APRIL passed the book to Eve and looked down at her hands. She started picking at her nails. “I really was trying to help,” she said as a lump grew in her throat.
Grace touched her hand. “April, we know that you did not want to do anything bad. Just tell us what happened.” April raised her head. Her eyes scanned her room. On the wall, she noticed one of her art projects of an elephant with his trunk raised. She remembered that her mom told her that trinkets or pictures of elephants with their trunks up are good luck. Oh, Mom I hope you are right. I need some good luck now. April let out a heavy sigh.
Eve used her one free hand to pat her friend’s back.
“Well, in school, my class has been trying to help the elephants, right?” Beads of sweat formed on April’s nose. Her new glasses slid down to the tip of her nose. She pushed them back up.
“That’s right. And you are part of the Save the Elephants Club too,” Eve said nodding her head. Eve put her hands back on the book. Eve and Grace were in the other fifth grade class and they were working on different projects.
“Yes, one night on the Discovery Channel, my dad and I watched this documentary about what’s happening to the elephants in Africa and Asia. The elephants were so cute and they looked so happy with their babies. But, there are these people that hurt them and kill them. Did you know that in ten years the elephants might be extinct?”
Heat rose into April’s face. “Did you know that people are killing them for their ivory tusks? They are just big, harmless animals.” April balled her hand into a fist. She pressed her nails into her hand. “They have been on Earth forever. It’s not right that people are killing them!”
“Whoa, April, calm down. We agree.” Eve assured her.
“We SO agree,” Grace made her eyes really big.
“So, in class, I wrote a letter to the President about why we need to do something to help the elephants.” April took a deep breath. “Some other kids also wrote letters to the President, Congress people and other government people,” April spoke quickly, without taking a breath.
“Didn’t you do that march for elephants a few weeks ago?” Grace asked as she got up and walked to the window.
“Yes! My dad, mom, Austin and I marched to raise money to help protect the elephants,” April smiled. “There were so many people there and we raised a lot of money. My mom said we can do the march again next year!”
“That is really awesome that you are an elephant lover and all; but how did we get from you loving elephants to me watching this elephant poop on Mrs. Smith’s deck, then go take a bath in her pool?” Grace asked as she pointed out the window.
Eve and April jumped up and walked over to the window. They pushed their heads in front of Grace’s to look.
“Oh my,” Eve said as she put her hand in front of her mouth.
“Well, in my dream I was flying over them, and thinking about trying to help save them,” April shrugged her shoulders.
“By ‘save them’ you thought it would be best for them to be in our town and not in their own habitats?” Grace asked, raising both eyebrows.
“Why do you have to always be a smart-aleck? I was just trying to help them. And I didn’t know that by just dreaming about them I would bring them here!” April pleaded.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” Grace said with a smile, looking at April.
“Girls, we should read that spell April opened in the Book of Magie,” Eve said taking the hands of April and Grace to pull them together.
“Before we read the spell, do you both see that elephant over there?” Grace pointed across the street.
“OMG, he just sat on and crushed a dog house,” Grace laughed.
The dog stood in front of the elephant and barked. The elephant raised his trunk and slowly started to move.
“He’s getting up,” Eve said. “What is he going to do?”
The dog kept barking and barking. The elephant turned around in a circle. He squatted and took a big poop right in front of the dog. The dog yelped and backed up.
“Well, that’s one way to get him to stop barking,” April said, as they all laughed.