Once upon a time, in the High and Far-Off Times, there was a baby elephant called Little Elephant. Little Elephant was full of ‘satiable curiosity. He asked so many questions about everything he saw, heard, and smelled. His questions often annoyed the other animals, but Little Elephant just couldn’t help himself.
One day, Little Elephant asked his Aunt Hippopotamus why melons tasted so good. She told him to go find out for himself. Then, he asked his Uncle Giraffe why his neck was so long, and Uncle Giraffe told him to find out for himself. Little Elephant’s curiosity was never satisfied.
One morning, Little Elephant asked, “What does the crocodile have for dinner?” This question was so new and strange that all the animals said, “Shh! Be quiet!” But Little Elephant was determined to find out the answer. He decided to travel to the banks of the great, grey-green, greasy Limpopo River to meet the crocodile.
After days of traveling, Little Elephant finally reached the river. As he was looking around, he saw a log lying in the water. But it was not a log; it was the crocodile! The crocodile smiled at Little Elephant and said, “Come closer, little one, and I will whisper the answer to you.”
Little Elephant, being very curious, came closer to the crocodile. The crocodile then said, “I will tell you what I have for dinner. Today, I will have a baby elephant for dinner!” With that, the crocodile grabbed Little Elephant’s nose with his jaws.
Little Elephant pulled and pulled, but the crocodile held on tight. The more Little Elephant pulled, the longer his nose stretched. He pulled for so long that his nose turned into a long trunk! Finally, the crocodile let go, and Little Elephant had a very long trunk indeed.
At first, Little Elephant didn’t like his new trunk. It felt heavy and awkward. But as he made his way back home, he discovered all the wonderful things he could do with it. He could pick fruits from tall trees, squirt water to cool off, and even swat away flies!
When Little Elephant returned home, all the other animals were amazed at his new trunk. They asked him how he got it, and he told them about his adventure with the crocodile. Soon, all the elephants wanted long trunks too, so they all went to the Limpopo River to get their noses stretched by the crocodile.
And that is how the elephant got his trunk.