The Elephant Gate

The Jeep bounced over ruts in the unpaved surface of the road, and the two children squealed happily with every bounce. Captain Thadchai frequently checked the rear view mirror to make sure they were both safely buckled in, even though they only had a short distance to go. He was happy to head to the elephant corrals himself; they had always been the place he felt most at home.

He stopped at the first electrified fence; he pulled open the gates, drove through, and prudently closed them behind them. This occurred several times, until the huge barn and paddocks that held the pachyderms could be seen in the distance.

"We're almost there, K'vin!" Suri said, and he immediately craned his neck out to see if he could catch a glimpse of the big gray animals.

Finally, they reached the building. When the Jeep stopped, Kevin already had his seatbelt unbuckled, and was ready to hop out.

Thadchai didn't want young Kevin running out without being cautious about his surroundings, not only for his safety but for Princess Suri's as well.

"Stop!" The captain said in an authoritative voice, and both children instantly went still. "There are some rules you two have to follow while we are here. First of all, you have to stay with me, or with another grown-up; you can't wander around alone because it's too dangerous.

"Second, don't go near any place that has a red placard; those animals are sick and in need of care, so only a few are allowed near them. Third, stay away from any of the babies without permission. The mom elephants can be mean if they think you are hurting their babies, okay?" His voice brokered no argument.

He waited for them to both nod before he allowed them to climb out of the back seat of the Jeep and set foot on the ground. Taking one in each hand, they made their way to the barn. The Captain's rules tempering their zealous excitement enough for them to walk .

Inside it was cool and dim. The captain led them to an office near the front. A wizened old man sat in the chair, puffing on a brown pipe. He shuffled to his feet and held out his arms. Surikitiyia let go of the captains hands and ran up to the older man, who scooped her in his arms and lifted her over his head.

"Good morning, princess. How are you today?"

She giggled. "I'm fine, Uncle Wit. The cap'n brought us. And I have a new friend, K'vin." Kevin suddenly felt self-conscious under the sharp gaze of the man. There was something wise in that gaze.

Captain Thadchai smoothly stepped in. "This is Noy Kevin, who visits from a faraway kingdom. He wanted to visit our elephants, if that is okay with you, Khun Wit."

The man tucked his pipe into a glass bowl he uncovered amid the clutter on his desk. "Do you like elephants, there, young Kevin?"

"Oh yes, Mister, err, Uncle Wit." Kevin fumbled a moment. "I know lots of stuff about elephants. They are my favorite animal!" The man broke out in a huge grin at Kevin's earnestness.

"Are you ready to see some up close then?" Kevin skipped like Sur'kya before he realized it, and the two men laughed. Uncle Wit addressed the girl on his hip. "Where you do want to go first, princess?"

"I want to see the baby elephants!" Clearly this wasn't the first time she had demanded this, for the older man was already carrying her out back into the main part of the barn. Kevin followed the two.

The little girl chattered to Uncle Wit; she seemed to understand his grunted responses. Thadchai kept pace just a bit behind Kevin. The young boy wanted to mimic the captain, but he couldn't hide his excitement at seeing a real life elephant up close!

They made it to a couple of doors on one side of the corridor. There were red warning signs on the door; the children paused, but Uncle Wit just nodded and pushed the doors inward.

Inside were large roomy pens with high solid wood walls. Each enclosure had a wide door that was solid on the bottom but open in the top. At the sound of the doors several curious heads popped out over the doors. Uncle Wit led them to the first pen on the right.

"This is Beauty. Her girl is named Sunny and was birthed 5 years ago." Kevin was quivering with eagerness to touch the large creature; the mahout pushed him towards the stall door. "Keep still for a moment, Noy Kevin, and let Beauty look at you." He screwed his eyes shut, afraid to frighten her, but jolted when he felt something touching his head, then down his back. He felt a warm, wet breath across the back of his legs; he finally opened his eyes and looked up.

The large head loomed above him, but the eye was bright with intelligence. Her trunk sn.a.k.e.d to his face and nudged him under the chin. 'It's okay, now, you can touch her." Kevin could hear the amus.e.m.e.nt in the handler's voice, but he didn't care. Reaching out a trembling hand, he stroked the trunk and broke out into a huge smile. "It's hairy!" Giggles escaped him as she dodged his hands, seemingly ready to play keep-away. He found himself leaning against the half-door, wrapped in a gray hug.

Just then a smaller trunk peeked out the top of the door and plopped Kevin on the head, making him laugh again. He was filled with joy at the affection the majestic creatures were showing him; it went beyond his wildest imaginings.

The handler and the captain exchanged significant looks. They both knew that Beauty was one of the gentlest elephants in the stable, but she ordinarily didn't directly interact with strangers.

"It's almost like she's taken to him. Isn't that unusual?" Thadchai spoke in a low tone. The handler nodded.

"I knew it would be safe for him to touch her, but I never thought she would be willing to interact with him to this extent. That is one special boy."

"Khun Wit, I need to tell you something else about him." The two youngsters never notice as the two men whispered in earnest.

After their conversation, Thadchai wanted to spend some time thinking about his young charge, and the ramifications of the prophecy in this small body.