GERTIE AND THE ELEPHANT

I am a magic car called Gertie.  On my Birthday in 2002 I was 65 years old.  That means I am older than your Gran'ma!  I am bright yellow and very small.  I am waiting for my holiday photos; the picture you see is of a red car that looks a bit like me.

In the story I am about to tell you it was a lovely sunny day in Central Africa where I lived once upon a time.

On this day my owner cleaned me until I gleamed to carry her young friends Catherine and Henry to visit the Game Park.  I was excited because the only elephant I had ever seen is this little fellow in my picture book.

It would be good to be out in the sun for two whole weeks.
I greeted Catherine and Henry with a big yellow sunshiny smile! Catherine declared that I was a dear little car.  I'd be such fun to drive and they would have a wonderful holiday.

We drove away the next day. Catherine and Henry laughed and sang.  I sang too in my rusty old voice. Can you hear the music?

The sun was burning by l2 o'clock. We stopped at a motel, very glad to cool down. My new friends jumped into the swimming pool.  Then Henry checked my radiator. I was very HOT and needed a big can of water to cool my engine.

When we were much closer to the Game Park Catherine began to count all the animals we might see.
We hoped to meet Lions or a Cheetah.  We would see many prey animals such as this pretty antelope, a favourite meal of the big cats.

At the water holes we might see Crocodiles or a Hippo or three.

Henry read to us from the Guide Book. The herds of Elephant sometimes destroyed trees because they needed so much to eat or because they were angry.
Then they stampeded, trampling everything in their way. Henry told us about hyena, animals that look horrible and make a scary noise that sounds like a silly laugh. There were so many creatures in the Game Park. We were getting close now and were all excited.

Then a car with a black bullet-proof windscreen passed us going very fast.  This car was new and red with big tyres.  Catherine said it was looking for trouble. Around the next bend, it met trouble! In the middle of the road was the most enormous animal we had ever seen. The red car skidded to a stop.

Skid...

The red car was going so fast that it had stopped just two metres in front of a very large and very angry elephant.
We had pulled up a long way back beside a field of tall maize.

This elephant was the biggest bull for many miles around.  His herd was made up of many female elephants called cows and their children.  This elephant was also a wise old bull but he was curious. What was this red monster with blank evil eyes that had charged at him?  He backed away, ready to charge but in doing so he touched the hot radiator of the car with his trunk.

We heard someone say,
"Run for it!"

The Elephant let out a bellow of rage and pain. His trunk was badly burnt and raw.  The ground rocked as he crashed through the bushes.  This red monster must be killed.  He would summon the herd. The bulls would all charge then trample this intruder into the dust.

Henry decided we must all go into the field to hide in the maize. He let off my hand brake.  I rolled forward as they got out. They gave me another push before they ran away.  I almost disappeared when my front wheel slipped into a deep hole.
I was very frightened. I could see snakes quite close to me.

When the sun went down I would be bitten by a snake or be attacked by a hyena.  Perhaps nobody would ever find me and I would be left here forever.

I will tell you now that I did not see my friends again for two days although they were safe.  A girl called Naume had beckoned to them to follow her to the village.  They stayed there with her family. Naume knew the old bull well.  She thought that the elephant would be angry with the red car. The elephant had not seen the people. As it happened, she was right.

The bull elephant was showing his terrible injury to the herd.  The young bulls wanted to charge at once to flatten the monster but the elephant's wives stroked the old bull with their trunks. He enjoyed this attention and besides he was tired. He grumbled but told the young bulls they would attack at sun-up.  I did not know this. I heard the sound of angry bulls trumpeting as the sun went to bed behind a big thorn tree.  I was sure I would never see another day.

There is nothing an old car can do without a driver. The creaking of my nuts and bolts finally stopped. It was a beautiful night with a full moon. A tall elephant could easily see a small car on such a night!  I could hear the herd on the other side of the road. The old bull elephant was still very sore, rumbling and grumbling. It had been a long day.  I must have gone to sleep because suddenly I saw a mother and baby elephant, both much bigger than me!

They had nearly stepped on me!

The baby elephant was very frightened.
So was I! I've never been so scared before.

Oh! Mercy. The mother elephant was going to charge!  Then she stopped in her tracks, remembering the bull's raw trunk.

What should I do? What could I do?  We all know that talking is often the best way to make friends. I decided to tell the little elephant what had happened. I knew how to make my horn work so I gave a little toot to attract his attention. He nearly jumped out of his skin!

It was now or never.  I said quietly,
"I will not hurt you. Not all cars are bad. I will not burn you."

The little elephant had a squeaky voice. 
"Mama, did you hear that?" Mama pushed the baby behind her.  She was ready to charge again! I must do something before I was flattened. I smiled my best sunshine yellow smile.  Then I looked at the baby elephant.

"That red hooligan was looking for trouble. I am very sorry that the Wise Old Elephant was injured. When we are running, especially if we are going too fast, cars like me do get hot."

The sun caught my side light. The baby elephant thought I was winking at him.  He thought that I was a funny old thing and he wanted to be friends.  The only way to get out of this maize field was to make a friend of the little elephant.
"Please will you trust me? Feel me with your trunk.  I would be hot if I had been running but I have been hiding in this maize field all night because I was afraid of your Father."

Mama elephant swung her trunk to and fro around my radiator.  She could not feel or smell any heat. If I was telling the truth then why had the red monster burnt Father? Mama Elephant was young. This was her first baby and she must protect him.  Should she call for help or charge at me?

The baby elephant took a step towards me. His Mama pushed him away. How could I know if Mama understood what I said?  The sun caught my other side light and the little elephant laughed. Then there was an ominous silence. Mama elephant had decided to charge. I cried out,
"Help me!"
There was nobody to help me.  I MUST DO SOMETHING!

I knew that Catherine and Henry had escaped but I had seen nothing of the people in the red car.  Despite the silence Mama Elepant did not look quite so angry now. So I asked the Baby Elephant if he knew what had happened to the people in the red car?

I nearly jumped out of the rut when Mama Elephant laughed. She rolled her eyes and swung her trunk to and fro. Baby was giggling too.  The baby elephant's Mama had a musical voice.  She might have been singing a song but I understood what she said.  The people were still in the trees. They had run from the car to a big tree yesterday, climbing to the very top. They were too frightened to come down and she hoped they were all uncomfortable and hungry.

All three of us were laughing when Father silently appeared.

He wanted to know what all the noise was about.

I did not think I would see another day!

I kept my lights down but even so I could see nothing but grey legs and trunks. Father and all the young bulls were ready for a silent ambush. He was angry that we were in the way and angry that his youngest and favourite wife was behaving badly. The little elephant hid behind his mother.

Before Father could recover from his surprise, Mama Elephant knew that she must be very clever. Unless she told him what she had learnt this morning there would be WAR between the People Carriers and the Elephant in the Game Park. Mama Elephant must tell Father that I was what she called a People Carrier.  The monster car was a People Carrier. The Land Rovers in the Game Park were also People Carriers.

The Game Wardens came in the Land Rovers. They scared away the bad men who would kill Father and hack off his magnificent tusks to sell. These bad men are called poachers.  The Game Wardens brought humans from overseas to photograph the herd.  Mama Elephant knew that the people in the village could earn a lot of money when the tourists came. It was not until Mama Elephant had spoken to me that she realised we were ALL people-carriers. We all know that most cars are driven for many miles and then thrown away on the scrap heap.  I was saved from the scrap heap by the fat fairy.
I can talk to people and to animals because I am a magic car.

Mama Elephant thought we were fed on something that made us hot when we were running. She remembered that her mother had told her that some creatures have a very strange diet. Human children know that cars need petrol or diesel or gasoline and that does make them hot.  Mama did not understand about gasoline but she was clever, don't you think?

All this was going through her mind as she walked slowly towards Father.  Boldly, Mama entwined her trunk with his.  She said quietly, fluttering her long eyelashes,
"Phanti, I must speak to you alone. The red monster can wait for a moment. Please ask the boys to wait quietly.  There is something very important I have to say to you."

Father would not have stopped in his tracks for anyone else but this young wife had a special place in his heart. She knew something he did not know and that would never do!  The old bull did not want to look silly in front of the youngsters.  Father stood very tall with his large ears out. He commanded them to wait in silence.  Then he walked back to the tree to speak to his young wife.

As quickly as she could Mama Elephant told the story.  She warned Father what would happen if the bulls trampled the red car into the ground. Mama reminded Father that poachers were never far away.  If he started a war then all the villagers with the rangers and the people who visited the area would make life very difficult for the herd.

Little Mama asked Father if he remembered the story of her Uncle Elmer-Elephant who had made trouble with the villagers? She reminded him that the rangers had shot her wicked uncle. Mama's family had never forgotten and it was many years before the herd was allowed to live in peace again.

At that moment they heard people shouting from the tree tops.  Father looked over to the road where he could see two Land Rovers from National Parks.

Father made a sign to the young bulls. They disappeared silently into the bush.  He then looked down at his young wife.
He said quietly,
"You are very wise, for one so young. That was good thinking."

Much later I heard that Henry had telephoned National Parks, worried about the people in the red car. The rangers had come out at sunrise to look for the tourists. Father was feeling very silly.  How could he have forgotten Uncle Elmer?  Father disappeared into the trees.  I was alone once more in the maize field with Mama and Baby Elephant.

Everything would be all right after all! Mama Elephant touched me with her trunk then thanked me and asked,
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
I thought it might be a good idea to push me out of the hole and back onto the road.

Baby pleaded with his Mama,
"Let me, oh! please do let me!"  Mama stood back.
Baby put his rear end into my bumper and pushed me onto the flat road under a tree where I could not roll forward.

We said goodbye.

Later when it was nearly dark I heard the hyena laughing.  I was feeling frightened again. Then I realised I was not alone.  Father was not far away making sure I came to no harm.  He looked so funny I wanted to laugh. I hoped that this sore old elephant would have a better day tomorrow!

Henry flew over the maize field the next morning.  My friends had enjoyed meeting the people in the village.  They were having a good time.  Henry was having his first ride in a small aeroplane.

He waved to me and shouted to the pilot,
"I am sure I left old Gertie in the maize field. I thought we would need a tractor to pull her out. I am seeing things.  It must be the hot sun!"

Catherine and Henry would never know about my adventure!

Toot-toot, for now!

© Carol Alexander, July 2002

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