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The horse and cart, one or two cars a day and an occasional grinding and lumbering lorry was the only traffic to disturb the soft and peaceful countryside around the little town of Market Drayton in Shropshire, England. The streets were quiet; except on market days when they livened up a bit and the narrow roads in the countryside around the town replicated that quietness-well, it was I929, what else would one expect?
Richard Mainwood, a personable lad had spent the first nine years of his life happily in the company of his four sisters, under the panoply of love and care provided by his mum and dad. He had thrived on a diet of home-made fare which included pies, puddings and suchlike. Unusually for a lad of such tender years he had developed a preference for tripe, chicklings, hodge liver and the like. Love and affection from his parents had formed a well built lad with a keen eye and a burgeoning intelligence that would prove to be a sound base that would provide him with a good living and income later in life.
The day that I refer to here dawned clear and bright, the sunlight danced and sparkled like twinkling diamonds off the hedgerows in the light warm breeze, and now the heavy downpour of the previous day seemed an age away.
It was half past nine and Richard was already becoming enthusiastic about the prospects that the day ahead might hold as he brushed the last crumbs of toast off the corners of his mouth onto the sleeve of his jacket. . . “Mam...I'm going to go out, it isn't going to rain today-I can tell.”
His Mum laughed. “And just how do you know that Ritchie boy...have you got a crystal ball or something?”
Having a deep affection for the lad, Richard's mother did not propose to allow him to do anything that might result in him coming to any harm. She added, “You tell me just where you propose to go, and, who you will go with.”
Richard had no plans laid out for the day-or ideas of what he might do, so he did not answer her immediately, he sat thinking. His mum repeated the question, this time louder of voice, more insistent in tone. “Come on Rich, just what are you going to go out for?”
After a pause.
“A walk Mam- I'll go out for. . . for a walk.”
“A walk where to, and who will you go with on this 'walk'?”
“Oh Mam, I just want to go out.”
“Well you can not just 'go out' you will have to tell me where you intend to go....and who you will go with-on this walk of yours, because I'm telling you now you can not go on your own.”
The prospect of staying indoors on this lovely day, did not appeal to Richard at all. A sudden inspiration...
“That is what I will do then Mam...I'll walk as far as Tern Hill, and Sydney Montford will come with me-I know that he will.”
The creases disappeared from Richard's mum's brow, and she smiled. She liked Sydney, a lad of the same age and temperament as her son. “All right then, but don’t you be long away because your dinner will be on this table at exactly twelve 0' clock."
Dinner was a subject that always interested Richard “What will it be for dinner today Mam?”
“It’s your favourite…well it is your favourite at the moment-until you change your mind again.”
Richard smiled “Mmm...That’s good Mam.” He headed for the door, calling over his shoulder “I promise you faithful Mam-I won't be late back.”
His mum stopped him in his tracks. “Just a minute laddie boy.”
Richard turned to face her, his hand resting on the door latch “Oh Mam-what...I can go can't I”?
“Yes, but I'm telling you lad-don't you come back here again, with your arms all scratched to bits.”
The last time that Richard had been out with Sydney Montford he had returned home, bearing the scars of his and Sydney's attempts to investigate the contents of a wren’s nest buried deep in a thorn hedge.
Richard turned the latch, calling over his shoulder “Promise you Mam-and I won't be late for dinner.”
The two boys were about half way down the country lane leading to Tern Hill. Sydney was whistling tunelessly and Richard aimed a kick at a stone lying in the roadway-shouting ‘goal' as it shot into the ditch and went into the water with a 'plop’…he sighed.
“I'm fed up Syd, what else can we do? But no birds nesting, I've been warned about that.”
“Warned-what do you mean”?
“Scratching my arms-and my Mam hasn't found the rip in my jacket sleeve yet.”
They carried on walking for a while, until Richard stopped, sighed and looked down the road saying,
“Syd, how much further do you think it is to Tern Hill, cause my legs are a bit tired?” As he gazed towards the distant curve in the road he saw a strange looking object coming towards them. He prodded Sydney in the ribs “Look there Syd... what is that big thing coming this way?”
Sydney directed his gaze to where Richard was pointing excitedly “What do you think it is Rich?”
“I don't know do I- I just asked you didn't I?” said Richard.
As he spoke there was a sort of a roar-not a lion’s roar, more a sort of a sound that an angry bull in a farmer's field would make, and it came from the object coming towards them.
The boys looked at each other, wide eyed. “Crickey,” said Richard. “Blimey,” said Sydney. They stood there, frozen to the spot as if their feet were embedded in concrete, rendering them immobile. There was a trumpeting roar and the road seemed to shake as the form of a full grown elephant became clearly visible. It drew ever closer to them. Its trunk swung from side to side in a rhythm with the tramp tramp tramp of its large flat feet as they pounded down onto the road surface. The elephant was surmounted by a small wizened man who wore a gleaming white turban. The nut-brown skin of his face was broken by rows of gleaming white teeth, with eyes that were flashing brightly as black and shiny as nuggets of coal. It made a sight that had the boys struck dumb.
The elephant came to a sudden stop by where they were standing. The boys were frozen to the spot with fear, Richard being the closest to the elephant's flank, edged backwards towards the ditch, almost falling into the muddy water. Uncharacteristically, Sydney put out a trembling hand and rested it onto Richard’s shoulder. As they stood looking at the elephant and its rider, being boys of a resolute nature, their fear began to turn to fascination.
The mahout, for that is the name accorded to the driver, and master of an elephant, looked down at the boys, his white teeth flashed in the sunlight as his wizened face broke into the broadest of smiles.
“Good morning, you look to me, to be most excellent boys and must be of good temperament, I can see that most immediately-please my most excellent fellows, are you in a position to inform me, head mahout of ele-phants, owned by my master the Rajah of Perm ant our, in the province of Rahamistoor-whether this is indeed the thoroughfare that will convey me to that most excellent of cities Mar Ket Dray Toon”?
The boys looked at each other with blank expressions; mouths hanging open, wide-eyed Syd looked at Richard who just shook his head.
They had of course, heard of the existence of elephants; they had read about elephants at school, but never, in their wildest dreams had they imagined that they would see a real live elephant. Richard swallowed hard and finally uttered “Eh-what did you say mister-and why are you talking funny like?”
The mahout laughed loud and long, now appreciating that these boys had never seen the like of him or his steed ever before, he repeated the question. “Boys-is this indeed the road to Mar Ket Dray Toon?”
Sydney's throat had become very dry, he hoarsely whispered. “Yes Mister this is the road to Market Drayton-what-how, how did you get here and anyway what are you doing here”?
The mahout drew back the lapels of his deepest blue velvet waistcoat edged with scalloped gold braid, exposing a gleaming white blouse covered with small silver stars. He patted his chest and with outstretched arms, facing the boys, said proudly, “My esteemed boys-fellows that I am sure that I will grow to respect and favour, you are at this moment in time, looking at me-Jamin Banglessi Kesteem-the envoy-and forward vanguard of...Semroy's Circus.”
He tapped gently on each of the elephants huge shoulders with a long thin gold-coloured cane that he held in his right hand. This produced the effect that he obviously desired, for the elephant dipped its knees, and lowering its body carefully, it knelt down gracefully onto the roadway.
The mahout beckoned the boys to come to him, saying in a kindly tone “Would you accompany me most excellent boys and you can ride with me on my elephant and then you will then be able to direct me around the streets of Mar Ket Dray Toon.” He patted the saddle-bags resting across the elephants shoulders. “I can then distribute these banners to the townsfolk of the city to tell them of the imminent arrival of Semroy's circus.”
Richard had recovered some of his composure, and now the possibility of a ride on an elephant excited him. “Come on Syd,” he enthused. “Let’s do it.”
As they climbed onto the elephant, greatly assisted by Jamin Banglessi, puzzled, Richard said,
“Mister-sir, thingy I mean...it is called Market Drayton-not that other name that you said, and it’s a town-not a city, cities are big places. Anyway, if you want to, you can drive this elephant to where I live, and you could park it outside our house. See, my Mam makes lovely tea and with it being so warm and your mouth, well it must be so dry--she will make you a drink.”
The mahout thought for a moment then nodded gracefully, saying that the kindness of a cup of tea ‘would be most pleasurable’ to him. The two boys then sat securely behind the mahout, in tandem, arms gripped tightly around each others waists. Jamin Banglessi gave another gentle tap with the silver cane, and the elephant lurched unsteadily at to its full height. A gentle whisper into its ear by the mahout, and the elephant set off in the direction of Market Drayton at a lumbering trot.
Their arrival at the edge of the town was the signal for several children to appear on the flanks of the elephant. As Richard and Sydney waved enthusiastically at them they shouted and danced in encouragement. The accompanying children quickly became fourteen or fifteen in number-then twenty or thirty, then swelled to seventy or eighty shouting and dancing children. The elephant seemed oblivious to the noise and the dancing boys and girls that surrounded it and it walked on sedately; no doubt its life in the circus had accustomed it to this sort of attention. To Richard’s shouted instructions the mahout steered the elephant in the direction of Richard's home.
Richard's mum was washing dishes in the kitchen at the front of the small terrace house. She stopped working upon hearing the noise which seemed to be getting closer. Greatly puzzled as the noise became louder-and louder she dropped her dish-cloth into the sink and moved towards the open door that was just one step away from the street outside. ‘What is going on,’ she muttered aloud, her brow creased into a frown. ‘For goodness sake whatever is going on out there?’
The kitchen suddenly darkened as the elephant and accompanying entourage came to a stop outside the house. She saw a grey wrinkled mass that oscillated slowly from side to side outside the door. Sweating profusely and mopping her forehead with her apron, feeling weak at the knees, unsure what was happening in the street outside, she managed at last to get through the door. She almost fainted as she looked skywards to see her smiling son, his friend and a brown wrinkled man, dressed ornately, sitting on top of a huge elephant. Her mouth moved but not a sound came from her lips.
The mahout swivelled around to face her and smiled. He pointed towards Richard “My esteemed lady, your most honourable son, Richard is his name I believe...he mentioned tea-a cup of tea, and to me that would be most welcome.”
Richard's mum, overwhelmed by the situation, nodded slowly, mechanically, saying, “Tea, that’s right, tea-a cup of tea.”
She walked slowly back into the house shaking her head, but returned quickly carrying a cup of tea which she handed to the mahout. He thanked her most graciously, drank the tea, and handed the cup back to her.
He flicked the elephant's neck with the silver cane, and Richard and Sydney accompanied the mahout waving enthusiastically to everyone, as they went around the town, distributing the handbills that told everyone that Semroy's circus would soon be arriving in Market Drayton That night as he lay in bed, unable to sleep as he was still in a state of excitement by what had happened that day, Richard said aloud to himself ‘I have been on the back of a real live elephant today-and wow, wasn't it big!’ He paused, and then said in a low tone, as tiredness began to sweep over him, ‘Did it really happen-or have I imagined it?’
His mum, hearing him saying something listened at the door. She pushed the door open and whispered to him “It was not a dream Rich-you rode on the back of a real live elephant today, I promise you it was not a dream.”
Richard whispered back “Did I Mam, are you sure that I did?”
He thought for a moment then added, “I bet you Mam...I bet you a threepenny bit that there is no other boy in the whole history of the world that has done what I have done today.”
Richard's mum whispered back, “I think that you are right Ritchie. I think you are right.”
The end.
Graham Parrish©2005
Category: Children's Stories
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