet purple kind), and seventeen melons (the round juicy green kind with the crackly skin).
“Goodbye, everyone!โ Elbert announced to his dear family โI’m off to the grey-green, greasy Limpopo River. I’m going to find out what the Crocodile has for dinner!โ
His family gasped and fretted, telling him to be careful and not to talk to strange animals. They made him promise to look both ways before crossing any rivers and to remember to brush his teeth every night.
Finally, with a waggle of his little black nose (which was still no bigger than a boot), Elbert set off. He wasn’t scared at all, but he was very excited! As he walked, he munched on his melons, leaving a trail of rinds behind him because, well, he couldn’t pick them up with his tiny nose, could he?
Elbert traveled through busy towns and quiet villages, across wide plains and through thick jungles. He went from Graham’s Town to Kimberley, and from Kimberley to Khama’s Country. From there, he headed east by north, munching melons all the way, until at last he reached the banks of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, just as Kolokolo Bird had described.
Now, you must know, dear friends, that until that very moment, our Elbert had never laid eyes on a real Crocodile. He didn’t know if they were big or small, green or purple, or if they preferred tea or lemonade with their dinner. That’s why his curiosity was bubbling over like a pot of hot cocoa!
The first creature Elbert met by the river was a Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake, all coiled up on a sun-warmed rock like a scaly cinnamon roll.

“Excuse me,” said the Elephantโs Child, as polite as can be, “but have you seen a Crocodile around these interesting parts?โ
The Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake lifted his head and looked at Elbert with one eyebrow raised (if snakes had eyebrows, that is). “Have I seen a Crocodile?” he said, his voice dripping with amusement. “Oh my, what will you ask next? The secret recipe for cloud fluff?โ
Elbert, not catching the snake’s sarcasm, continued eagerly, “Oh, and could you please tell me what Crocodiles like to eat for dinner?โ
The Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake uncoiled himself quickly, slithering closer to Elbert. He tickled the little elephant’s legs with the tip of his tail, making Elbert giggle and step back.
“Well, that’s new,” said the Elephantโs Child, still giggling. “Usually, when I ask too many questions, my family sends me to bed early or makes me write lines. I suppose a tickle is just another way of saying, ‘That’s enough questions for nowโ.”
So Elbert said goodbye very politely to the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake, even helping him get comfy on his rock again. Then he continued on his way, feeling a bit ticklish but still full of wonder. He kept munching on his melons and dropping the rinds.
That is when Elbert’s foot bumped against what he thought was a bumpy, scaly log at the edge of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River. The fever trees all around seemed to lean in as if they, too, were curious about what would happen next.
But this bumpy, scaly log, of course, was the Crocodile, and he winked one eye at Elbert, just like this! wink

“Excuse me,” said the Elephant Child, polite as ever, “but have you seen a Crocodile around these interesting parts?โ
Then the Crocodile winked his other eye and lifted half his tail out of the mud. Elbert, remembering his manners (and the tickles from the snake), took a step back.
“Come closer, Little One,” said the Crocodile with a toothy grin. “Why do you ask such things?โ
“Well, you see,” the Elephantโs Child explained, still keeping his distance, “I’ve been ever so curious about Crocodiles. But every time I ask, my family gets all flustered. My father sends me to bed early, my mother makes me write lines, my tall aunt, the Ostrich, makes me stand in the corner, and my tall uncle, the Giraffe, gives me extra chores. Not to mention my broad aunt the Hippopotamus and my hairy uncle the Baboon, who make me sit quietly and think about my behavior. Even the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake up there on the bank tickled me with his tail! So, if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not get into any more trouble.โ
“Come closer, Little One,” the Crocodile said again, “for I am the Crocodile.” And to prove it he shed a few crocodile tears, which some say are the most convincing tears of all.
The Elephantโs Child could hardly believe his luck! Forgetting to be cautious, he knelt down on the riverbank. He grew all breathless, and panted, and said, โOh wow! You are the very person I have been looking for all these long days! Would you pretty please tell me what you have for dinner?โ
The Crocodile’s smile grew even wider (which is quite scary when a Crocodile does it). “Come closer, Little One,” he said in a voice as smooth as butter. “I’ll whisper it to you. It’s a big secret, you know.โ
Elbert, his curiosity completely taking over his common sense, put his head down close to the Crocodileโs musky, tusky mouth, a smell a bit like old fish and mint leaves, which is a very strange combination indeed. Quick as a flash, the Crocodile snapped his jaws shut on Elbert’s little nose – the very same nose that, until that moment, had been no bigger than a boot (though much more wiggly).
“I think,” said the Crocodile, โand he said it between his teeth, like thisโ”that today, I’ll start my dinner with a little elephant appetizer!โ
At this the Elephantโs Child was much annoyed, and he said, speaking through his nose, like this, โLed go! You are hurtig be!โ
Just then, the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake came sliding down the bank. He looked at the scene and shook his head. “My dear young friend,” he said in that fancy way that Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snakes always talk, “if you don’t start pulling back right this instant with all your might, I do believe your new acquaintance in the scaly green swimsuit (by which he meant the Crocodile, of course) will drag you into that river faster than you can say ‘banana split’!”
Then the Elephantโs Child, realizing he was in quite a pickle, sat back on his little haunches and began to pull. He pulled and pulled and pulled with all his might! His nose, much to his surprise, began to s-t-r-e-t-c-h.

The Crocodile, determined not to lose his elephant-sized snack, flopped into the water with a giant SPLASH! He swished his tail back and forth, turning the river into a frothy milkshake. And he, too, pulled and pulled and pulled.
And Elbertโs nose just kept stretching and stretching. He dug all four of his little legs into the muddy bank and pulled even harder. With each tug-of-war pull from the Crocodile, Elbert’s nose grew longer and longer and LONGER. And oh boy, did it hurt!
Suddenly, the Elephantโs Child felt his legs slipping, and through his nose, which was now nearly five feet long, he cried, his voice all funny and nasal, โThis is too buch for be!โ.
Just then, the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake slithered down from the bank like a scaly fireman coming to the rescue. Quick as a wink, he wrapped himself around Elbert’s back legs, tying himself in a fancy knot that would make any scout proud.

“My dear impulsive and inexperienced young explorer,” said the Snake in his fancy-pants way of talking, “we must now apply ourselves most seriously to this rather tense situation. If we don’t, I’m afraid that yonder swimming appetizer-seeker with the built-in tooth necklace” (by which he meant the Crocodile, of course) “might just turn your bright future into a very short story indeed.”
Now, if you’re wondering why the Snake talks like he swallowed a dictionary, well, that’s just how all Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snakes talk. They simply can’t help being extra fancy with their words!
So they all pulled like they were in the world’s most important tug-of-war contest. Elbert pulled, the Snake pulled, and the Crocodile pulled too. But Elbert and his new snake friend pulled the hardest of all. Suddenly, with a ‘PLOP!’ so loud you could hear it echoing up and down the entire Limpopo River, the Crocodile let go of Elbert’s nose!
The Elephantโs Child plopped down on his bottom hard and fast, but even with his sore bottom and his very sore nose, Elbert didn’t forget his manners. He turned to the Snake and said, “Thank you very much for your help, Mr. Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake.”
Then, Elbert looked at his poor, pulled, stretched-out nose. It was so long now that the tip of it was tickling his toes! Gently, he wrapped it up in cool banana leaves, like a big green bandage, and dipped it in the river to soothe it.
The Snake watched all this with curiosity. “What in the world are you doing that for?” he asked.
“Excuse me,” said Elebert politely, even though his nose hurt something awful, “my nose is all out of shape. I’m waiting for it to shrink back to normal.”
The Snake tried not to laugh. “Oh, my dear elephant child,” he said, “I’m afraid you’ll be waiting a very long time for that to happen. Some folks just don’t know when they’ve been given a gift.”
The Elephantโs Child sat by the river for three whole days, hoping his nose would go back to its bootlike size. But it didn’t get any shorter at all. In fact, it made his eyes cross just trying to look at it! You see, my curious little friends, the Crocodile had pulled Elbert’s nose into a real, truly-truly trunk, just like all elephants have today.
On the third day, just as the Elephantโs Child was wondering if he’d ever be able to look at his nose without going cross-eyed, a fly buzzed by and bit him on the shoulder. Without even thinking, Elbert lifted up his long new nose and – WHACK! – swatted that fly right out of the air!
“Aha!” exclaimed the Snake. “Advantage number one! You could never have done that with your old boot nose. Now, why don’t you try to eat something?”
Elbert, still marveling at his fly-swatting skills, reached out with his new trunk. He plucked a big bunch of grass, gave it a little shake to dust it off, and popped it right into his mouth.

“Well, well!” said the Snake, looking mighty impressed. “Advantage number two! Your old nose couldn’t have done that in a million years. Say, don’t you think it’s awfully hot out here?”
“It sure is,” said Elbert, wiping his forehead. Then, without even realizing what he was doing, he sucked up a big slurp of mud from the riverbank and – SPLAT! – plopped it right on top of his head. The cool, gloopy mud dripped down behind his ears. It made a cool schloopy-sloshy mud-cap.
“Advantage number three!” cheered the Snake. “That old nose of yours would never have managed such a marvelous mud hat.โ
“Now, dear Elephant Chlid, how do you feel about all those times you got in trouble for asking too many questions?”
Elbert thought back to all the early bedtimes and extra chores. “Oh, I didn’t like that at all,” he said, his new trunk drooping a little.
“Well,” said the Snake, “what if I told you that your new trunk might just make your family the curious ones?”
Confused, Elbert asked. “Really? How’s that?”
The Snake chuckled. “Just you wait and see. I think you’ll find that when you get home, your family will have so many questions about your new trunk that they won’t know where to begin!”
Elbert’s trunk perked up at the thought. “Gosh, that would be something! Do you really think they’ll be that curious?”
“Oh, indeed,” said the Snake with a knowing nod. “And remember, curiosity isn’t a bad thing. It’s how we learn and grow.”
Elbert beamed with excitement. “Wow, thank you! his mind buzzing with possibilities. Maybe we can all be curious together!”
“That’s the spirit,” said the Snake. “Now off you go, and remember โ every question is a new adventure waiting to happen!โ
So the Elephant’s Child set off for home across Africa, his new trunk swishing and swaying with each step. As he traveled, he realized how different things were now.
Before, he had to wait patiently for fruit to fall from trees, but now he could reach up and pluck it himself. In the past, he’d kneel down to munch on grass, getting his knees all dirty. Now, he simply scooped it up with his handy trunk. When flies used to pester him, he could only shake his head in frustration. But now? He’d snap off a leafy branch and swish them away with ease.

Oh, and the mud-hats! Instead of just standing in the shade on hot days, he could now give himself the coolest, slushiest mud-hat ever!
As the Elephant’s Child walked through the vast African plains, he discovered another wonderful use for his trunk. He could make music! He’d blow through it, creating sounds that echoed across the savannah. It sure made his journey more fun.
All along his path home, the Elephant’s Child noticed the trail of melon rinds he’d left on his outward journey. “Well, that won’t do,” he thought. Using his new trunk, he carefully picked up each rind. “A tidy elephant is a happy elephant,” he hummed to himself.
With each step closer to home, the Elephant’s Child grew more excited to show his family all the amazing things his new trunk could do. He couldn’t wait to see their faces!
Just then, he caught a whiff of his mother’s favorite flowers and his father’s beloved mango tree. Home was close! His heart swelled with excitement and a touch of nervousness. How would his family react to his new trunk? With a spring in his step and his trunk held high, Elbert hurried towards his family’s clearing.
As he approached, he could hear the familiar sounds of his siblings playing and his aunts and uncles chatting. Taking a deep breath, Elbert stepped into view.
For a moment, everything went quiet. Then, a chorus of gasps and excitement filled the air.
“Elbert? Is that you?” his mother called, her eyes wide with surprise.
“What happened to your nose?” his little sister squeaked.
“It’s not a nose anymore,” Elbert said proudly. “It’s a trunk! And oh, the stories I have to tell you!โ
His family crowded around him, full of questions and wonder. As Elbert began to share his adventure, he realized the Snake had been right. Now his family were the curious ones, eager to learn and understand.
The Elephantโs Child showed his family all the marvelous things his trunk could do. There was laughter, amazement, and yes, a whole lot of questions. But this time, every question was welcomed with joy.
Elbert had always understood that curiosity was something to be to be celebrated. As Elbert drifted off to sleep that night, his new trunk curled contentedly beside him, he was grateful to share the wonder of discovery with his family.

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