Elephant Gerald

The River Beast, Part III

Elephant Gerald had to think fast. His friend John Cole Crane was being dragged down river by an alligator or some horrible river monster. As John was fast approaching, the friends had only one chance to save him before he would be eaten alive.  One of them had to get on the branch of the tupelo tree and pluck John out of the river. There was no way he or Django Rhinoceros could climb up to the branch. Billie was their only hope, but even a goat couldn’t climb a tree this tall without some help.

“Django, you’re the biggest, I need you to stand next to that tree on all fours so I can get on top of you.”

“You crazy Gerald? You wanna’ stand on me?” said Django. “Why don’t we just jump in and get him?"

“Well I’m sure not getting into that water, Django,” said Billie. “You said you saw a big alligator grab John. You want him to have the two-for-one breakfast special?”

“Well, I, uhhhh…okay Gerald you stand on top of me,” Django said, starting to sway nervously. He was still embarrassed that he fibbed about seeing a gator in the water.

Django leaned up to the tree with all four legs on the ground. Now all Gerald had to do was get on Django’s back and have Billie climb up both of them to reach the branch hanging over the river. They had to do it quicker than lightning.

On the first attempt Gerald lost his balance and fell right off Django’s back.

“Hurry, Gerald, hurry!” screamed Billie.

She moved forward to hold Gerald’s front leg for support, and he stayed on this time. John was only about 50 feet from the branch hanging down, and luckily the bend in the river was slowing down the current. John looked at Billie as his legs were being pulled further and further down into the mouth of the beast.

“Billie,” John gasped for air. “I think Big Ike’s got me!”

Billie didn’t want to tell him it probably was an alligator and not a big fish that had him. She backed up, and as steady as goats are on the side of steep mountain cliffs, Billie gracefully jumped from Django’s back to Gerald’s back and up to the branch over the river. She clip-clopped over the branch as far as she could go without it breaking. Her weight was enough to bend it right down into the water. John was near the branch, but he was going to be about 5 feet away from her.

“Johnny, try to swim toward my hoof,” she shouted, dangling her back leg.

“I can’t! I won’t reach you,” John replied in a panic.

“John Cole Crane! You flap those fool wings on over here or I’m gonna’ find myself a shovel to bury you with,” yelled Billie.

At the thought of Billie having to bury the remains of what would be left of his body, John found the will to flap his wings against the current and reach Billie’s overhanging hoof. He reached up with both wings and caught her by the leg. Gerald and Django were so nervous, they hadn’t moved a muscle and were still one on top of each other staring at the scene. Gerald finally snapped out of it, seeing that if Billie didn’t get some help, she was going to fall in, too.

Now normally elephants don’t go around climbing trees. But this certainly was an exception to the rule. Gerald stood up on his hind legs while still on Django. He was so nervous he let out a toot.

“Really, Gerald?” said Django. “Really? Now?”

“Well, I’m sorry! But don’t you move a muscle, Django,” Gerald said as he stood up on his back. Django didn’t say a word. He forgot about Gerald’s badly timed toot, and was too frightened to move.

Elephant Gerald reached up toward the branch and leaned forward on it as much as he could. He streeeeeeeeeeeeettttcccchhhhhhhed his trunk to where Billie could reach it and he puuuuuullllllllled her forward slowly. Suddenly the branch made a big cracking sound. Billie and Gerald looked at each other in a panic.

“Alright,” said Gerald. “I’m going to count to three and pull you hard so we can get you off the branch, and John out of the water.”

“Okay,” said Billie, “just don’t pull that gator out with him!”

“ONE…” said Gerald, “TWO…”

CRACK went the branch before he got to THREE.  As the branch snapped in half, Billie started to fall in the water. Her front legs were holding on to Gerald’s trunk, her hind legs were held tightly by John.  She felt like a rope in a tug-of-war.

Gerald started to fall forward toward the water, but the quick-thinking, nimble-hoofed Django jumped up with Gerald still on his back and tackled him backwards toward the ground. Gerald flew back with Billie flying through the air holding onto his trunk and plucking John out of the water with the large creature still stuck to his legs.

John let out a loud “Squawwwwwwwwkkkkk!”

They landed with a thump like a stack of pancakes, one on top of each other. First Django, then Gerald, then Billie, then John, then…then…  John looked up at the horrible, terrible, gnarly, monstrous thing that had captured him by his legs way back at their fishing spot. And there it was…his saxophone sticking up high in the air with John’s legs still stuck in it, dripping with wet weeds and river mud. Attached to one of the valves was the muddy white cloth John used to carry his saxophone, hanging in the air as if admitting defeat in battle.

The four friends, piled high on each other’s bellies stared up at the river beast saxophone stuck on John’s legs. 

"Why that's the oddest looking alligator these waters have ever seen," said Gerald. Then he started to giggle so hard his belly shook them all. 

Django, on the bottom of the pile let out a big snort. Billie was trying to be mad at John, but she couldn’t hold back and started to chuckle, too. Finally, John Cole Crane, after thinking he was sure to die that day, laughed the loudest of them all.  THE END

 

Next Sunday...meet the scheming, slimy, conniving Cajungator in an all new Elephant Gerald adventure!