“I wish I could catch an elephent!” sighed Kerry, as he sharpened his claws on the garden wall.
“Nonsense!” said his mother, Dinah. “Kittens were made to catch mice and birds. Now wash your face and forget all about big-game hunting. I shan’t let you watch television again if it gives you silly ideas.”
Kerry dreamily washed his giger face and his white paws. Elephants! Long swinging trunks and wide backs to ride. Much more fun than mice or birds.
Easier to catch too, because they could not fly, or even run very fast. Maybe one lives in the jungly part at the end of the garden!
“Where are you going?” asked his mother as she gave her shiny black fur one last lick.
“Just looking for elephants,” said Kerry, and he stalked off down
the garden path.
“Oh dear!” sighed his mother.”He’s just like his father, too big for his basket. He will have to be taught a lesson.”
She thought hard and then went into the house to explore.
All through tea Kerry talked about elephants. He thought he had seen elephant tracks in the mud by the pond.
He was almost sure he had heard an elephant blowing its nose behind the oak tree. He was quite sure he had nearly seen an elephant through the bushes.
Dinah his mother had heard enough.
“Kerry,” she said, “ you may be right I think I heard an elephant in the hall cupboard. It must be hiding there.”
Kerry’s whiskers quivered with excitement.
I’ll catch it right away,” he whispered and and began to creep towards the kitchen door.
“Now Kerrry, you know I don’t like elephants. Just give me a few minutes to run upstairs out of the way,” said his mother.
She quickly slipped out of the kitchen, but not upstairs. Instead, she quietly padded to the back of the hall cupboard and crouched down in the dark.
She made sure she was well hidden behind the vacuum cleaner which lived there with its long tube hanging down when it was not being used.
While he was waiting, kerry sharpened his claws on the leg of the kitchen table, just in case. Then tail in the air, he began his elephant hunt. Very softly, on tiptoe, he nosed the kitchen door open. Nose twitching, he crept slowly across the hall, hoping the elephant was asleep.
He paused and listened outside the cupboard door. Not a sound!
He gently pushed the door open and peeped inside. It was very dark. He stepped in and carefully peered round.
Suddenly he saw the long tube on the floor. The elephant’s trunk! He must be lying down asleep. this should be easy! Kerry slowly streched out his paw and patted the elephant’s trunk. Nothing happened. He patted it a bit harder, still nothing happened. Feeling braver, Kerry went up close and sniffed the end of the tube.
“Brrrrrr- rrrrrrr- grrrrr- rrrrr!”
The elephant woke up.
Kerry forgetting how easy it was to catch an elephant, leaped into the air and fled into his basket, his fur standing on end. He hid under his basket and hoped the elephant would not come after him.
In the hall cupboard, Dinah pressed her paw on the vacuum cleaner button and switched it off,the elephant went quiet. She crept out and went upstairs for a sleep.
As for Kerry he never mentioned catching elephants again.
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