Elephant Bangs Train (15 page)

'My darling,' she whispered, turning in the firelight.

'You,' he said and collapsed in the mud, clinging to himself. Bringing his feet up under his chin, he stiffened in the river bed.

The elephant raised his trunk. A sweet belch of hay broke the air. He saw a bright light and in it white cows dancing with trunk to tail. He put his bandaged trunk in the ring. His load fell away, and he rose above the dawn.

'I'll bet a hundred!' cried the mahout, as the white cube turned slowly in the air. His indigestion was gone and he'd had good luck. There would be pearls for the dancing girl and wine for the stable boys. The black-dotted eyes flashed, stopped on Kali, the toss of death. Bidding goodnight to the soldiers he walked with a sack of money in his pocket to the village to see the old woman about a potion.

'Come in,' she said, smiling in the doorway of her hut. She was crippled and he helped her take the canister down from the cupboard. 'Make this tea,' she said. 'Whoever drinks it will be, filled with profound longing for you.'

'Indeed,' said the mahout, 'that is what I need.'

He walked through the village towards the palace. This time she would be his completely. Quickly he mounted the steps towards her chamber, pulled open the door. Her mirrors and beads were on the bed, but the room was empty. He went to the window. Below in the courtyard`s the palace gates were opening and a procession of soldiers and stable boys came through, carrying a litter covered with white linen. That is she, thought the mahout running down the stairs into the courtyard. She loves to ride behind curtains.

The stable boys were weeping. The litter was lowered to the sand in the middle of the courtyard. A breeze lifted the linen, revealing a brown face and the head of an ebony cane.

'Ah no,' cried the mahout. 'I have died!'

From the four quarters of space, holy men appeared. 'We will take you to the royal chamber,' they said, holding out their arms.

'Never!' shouted the mahout, lifted into the air by a terrible wind.

'I will take you,' said the elephant, kneeling in space.

THE END