2 Odd Pals

They made an odd pair but were the best of friends. They were the butt of many a joke because of the difference in their sizes. The others laughed when they spent time together, because one was hardly visible and it looked as if the other was talking, laughing or playing with himself. This friendly twosome was an ant and an elephant. Yes, Shumbo was an elephant calf and his friend Nonontymerampoo – Nono for short, was an ant. Yes, his name was at least 5 times bigger than his own size.

Communication between them was tough. Nono had to shout in Shumbo’s ears to be heard by him and Shumbo had to whisper very, very softly in order not to blow him away.
Nono would enjoy swinging on his friend’s swaying trunk, fanning ears and swishing tail.

He would even ride Shumbo to experience moving so high above the ground. And when a nut or piece of sugarcane got stuck inside Shumbo’s trunk, Nono would enter his trunk and push it out. Shumbo loved it when Nono crawled all over him – especially on his belly. He felt tickled and would giggle away. They had some real fun times together.

But there came a day when these friends were separated – not by choice but by chance. Shumbo was taken away in a big truck. Nono wished he had hidden in his friend’s ear or trunk and prayed hard that it wasn’t to a circus he was being taken to. For, he had heard some horror stories about the way the animals were treated there, to be taught some tricks. Both Nono and Shumbo shed tears at the possibility of never meeting each other again.

After a long, long time Nono happened to get trapped in a flower that was sent to the town. He lay quietly in it, afraid to venture out and get trampled by someone. This flower was then tied with a thread to be a part of a garland. When he gathered the courage to peep out, he saw that he was in a crowded temple. He looked around to see the festivities going on and spotted a couple of decorated elephants. And surprisingly, sure enough, Shumbo was one of them. He had grown up to be big and strong and had two tusks too. Nono recognized him instantly. The cute tuft of hair on Shumbo’s head, his slight squint and the deep dimples were still the same. He was thrilled to bits but decided to wait till the crowds had dispersed, and it was safe to cross the compound to meet his friend.

When evening set in, the scent and nectar in the flower and the excitement of the day made him feel heady and tired and he dozed off for a while.

Nono was woken up by some strange muffled voices. When he came out of the flower, he looked around in the moonlight. He saw two men lurking near Shumbo with a saw and a syringe. He realized that the men were there to take his tusks. He knew he had to act fast. He quickly came out and crawled towards Shumbo. He first bit the two men very hard. The man with the syringe happened to fall on it and fell down unconscious. The other man yelled out in pain. But Shumbo – deep sleeper that he was, did not wake up despite the commotion. Nono then jumped on his belly and tickled him. Shumbo mumbled sleepily, “Who’s that? Please don’t do that – whoever you are. You remind of my dear old friend Nonontymerampoo. Only he is allowed to do what you just did now.” And Nono screamed in his ear, “I am Nonontymerampoo your friend. Hey Shumbo the Dumbo, wake up! Your life is in danger.”

Shumbo woke up from his stupor and stared at Nono who had traveled up between his eyes. Shumbo had to squint even more to see who it was, and was thrilled to see a double image of his friend. “Now make the loudest noise you can – FAST”, yelled Nono. Shumbo trumpeted but softly though, because he did not want to risk blowing his friend away. But it was loud enough to alert the guards, who came running to take the man with the saw away.

And, needless to say, Shumbo and Nono – sorry, Nonontymerampoo were inseparable after that.