The Elephant Leader             

    Meet Trumpet, a kindhearted elephant who wants everyone to be happy.

Meet Stamper, a selfish, greedy elephant who wants to be elephant leader every Sunday. Elephant leader is an important job.

    One Sunday afternoon, the elephant herd picked Trumpet for elephant
leader.   You could guess that Stamper was very, very angry.  He wanted to
get Trumpet out of the way and take his place as elephant leader.

    "We picked Trumpet because you always lead us into trouble!" the elephant
herd yelled to Stamper when they heard him grumble.

    "How can I be leader?" he thought.  Then he got an idea.  He rushed over
to Trumpet.

    "I am a great leader now," said Stamper in a greedy voice.  "I don't
cause trouble anymore."

    "Well then, I guess you can start taking over once we get to the water
hole," replied Trumpet.  Stamper was horrified at this reply.  Stamper
couldn't stand waiting seven hours until his turn.  Boom!  Boom! went
Stamper's heavy feet back to his place in line.

    Now Stamper was thinking of a better way to get the privilege of elephant
leader.  He thought and he thought when finally he found a way to be elephant
leader.  He ran to his friends.

    "Do you think I am a better leader than Trumpet?  Do you believe that I
will keep the herd safe?"

    "Course we believe you, we are your friends!" laughed Stamper's buddies.
Then, Stamper and his friends went to talk to the herd.

    "Do you believe that Stamper will keep the herd safe?" The elephant herd
thought for a minute.  "Well, okay," said the herd not feeling completely
comfortable.  So the herd went to Trumpet including Stamper.

    "Let's give him a try!"  Trumpet sighed as he backed off so Stamper could
be elephant leader.

    The herd walked for quite a while.  It grew dark. The sun was going down.
 There were bones.  Lots of them.  Stamper was scared.  Suddenly, Stamper saw two bright eyes in the bushes.  The eyes came closer.  Some lightning
flashed. Stamper saw a big, hungry hyena.

Stamper trumpeted loudly.  He tried turning to make the herd go the other
way, but the hyena caught them. More hyenas came.  But from the back of the
line came an fuming Trumpet.

    "He's going to pulverize me," thought Stamper.  But to his surprise,
Trumpet ran right past him.  Trumpet ran right for the hyenas.  He ran
towards them like a rogue.  He was so fast! The hyenas were scared because a
big huge elephant was coming straight for them!  The hyenas ran for their
lives!  Trumpet was going faster!  The hyenas grew very tired.  They slowed
down and........"YYYYYEEEEECCCCCC!"

The hyenas were gone forever.  Stamper learned a lesson that day that
sometimes you don't get everything as you plan.  Stamper went over to
Trumpet. "Trumpet?"  Stamper spoke in a nervous voice.  "I need to speak to you." "What?"  answered Trumpet.
    "I'm sorry that I tried to be elephant leader in a mean way," said
Stamper.
    "That's very kind of you," Trumpet replied.
    "From now on I will not be selfish and be elephant leader every Sunday.
I will be kind and I won't mind what day I'm elephant leader," Stamper
reported.  Trumpet smiled.
    "And Trumpet, I think you are a great leader," Stamper said.
    "Thank you,  You are a very kind elephant."

Listen to learn more about elephants.