The Elephant and the Sparrow

High up in the branches of a sturdy Tamal tree, a pair of Sparrows had built a beautiful nest. They were very happy, for the Mother Sparrow had laid three speckled eggs. They were waiting eagerly for them to hatch.

One hot afternoon, a rogue Elephant came into the forest. He was big, strong, and very arrogant. He wanted to scratch his back, so he rubbed against the Tamal tree. Shake… Shake… Crack! He pushed so hard that the branch holding the nest snapped and fell to the ground. The nest broke, and the eggs rolled out and cracked.

The Mother Sparrow cried bitterly. “My babies! My poor babies!” The Elephant just laughed. “It’s just a small nest. Why make such a fuss?” And he walked away to find water.

The Sparrow was heartbroken, but also angry. “He is a bully,” she sobbed. “He must be taught a lesson.” Her friend, the Woodpecker, heard her crying and flew over. “Don’t cry,” said the Woodpecker. “We will help you.” He called his friends—a Green Fly and a Frog.

The four small friends held a meeting. “He is huge, and we are tiny,” said the Sparrow. “How can we defeat him?” “We have our skills,” said the Woodpecker. “The Fly can buzz, I can tap, and the Frog can croak. If we work together, we can outsmart him.”

They came up with a clever plan. The next afternoon, the Elephant was resting in the shade. The Green Fly flew right up to his ear. Buzz… Buzz… Zzzzzz! She hummed a sweet, lulling tune. The Elephant liked the music. He closed his eyes and began to doze off, enjoying the song.

When he was sleepy and relaxed, the Woodpecker flew down. He didn’t peck the Elephant’s eyes, for that would be cruel. Instead, he tapped loudly on the bark of the tree right next to the Elephant’s other ear. Rat-a-tat-tat! The Elephant, startled and confused by the buzzing on one side and the tapping on the other, got dizzy. He stood up, stumbling. “Where am I?” he grumbled. “My head is spinning.”

Now it was the Frog’s turn. He hopped to the edge of a deep, muddy swamp nearby. The swamp looked like solid ground, but it was soft and sticky. Croak! Croak! called the Frog. The thirsty Elephant heard the water sound. “Ah, water!” he thought. “I need a drink.” He walked blindly towards the croaking sound, his head still buzzing.

Squelch! The Elephant stepped right into the thick mud. He sank up to his belly. He tried to lift his legs, but the mud held him tight. The more he struggled, the deeper he sank. He wasn’t hurt, but he was completely stuck.

The four friends flew down and landed on a branch nearby. “Mr. Elephant,” chirped the Sparrow. “You destroyed my home because you are big and didn’t care. Now you are stuck because you didn’t look where you were going.”

The Elephant felt foolish. He realized that even small creatures could be powerful when they worked together. “I am sorry,” he trumpeted sadly. “Please help me get out. I promise to be careful and kind from now on.”

The friends saw he had learned his lesson. They guided him to wiggle slowly until he freed himself from the mud. The Elephant bowed to the tiny Sparrow and walked away, a much wiser and gentler giant.

Moral of the Story: Size does not measure strength. Unity and intelligence can overcome might.

Moral of the Story: Being smart and working together is better than just being big.