The girl Lily will be leaving me. She is going home. I will see her in the summertime, she says. We will always be best friends, she says. Little Gray and I will make each other happy, and we will all be together again, she says. Her words are nice, and she speaks them soft and sweet, so they do help a little bit.
I will miss this girl. She has taught me that there is always someone else to love, and to trust. Not to replace, but to grace a life with the best that person has to give.
I make noises with my crying. The others have gone to the car but Lily lingers here, with us elephants. The moon glows; stars sparkle in dark sky. My people have stayed a long time, from day into night.
“I will miss you,” Lily whispers. “You’re my favorite elephant ever, in the whole wide world.”
And she is my favorite girl. Henry Jack is my favorite boy. Bill the Giant was my favorite man. Little Gray is my favorite baby, no matter she big she is.
And this much I know: We will all be together again. We will. Even Bill.
In the shine from the moon and stars, I can see that Lily cries, too. Tears drip down her face, and she does not try to wipe them away. I reach out with my trunk, and I touch the tears. I taste them: salty like my own.
Lily tries to smile. Her eyes meet mine, and I try not to cry. I try, but the tears leak out.
I don’t know what else to do, so I just reach out with my trunk once again, and I brush at Lily’s tears. I can’t make them go away, but I can at least sweep them from her face.
Lily reaches out and brushes my tears away, too.
This is all we can do.