Story For Children: PINKY AND BRUTE BROWN

This is the story of a charming baby elephant called Pinky, dating back to the good old days. In a lush green valley nestling between forest - clad mountain slopes there lived a herd of elephants. There were papa elephants, mama elephants and of course baby elephants.

Among the babies, Pinky was special. He was the smallest, cutest, wittiest and above all the most mischievous of all the baby elephants. He enjoyed teasing not only fellow babies but also the adults. Sometimes, when adult elephants were taking a siesta under some tree, Pinky would pick up a twig and poke it into the ear of one of them. The poor fellow would wake up with a start shaking his head. Though they were disturbed like this by Pinky, the other elephants could not get angry or annoyed with him for, the mere sight of Pinky laughing swinging his tiny trunk would soften their hearts at once.

There was one exception. It was Pinky’s cousin, the teenaged Brute Brown. He was always envious of the attention and care that Pinky received from almost all members of the herd. It was also a fact that Pinky took special interest in teasing Brute Brown.

One day Brute Brown was walking alone along a game trail at dusk munching an apple. All of a sudden a bush to his left shook violently and there came the roar of a lion. Poor Brute Brown jumped out of his skin in terror and started yelling ‘help, help’. But he had hardly covered ten meters when Pinky burst out of the bush laughing out loud.

This incident was the last straw. That night Brute Brown hatched a plot to get rid of Pinky. Early that morning he approached Pinky and told him about his plan to go to a distant riverbank for a swim. Poor Pinky was amused and he begged to be taken. Without obtaining permission from his parents he sneaked out with Brute Brown. It was Brute Brown’s plan to abandon Pinky at a spot around a bend in the river where a king crocodile lived.

They reached the spot by noon. ‘Pinky go and jump into the river and keep playing. I will be with you in a few minutes’ said Brute Brown and ambled his way behind some bushes. Pinky was thrilled to be independent. Wagging his puny tail he stepped into the river. Pure gurgling water of the river tickled his body all over. Then it started happening slowly. The king crocodile basking a hundred meters away with half closed eyes woke up to the splashing of water. When he saw the baby elephant his mouth watered. He noiselessly made for the water’s edge.

While Brute Brown heartlessly left the vicinity, there was one creature that looked on the unfolding drama. It was the lion cub Goody. He fell in friendship with Pinky at first sight. He became worried when he saw Pinky enter the water. No sooner did he notice the stealthy movement of the crocodile than he shot into his nearby cave residence, shook awake his father Super Leo and told him hurriedly about the danger awaiting the poor baby elephant.

By the time father and son reached the spot there was hardly a gap of a few feet between the king crocodile and Pinky. With a thunderous roar Super Leo leaped into the water. Pinky’s heart froze with terror. He thought the lion was after him. He closed his small button eyes and started praying. When he opened them he saw a mighty duel going on. But Super Leo was far too strong for the king crocodile. The croc turned its tail and fled the battlefield with a gaping wound on its neck.

Then Super Leo gently pushed Pinky towards the shore scolding him for coming to dangerous spots without an adult’s company. Father and son took Pinky to their cave, gave him several hands of ripe plantains and as he ate them, asked him about his address.

Pinky was an intelligent boy. He described his address clearly. Then the goodhearted lions escorted pinky to the outskirts of the valley. When they parted, there were tears in the eyes of Pinky and Goody. They waved to each other till they were out of one another’s sight.

Pinky’s mom and papa came running as they saw Pinky coming. They were overjoyed. Brute Brown was trembling. He feared Pinky would tell his parents everything. But what do you think Pinky did? He went over to Brute Brown and whispered into his ears “Thank you Brown for what you did to me, had not you taken me there and left me alone I would not have earned the friendship of lion cub Goody and his father Super Leo.”

Brute Brown was ashamed of himself when he heard this. Then and there he buried the envy he was nursing all along for the innocent Pinky.