you got me good

Chapter 1

‘You ever fallen in love kid?’

Chelsea stars hard, ‘It moved. It definitely moved!’

‘Now Chelsea dear, are you paying attention?’

‘Aa-huh.’ Chelsea’s ears flapped even faster, giving away her excitement.

Grandpappy looks left. Looks rights. Just inches away from Chelsea’s ear when he looks left and right again. Satisfied, he whispers. ‘Good coz it ain’t worth it.’

Chelsea is certain it moved, ‘Grandpapa did you say something?’

‘Sweetie you have got to pay attention, this is really not becoming of a lady,’ sighs grandpapa. ‘How am I going to mold her when all she’s interested in are bushes and leaves swaying in the wind!’ exasperates pappy. Chelsea made up her mind. There’s something in those bushes – and this time she knows she’s right.

‘Grand pappy can we move closer to that bush?’

‘Which one dear?’

‘That one!’ Chelsea points it out and before pappy could follow her gaze she runs to it. She stops in time and sure enough in the bush was a beak. A bright yellow beak pokes out of the leaves. And eyes. And ‘HI!’

Chelsea startled jumps back just an inch. Grandpappy finally caught up, ‘Now Chelsea – how many times have I told you – prickly bushes have thorns,’ as he states the obvious, he looks down to make his point – pappy startled jumps back – a bit. The ground shakes while the little fella regains balance. Now perched on a branch, ‘hello. My name’s Danny.’ Chelsea blinks. ‘HI. I’m Chelsea. And this is Grandpappy.’

‘Now honey, move away from the bush slowly. And follow my lead. We can still make it,’ Grand pappy’s mind started ticking fervently; his eyes scans the forest for an escape route.

‘Hi Grandpappy!’ chirps Danny. Pappy still scanning now reaches for Chelsea’s trunk.

‘Pappy it’s alright,’ Chelsea reassures him.

‘He’s just cautious ever since the grading,’ Chelsea informs Danny.

Danny leans forward and shakes his tail feathers. ‘Nice to meet you Grandpappy,’ Danny lends out his right wing. Grandpappy momentarily pauses, ‘why hi little fella!’ Pappy reaches for Danny’s right feathers forgetting his little escape quest.

Very proud of her find, Chelsea smiles at Danny. ‘What are you doing way down here my little boy?’ asks pappy – now more interested in the ends of the bush. Hanging in shape of dew drops. Blue.

‘I just…I wanted to see how the lake looked from down here,’ lied Danny. He just got to know them, he just couldn’t tell them now. Not now. ‘Well Danny it was nice getting to know you, we are heading to the waters,’ pappy replies as he lets Chelsea finish off the last blueberry.

‘Would you like to join us Danny?’ Chelsea asks eagerly. Danny’s eyes shined like new buttons.

‘Of course.’

‘Sorry my boy, we elephants take great pride in ourselves in finding the best water spots,’ explains pappy when Chelsea starts to interrupt. ‘Pappy everybody knows where the waters are,’ slightly embarrassed Chelsea sucks in her cheeks and points to the lake – just beyond pappy. Pappy now annoyed turns to look behind him and ‘very good Chelsea – as I was saying we elephants are exceptional navigators. And when we walk to the waters – we only walk with our equals. It has been so for,’ pauses and clocks his head to his right- ‘well as far as I can remember.’

‘How about I don’t walk with you guys? ’ asks Danny.

‘Well, jolly good my boy. Its just one of our R & R’s - hope you understand, ‘replies pappy emanating his pride for his ancestry.


Chapter 2

Chelsea and pappy walked slowly to the waters while Danny glided above, as his wings cut the air. She loved watching him fly; wishing she could catch just a glimpse of what he saw.

‘This ain’t breaking any of your century old R &Rs I hope, ‘whispered Danny as he flew past pappy’s ears.

Pappy wondered, ‘R & R’s?’ as he relished the warm water in his trunks and onto his back.

Chapter 3