Elephant Gerald

"That's Where Your Mojo Is" Part II

Welcome back! If you have not read Part I from last week, be sure to read that first. Elephant Gerald wishes his Mama, Miss Ella, a happy Mother's Day...and to all you great mom's out there too!

 

ELEPHANT GERALD'S morning was turned upside down when John Cole Crane fell out of the sky and landed in his trunk. He had been on his way to meet Django Rhinoceros and Billie Goat Holiday. The friends had formed a jazz band, and they got to practice at Miss Kitty’s Playce, a gathering spot at the end of the river walk in their town of Little Moon. Animals from all around came to play and listen to music. Since Gerald’s mama, Miss Ella, was a famous singer, Gerald and his friends got to practice their music at Miss Kitty’s Playce. But it was something called ‘mojo’ that was on Gerald’s mind at that moment.

“Now how am I gonna’ find my mojo, Gerald? I been lookin’ high and low for it all morning. Lookin’ high for it didn’t quite work out,” John Cole Crane said. He rubbed the bump on his head where the saxophone landed.

“I’ve heard about this mojo thing,” said Elephant Gerald. “My mama says I’m absent minded, but I’m sure I’ll know it when I see it. And I have my lucky pouch around my neck that will help us find it!”

“What’s in that little bag?” asked John.

“My daddy gave me this old leather pouch before I even remember him. It has his lucky rock, some Cajun spices, and other little things for good luck.”

“Well I’ll take whatever luck you got,” said John. “If I can’t find my mojo my sax goes lax.”

“Your sax goes lax?” asked Gerald.

“My wind die down.”

“Your groove don’t move?”

“My shimmy don’t shake.”

“Well..my trunk don’t trump.”

“And, my feathers don’t fly.”

“My floppy ears don’t flap.”

“My soul don’t sound.”

“My flubber don’t blubber.”

“My hips won’t hop,” Gerald and John Cole Crane both shook their hips.

“My head won’t bop,” they bobbed their heads up and down.

“My shimmy won’t shake,” their behinds shook. “And that’s more than I can take!” Gerald and John nearly fell to the ground laughing.

“I’m going to help you find that mojo, Johnny bird. We’re going to Miss Kitty’s Playce at the end of the river walk. My friends in the band will help us find it.”

John looked at Gerald in surprise, “Well, brotha’ that’s where I’M playin’ tomorrow! You reckon I’m supposed to be jammin’ with YOUR band?”

“Well, I reckon you’re right,” said Elephant Gerald excitedly.

 “I mean to say I WAS playin’! I can’t play without my mojo.”

“Well then let’s start looking on our way there,” Gerald said. “I sure hope I don’t step on it!”

As John Cole Crane was hopping and flying in and out of bushes, his new friend, Elephant Gerald was sniffing the ground, wondering if mojo smelled like peanuts.

“Not here…not there…” John called out as he looked through the bushes.

From behind a curtain of Spanish moss they heard a loud crack of a branch and the ground shook like an earthquake. Something big and ominous was getting closer. John jumped from one skinny leg to another.

“Maybe that’s my mojo!” John shouted. “Were y’at mojo?”

John was so excited that he flipped up on one wing, somersaulted into the air, and landed on the bridge of Gerald’s trunk. He was eye to eye with Gerald.

“I didn’t know my mojo was THAT big!”

Gerald raised his trunk in surprise as John Cole Crane danced up and down his trunk in a crazy feathered frenzy.

“Ummm, Johnny bird I’m not sure that’s you’re mojo. It doesn’t sound like it would fit in your saxophone, buddy.”

The sound of the approaching mojo was growing louder and louder. John’s happy dancing turned to panic. He flew to one of Gerald’s ears, folded himself up, and rolled himself in the ear…right to the top of Gerald’s head like a window blind snapping up. Gerald’s eyes followed the crane, looking cross-eyed at the top of his head.

From out of the woods a big rhinoceros came crashing onto the path. He skidded as if making an entrance on a surf board, stopping right in front of Gerald. He had a guitar slung over his back on a large rhino-sized guitar strap. Elephant Gerald let out a big laugh, his horn wailed a note that shook John Cole Crane.

“Ith at mah moho?” John was wound up tighter than a burrito and could hardly move his beak in the big elephant ear.

Django looked up and in a deep voice said, “Hey Gerald, what’s with the talking ear?”

“Oh nothing. Just a saxophone playing crane who lost his mojo.”

Gerald shook his head until John rolled out and flopped to the ground.  He landed right at Django’s feet. Django stepped back and looked John up and down.  John was shaking like a leaf.

“Django, this is my new friend, John Cole Crane. John this is Django Rhinoceros, my favorite jazz guitar player,” Gerald said proudly. “John just sort of…well…he dropped out of the sky.”

Django nodded his head real slow. In a deep soft spoken voice he said, “Well! Hi-Ho John Cole Crane! I see you got a sax with you. You coming to jam with us?”

“No, I don’t think so.” John said sadly.

 “Johnny bird lost his mojo and we can’t find it anywhere.”

Django looked puzzled. “Oh, I, ummm…haven’t seen any kind of mojo thing around this morning. But I can help y’all look.”

“Mighty kind of ya’ Django,” said John. “I ain’t ever had this kinda’ help for anything!”

John walked with his new friends down the path to Missy Kitty’s Playce. John, never one to hold his excitement, hopped from one leg to the other and could barely control the urge to squawk! He just knew that with more help he would find his lost mojo and play the saxophone again.

 

Come back next Sunday for Part III of "That's Where Your Mojo Is." And remember to 'Join this site' for automatic updates!