Once, there was a weird elephant. He had a long, smooth nose, which was gray, just like other elephants. But the weird thing was he also had butterfly ears!
He did not like his butterfly ears because they were so embarrassing, and everyone at his jungle elephant school laughed at him. But the elephant doctor, Annie, said there was no way to get rid of them.
He walked past someone’s garden, and then, he saw a butterfly fly away and thought it would be cool to try and fly.
At first, he couldn’t really manage to fly. He jumped off a high roof. He flapped his wings a few times, but he still dropped. It felt painful, and he almost sprained his leg. He asked the butterfly to teach him how to fly.
The elephant followed the butterfly’s instructions thoroughly, and after one time, he could fly. After the second time, he flew for a few minutes, but then, he dropped again. So he realized he could fly, but he needed to learn from the butterfly. But after he practiced, he still didn’t know how to fly for a long time.
First, he told his classmates he could fly. He said, ”I… I can really fly!”
His classmates did not believe him, so they said, ”If you say you can really fly, then prove it!”
He took a deep breath, but he was so nervous that his legs were shaking. And he did not manage to fly! He jumped, even though he was nervous, but then, he forgot to flap his ear wings and dropped. He felt so embarrassed.
His classmates snorted and said, “You liar, ha ha ha!”
He stayed after school in the playground, and when everyone was gone, he practiced again and again by jumping off a high wall. He put a mattress on the ground so it wouldn’t hurt when he fell, and he kept practicing because he really wanted to prove to his classmates that he could really fly.
When he came home, his parents were very worried. They said, “Where were you this whole time?¨
The elephant said, “If I told you, I am very sure you will not trust me!” Then, he walked away with a sad face. He did not sleep well that night. He had a lot of pressure, and he also kept having nightmares.
The next day, he went to school with a tired face. One of his classmates passed by him, laughed and walked away.
The elephant was getting more nervous than before. When it was recess time, his classmates challenged the elephant to fly again. The elephant thought about what the butterfly had told him, and he jumped. He jumped so high, that the classmates could not see him anymore. The elephant flapped his wings, he soared high up in the sky, and he landed safely on the ground.
His classmates were shocked, and they said sorry for laughing at him. The elephant was very popular now! He also performed to his parents, and they were so proud of him. He lived happily ever after. All because of his wonderful and powerful butterfly ears!