Part 14 (2/2)

'You signing for these?' The delivery man thrust a clipboard at me.

'I shouldn't really...'

'It's late. You work here?'

'Sort of.'

The man was getting irritable. He still had an ostrich to get to New Jersey. 'Come on, son, just sign.' So I did. Son, I quite liked that. The man handed me a delivery note and he and his friends pushed off in the truck. I watched them go. It was a little daunting. I had only been going home and suddenly I had taken charge of two elephants. I looked at them. I needed to get Miss Strange, or maybe not her as she was drunk. Maybe Helen, or maybe not her as she was busy. I needed to do something. Artemesia and child looked at me.

'Stay,' I said with as much authority as I could muster. I raised my right hand to emphasize the order and turned back to the house. I walked off purposefully but when I turned to look, Artemesia and her child were right behind me. So much for me being in charge. We got to the big lawn and I didn't know what to do next. The elephants seemed quite happy to let me decide. I didn't feel I could leave them so I threw a stone at the window and Miss Strange appeared. We must have been a curious sight. A small kid in shorts standing between two giants fresh from the circus.

Miss Strange and Cosmos came out. They weren't walking too straight. Sweetheart followed a little behind. As they approached across the lawn Artemesia went a little funny. She moved slightly toward Miss Strange and then she stopped. Suddenly she began to make deep rumbling noises in her chest. Then she lifted her trunk and gave a vast trumpeting sound. She began to flap her ears, spin and turn, and matter spilled out of her at every end. She peed and defecated while tears seemed to stream down the side of her head. Miss Strange watched and laughed. At last Artemesia calmed and walked on again. She reached out her wet trunk and gently put it round Miss Strange's shoulders. Miss Strange patted it and smiled.

'I'm pleased to see you too, Artemesia.'

It was a greeting of two old friends. The strangest greeting I had ever seen but heartfelt none the less.

'There's two, I'm afraid,' I said.

'I'm glad to hear it. I thought my eyes had gone.'

I handed Miss Strange the paperwork from the driver. She looked at it without focusing and handed it on to Sweetheart. Miss Strange went back to stroking her old friend. Sweetheart looked at the papers.

'So, Artemesia, you have a daughter.' She turned to the slightly smaller creature. 'Welcome...' She checked for the name. 'Betsy? Hmm, we'll think about that. Now where the h.e.l.l are we going to put you?'

The enclosure wasn't ready. Wouldn't be ready for at least another day. It was Sweetheart who thought of the swimming pool. Miss Strange went kind of funny. She was drunk so there was no reason in it.

'We are not using the pool. I am not going in there.'

'It would be perfect,' argued Sweetheart. 'They'll be fine for the night. It's empty, it's strong, we can wash it down easily.'

'Forget it.'

'What else do you suggest?'

The argument was going strong when Helen drifted up from the field. She had a strange faraway look in her eye and a small tear in her dress. The dress flowed behind, loosening itself on her shoulders so that they stood out milky white in the night sky. She smiled and ran with her arms outstretched toward the elephants. When she reached Artemesia she hugged her.

'They need to go in the old pool,' said Sweetheart, trying to get everyone s.h.i.+fted. 'There isn't anywhere else.'

Helen was not herself She didn't look like herself and she sure didn't act like it. 'Come on,' she shouted. Helen never shouted and now she led the way, Pied-Piper-like, turning to make us march to the old marble pool.

The place had been shut up for years and the lights came on with fizzy reluctance but it was perfect. There was no water now but the shallow steps down into the basin made it easy to get the elephants in. The solid marble and mosaicked walls would easily hold them until the enclosure was done. Miss Strange was stiff as we moved to get Artemesia and Betsy happy.

'Come on,' said Helen again.

'I don't want to be in here. I don't think they should be in here,' replied Miss Strange. She looked sweaty and tired, the alcohol beginning to wane.

Helen continued to work with confidence. She and Cosmos got bales from the barn while Sweetheart and I tried to find a drinking bucket. Miss Strange sat at the side and watched. It was weird to see Helen take over. You would have thought that these creatures were too big for a woman who lived in the land of the winged insect.

Artemesia and Betsy stood head to head in the middle of the empty pool while all the activity went on around them. Occasionally they would reach their trunks to each other's mouth, then entwine them, sniffing each other's face and body, appearing to sample breath and saliva, then Artemesia would give a low rumble and they would stand still again. Miss Strange sat on the side of the diving board, looking down to where once the water had been.

'They never said anything about two. Did they say anything to you, Sugar?' I shook my head.

Helen didn't sit for a second. She was unstoppable. She s.h.i.+fted hay, pulled the hose and gave it to Sappho to fill the bucket we'd found. Sweetheart went to check on Perry in the house. When she came back Perry was awake and sitting up in her arms. Aunt Bonnie, Judith and the goose drifted in behind.

'Elephants!' Perry cried at the sight of them. 'Look, Great-Grandma, Aunt Bonnie, elephants!' He jumped down and ran towards the steps.

'Perry!' Sweetheart called in panic.

'It's okay,' said Miss Strange. She had gone very quiet. The drink had left her subdued. She picked Perry up and moved down the steps with him. She gave a slight shudder and then moved toward the two new inmates.

'I like elephants,' announced Perry, and reached out to hug Betsy, who seemed to hug him back. 'Why are they so wrinkled? Great-Grandma is wrinkled.'

Sweetheart laughed. 'So I am, thank you, Perry.'

'It helps them to keep cool,' explained Miss Strange, stroking the gnarled but delicate skin. 'See, there's more skin to get wet. The cracks hold on to the water and keep it longer in the bright sun.'

'Isn't it wonderful!' Helen seemed almost intoxicated as she danced around the bottom of the pool.

'They can't really stay here,' said Miss Strange. 'I don't think the enclosure will hold both of them.'

Helen jigged about. 'Of course they can. Do you know, Perry, if it wasn't for stupid people then elephants would probably be the most successful species on earth. They or their ancient relatives have lived everywhere from deserts to rainforests to glaciers.'

'They can live here,' agreed Perry. 'Look at the ears, look how big they are!' he cried.

Helen smiled and reached up to touch one. 'You know, it is said that in Ethiopia the elephants link themselves four or five together into a sort of raft and, holding up their heads to serve as sails, are carried on the waves to the better pastures of Arabia.'

Cosmos left her hay preparations and jumped down beside Miss Strange. 'Come on, Sugar, Perry, Helen, hold my hand, let's duck under them. It's good luck. Come on, Sweetheart.'

Sweetheart laughed. 'They're too big for me.'

'Nothing is as big as it looks,' cried Cosmos, trying to get all of us to join hands. 'We increase the size of things in our minds. I don't believe it is as far to Africa as we think it is.'

'Yes, come on.' Helen and Cosmos were unstoppable. Helen grabbed Aunt Bonnie's and Sweetheart's hands: Cosmos grabbed me and Miss Strange, who held on to Sappho. The two women got us in a line all holding hands. Helen was leading, with Miss Strange and the orang at the end. 'Come on,' called Helen, beginning to move us all, ducking under Artemesia and then dancing round Betsy for good luck. Judith stood at the side. As we pa.s.sed her Miss Strange let go of Sappho and reached out her hand but Judith looked away.

It was late. Sweetheart went back to the house with Perry, Judith and Aunt Bonnie. Judith was beginning to say that she ought to go home but she clearly had no heart for it.

'Shouldn't you go home, Sugar?' Miss Strange asked. I didn't say about Mother going. I just shrugged and said, 'I don't want to.'

She shrugged back. She didn't ask about my family and I didn't tell her. I didn't want to. We slept that night amongst the hay and the elephants. I dozed for a while. Cosmos was whittling at a piece of wood and I slept to the steady sound of her knife. When I awoke Miss Strange was sitting above the deep end looking down at our new charges. Cosmos lay on her back staring at the ceiling. Her whittling lay beside her. Helen slept on a hay bale, her arms and legs outstretched like she was making angels in the snow. She smiled in her sleep. Artemesia and Betsy slept side by side, standing up. The air was full of deep contented breathing.

'Both female,' said Miss Strange, looking at the elephants.

'Yeah, like not even a cute couple,' agreed Cosmos. 'Be no good in Siam. The men in Siam would no more ride a female elephant than you'd get a guy to ride a donkey in the Memorial Day Parade.'

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