Hope and the Elephant

She just stood there anticipating his next move. She knew of his power and his strength too. He weighed ten tons and she weighed 83 pounds soaking wet. She could see the twinkle in his eyes and so she closed her eyes and counted to three. “When I get to three I am gonna reach up and grab his tusks! And when I count to ten I am gonna hug his trunk! And when I count to twenty we will be the best of friends!” Excitedly she began to count and awaited his response. “One,…two,…three,…”she touched his shiny white ivory. “Four,… five,…six,…seven,…eight,…nine,…ten,…”She placed both of her frail arms around his scaly gray trunk. The texture surprised her but she was not afraid. “Ten,…eleven,…twelve,…thirteen,…fourteen, fifteen,…” She paused and took a deep breath. “When I am done counting I am gonna have a new best friend!” She began to count a little faster and with a racing heart she expectedly reached down in her heart and began to sing the last five numbers to him. “Sixteen,…seventeen,…eighteen,…nineteen,…TWENTY!!! “ The elephant opened his eyes even brighter than before and cracked the biggest smile she had ever seen. He gently lifted her from the ground and twirled his fuzzy tail all around gleefully. He too knew he had stolen her heart. Hope named her new best friend Faith and forevermore they went together like peanut butter and jelly. Hope and Faith spent the rest of the afternoon sitting together and dreaming of new adventures to begin together. What’s the moral to this quaint little children’s short story? Never underestimate the power of faith, and never forget that where ever Faith goes, Hope is right behind him! Written by Gwendolen Rix 10-12-14