Saving Slon

As soon as I arrived at my father’s hometown, he immediately imposed an iron discipline on his twelve-year-old son. He curtailed my playtime to a bare minimum, replaced my freetime with house chores, and introduced an unwritten but rigid homework schedule. Suddenly, it was not my mother’s home anymore, I became a trained animal, performing under the stern and watchful eye of my father. On some occasions, when I had lost my concentration and happened to float over the savannas of my imagination, he would slap me on the back of my head and, in no certain terms, remind me to put my heart and my brain in what I was doing. Consequently, in no time, I became an obedient, applause-worthy, A-student.

Today was Saturday and I wanted to spend some time writing a story about my friend, Kazik, but I could not concentrate because the circus was in town! My father secured two tickets for me and for anyone I wanted to invite. He said he would drop me off and pick me up after the show. My father didn’t know that I had continued my friendship with Kazik although he had forbidden me to do so. There was something about that tall, dark-skinned, curly-haired boy that did not set well with him, but he was never able to explain to me what it was. I assumed that my father, being a chief of police in our town, must have had a reason so I didn’t bother ever bringing Kazik up in our conversations. After writing just couple of lines, beginning with Kazik’s description, I gave up and told my father that I needed to go out and find a friend who still did not have circus ticket. He agreed and started handing me the two tickets. But before he let go of them, he looked at me, straight into my eyes, as if making sure that I understood whom I could and could not invite.

Kazik was home, and when I told him about the circus tickets he disappeared inside the house and I didn’t see him for a long time. I dangled outside in the cold, still chilly April weather, worrying that someone might see me and give my father a word — it was a small town. When Kazik finally came outside, he did not look happy: “I don’t think I can do it tonight,” his voice was hesitant as if he was not telling me the whole truth. I was quite surprised because I knew that his family could not afford circus tickets and I was almost certain that he would jump on any occasion he had to get out of the house on a Saturday evening. After a short self-reflection, and in a low voice, he said “I will see you near the circus ten minutes before the show.” I let him know that I registered his sneakiness and handed him the ticket. He went back inside his house and, in a normal tone of voice, yet higher and much more cheerful, he continued his casual conversation with his parents.

My father dropped me off by the circus parking lot making sure I understood that he would be back to pick me up at such and such time in the same place. I nodded and ran away from him as an antelope spooked by the hordes of hungry hyenas. I had no problem locating Kazik. He stood there, motionless, salivating in front of the cotton candy stand. I didn’t have any money and had forgotten to ask my father. And I regretted it now.

We were astonished to find out that our seats were right next to the center ring. To me elephants were always the most awe-inspiring of all circus animals. Unlike lions or tigers, elephants didn’t jump through the flaming hoops, they carried others, they were more interested in the process of moving forward rather than the destination. That night, when the elephant paraded in front of us, we didn’t speak, we just looked. We could almost touch him! It was real; tangible and dimensional. Its large eyes looked steadily and did not blink; its mouth did not smile, and its trunk almost touched the sawdust that the elephant walked on.

Way high, under the tent’s roof, to the waltz played by the circus band, the acrobats flew over the center ring, confident and agile, over the net spread below them for our comfort. The fragrances of popcorn and cotton candy were making their way up and down the bleachers. The sounds of the animals and their trainer’s commands, mixing with the cracks of the air-slicing whips, ended much too soon. Like the time shortly after a thunderstorm, suddenly there was just silence. I was depleted and unable to think straight. After everybody left and only the stuffy sawdust air lingered over the empty ring, I spotted the red, fat wallet under the bleachers.

I eased my tiny body underneath the trashed vacant seats, picked up the wallet, and was soon back by Kazik.

“What is it?” My friend asked.

“A wallet,” I stuck the red-leathered thing out towards him.

“A wallet!” Kazik’s eyes suddenly regained their brightness.

I opened it and did not say a word, because I didn’t have to — the banknotes inside were new and the wallet looked like a large, bloody heart of an elephant. I counted twenty $1000 bills…. We looked at each other, not smiling, just letting the idea sink in. Until today, we had no idea how much a lot of money was. I put the wallet inside my windbreaker, in the pocket right where my heart was, and I moved towards the exit, not sure if I were happy or scared. Kazik was quiet, maybe talking to himself but without sharing his words with me.

“Marek, I must go home!” He said and I had a feeling that he was ready to walk away from me because he was too scared to be so close to so much money. I looked around and saw three men standing near one of the circus’s wagons.

“I will find the owner,” I said as I started walking in the direction of the men. I looked around for Kazik to say goodnight, but he was already gone. There were many cars on the parking lot, but my father was not there yet. As I walked, a deep trumpet-like sound attracted my attention. I looked to the side and saw the back of an elephant. Its dark grey body was chained to the wagon. With its head twisted back the elephant was looking straight at me. Its ears were flapping, and its trunk waved like the pendulum of an old clock. As I got closer to the elephant, a man, still in a garish uniform and high leather boots, emerged from the dark.

“Vhat do you vant here?” The trainer asked me in an unfriendly voice.

“Looking at the elephant. What’s its name?” I yelled.

“Slon” He answered, with a voice as rough as the elephant’s skin.

“Is it for sale?”

“Go avay!” He muttered.

“But I have money!” I put stress on the last word.

“No jokes. Go avay! She not for sale!” He was furious now.

“But I really have money!” The trainer gave up and pointed towards the three men I had passed a few moments ago.

“You are too late! There. Talk to boss.”

I walked towards the men, and when I got closer, they stopped talking and faced me.

“Hi.” Said a fat man with circular glasses who wore a suit and a tie.

“Are you the boss?” I asked.

He nodded.

“I want to buy the elephant.”

He hesitated and then, using his elbow, notched the man who stood next to him.

“Jan would not like that…” The boss said pointing towards the elephant’s trainer. “And what makes you sure the elephant is for sale?”

“It looks sad and doesn’t like people very much.”

“She… Why the elephant? How about a tiger, or a lion?”

“I am afraid of them.”

“What would you do with an elephant?”

“I would take care of it, sorry, her... Maybe take her back to Africa.”

“Asia,” the bald man corrected me. He saw me taking out the wallet from my windbreaker and his eyes zeroed on it. “How much can you pay? I bet you can’t come up with $20,000.” I stretched my arm and held the red wallet in his direction.

“Here, $20,000.” I said it a little too fast, without even noticing that the man knew how much money was in the wallet.

“Is that the first one today?” Asked one of the men standing by the boss.

“First one in more than a week. I started to wonder myself,” said the boss. And then, turning towards me, he added. “Aren’t you afraid to carry so much money on yourself? Where are you parents?”

“They are there, waiting for me.” I lied, pointing in the direction of the parking lot. He gave me a friendly smile and made a small step forward.

“If I am to sell Slon to a stranger, I would at least like to know who I am talking with,” he said. The boss was a big and proud man.

“My name is Marek and I live in town.”

“Call me Bohdan,” the boss extended his hand, but I didn’t reciprocate.

“Marek tell me about yourself, anything would do. What do you like to do when you aren’t in school?”

“Read,” I said, “I like to read and write.”

“Can you wait here for me just one minute? Don’t go anywhere. I have something for you. OK?”

I nodded. There were still many people around, walking between cars and concession stands. The elephant was still where I saw it last and the trainer was brushing the animal’s skin gently and slowly. Just as the boss was walking back towards me, I noticed that my father’s car pulled into the parking lot.

“Here you go.” And the boss handed me a small black notebook with a colorful cardboard sticking out of it.

“Open it,” he prompted me in a kind voice. I opened the notebook which produced a colorful ticked that had ZOO printed in large letters on one side and more text on the back.

“Thank you for the notebook,” I said. “But how about Slon?”

“Slon is yours to see, and visit, every day through the rest of your and her life. The address of the Zoo is on the back of the ticket. Don’t lose it and print your name on it. If you have any problems with the ticket, call the Zoo and tell them that you received the membership from Bohdan.”

“I don’t understand…” I said.

“What you have in your hand, Marek, is a life-time membership to the Zoo where Slon will be going to next week. She is done working for us. She has a new home… So, in a way, she is now all yours.”

My father was approaching us now, and I put the notebook in my windbreaker’s pocket, near my heart where the red wallet was before. I was getting ready to open the wallet and give him the money, but the boss stopped me.

“Marek, keep it, it is not worth much,” he said. “We don’t have $1000 bills anymore. It’s a fake money. But I am glad to see that we have boys like you, with genuine hearts.”

I lost touch with Kazik a long time ago. I see Slon now and then when I go to the big city where the Zoo is. He still looks the same and, since that circus day, we have never ceased being good friends.