In a forest where the trees were so green they looked like emeralds, lived the Great Elephant, Gajra. Gajra was as big as a house, with ears like giant fans and a trunk that could lift a whole tree.
All the animals respected Gajra because he was strong. But Gajra was also very proud. He would walk through the forest—thump, thump, thump—and never look down. He thought that because he was the biggest, he was the only one who mattered.
One afternoon, the sun was very hot. Gajra went to the river to splash water on his back. Near the riverbank sat a tiny Ant named Anika. She was busy carrying a single grain of sugar to her family.
Gajra let out a huge spray of water from his trunk. SPLASH! The water hit the ground like a waterfall. It washed away Anika’s sugar and nearly swept her into the river!
“Excuse me, Big One!” Anika called out in her tiny, squeaky voice. “Could you please be more careful? I worked all morning for that sugar.”
Gajra looked down and laughed. His laugh sounded like a rumbling thunderstorm. “You are so small I can barely see you, little Ant. Why should a King like me care about a tiny grain of sugar?” And with a huff, he marched away.
The next day, a group of hunters came to the forest. They brought a giant, thick rope net. They hid it under a pile of leaves on the path where Gajra always walked.
TRAP! As Gajra stepped forward, the net pulled tight. He was stuck! He pulled and he tugged. He trumpeted so loud the birds flew away in fear. But the more he struggled, the tighter the ropes became.
The Lion came by, but he said, “I cannot help, the ropes are too thick for my claws.” The Monkey came by, but he said, “The knots are too tight for my fingers.”
Gajra felt very sad. He realized that his strength couldn’t save him.
Suddenly, he felt a tiny tickle on his ear. It was Anika the Ant. Behind her were thousands and thousands of her brothers and sisters.
“Don’t worry, Gajra,” Anika whispered. “We may be small, but we have very sharp teeth.”
The army of ants climbed onto the ropes. Nibble, nibble, nibble. Snip, snip, snip. Thousands of tiny mouths chewed through the thick fibers of the net. After an hour of hard work, the final rope snapped. POP!
Gajra was free. He stood up and looked at the tiny ants on the ground. For the first time, he didn’t feel like a giant King. He felt like a friend.
He knelt down until his trunk touched the grass. “Thank you, Anika,” he said softly. “I was big on the outside, but you were the one with the biggest heart today.”
From that day on, Gajra always looked where he was stepping. And if you ever see an elephant in the forest walking very carefully around an anthill, you’ll know it’s Gajra, remembering his tiny heroes.
Review The Magic Passport Story 6: The Elephant’s Golden Heart (A Story from India).