Week 11 Story, The Elephant and the Cat

The Royal Elephant

(Source)

This is a tale of friendship, loss, and insight. You see, the king had a prized war Elephant, which he kept in a grand stable. However, no matter how often the straw on the floor was replaced, mice always seemed to make their home in it. This terrified the poor Elephant, who was deathly afraid of mice. He was always on edge. 

Then, one day, a Cat wandered by and saw the mice. He decided that this would be an excellent place to stay, so long as he stayed away from the huge beast that lived there. Now this Cat was one of the best mice-catchers in the realm, and soon the mouse population began to drop. The Elephant noticed this drop. One day, he heard the squeal of a mouse in the other stall as the Cat claimed another victim.  

He called out, "You there! Is it you that has been killing the mice in this stable?"

The Cat cautiously peeked around the wall between the stalls, and addressed the Elephant through the bars of the gate, "Yes. It is I that have been killing the mice. What of it?"

"I had just wanted to thank you for your good deed. Those mice terrified me, and now I can be at ease."

The Cat laughed. How could such a huge beast be scared of something so small and insignificant? Perhaps he had misjudged this creature.

They got to talking, and soon became fast friends. They would joke and laugh. The Cat kept the Elephant safe from the mice, and the Elephant let the Cat sleep on his back in the sunlight. They were both happy to have company. 

Then, one day, a farmer saw the cat catching mice, and wanted the cat to keep pests out of his grain silo. The farmer asked the stable-keeper if he might buy the Cat. The stable-keeper was not particularly fond of cats, and was happy to have the extra money, and so sold the Cat away.

With the loss of his friend, the Elephant fell into a great despair. He stopped eating. The mice came back and tormented him. He lost the will to do anything but mope. The stable-keeper noticed this, and called for a doctor for the animal.

The first doctor said that it must be an unsettled stomach that had caused him to stop eating, and gave him medicine to settle the Elephant's stomach. When this didn't work, another doctor was called in. 

The second doctor said that it must be boredom, and recommended that the Elephant be taken out for a change of scenery. When this didn't work, another doctor was called in.

As the third doctor was examining the Elephant, the stable boy was mucking out the stall.

"You know, he's probably just lonely since his friend was sold away," said the little boy.

The doctor looked at him quizzically. "Lonely?" he asked, "What friend did he have?"

The boy explained that there had been a cat that the Elephant always let sleep on his back. The doctor told this to the King, who sent out a notice through the kingdom to find the farmer who had bought the Cat.

Eventually, the Cat was found and reunited with the Elephant. The two were thrilled, and happier than ever. The King commended the Doctor on his insight, but he deferred, telling the King that it was the stable boy that had given him the answer. The stable-keeper who had sold the Cat was fired, and the boy was promoted to stable-keeper.

Author's Note: While reading this story, I saw the opportunity to turn it into a tale about minding the input of the common-folk. We often look to experts and disregard those of lower status, but lay-people often have insight that the experts lack. I also changed the dog to a cat because I liked the idea that the relationship developed from mutual benefit into a close friendship.

Bibliography: The Dog and the Elephant, By Ellen Babbitt.