Little Zoh’s
Submissive Trunk
Elizabeth L Hamilton
Character-in-Action
an imprint of
Quiet Impact® Inc
Character Critters Series
Little Zoh’s Submissive Trunk
Copyright © 2003 by Elizabeth L Hamilton
First printing 2003
Second printing 2004
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission
of the publisher, except as provided by USA copyright law.
Cover design Elizabeth L Hamilton
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN 0-9713749-9-6
Character-in-Action books are an imprint of the publisher, Quiet Impact® Inc.
http://www.character-in-action.com
1
Little Zoh shuffled slowly along the mountain
trail. Every wrinkle of his rough little gray sides
drooped down, down toward the damp jungle floor.
“It’s just awful to be an elephant who can’t,”
he said. He gave a long sigh. A big tear trickled
slowly down his long trunk, and splashed forlornly
onto the ground. The sun slid behind a small black
cloud, and five big rain drops joined the lonely tear.
Little Zoh stopped to stare at the tiny puddle,
added one more tear, and plodded a bit farther.
“Everyone will gather at the river for the fair
this summer – eating piles of sweet green grass
and baby green leaves – playing wonderful games.
That’s the trouble – the games.” Little Zoh stopped
again and sat down with a big sob. “Oh, I wish I
weren’t me.” He hung his head down to his
wrinkled knees, and fanned his big gray ears.
2
“You wish what?” A loud voice squawked
from the tree branches above his head. “You ought
to be glad you are you.” Red, green, yellow and
blue feathers flashed in the sunshine, and a
brightly colored parrot landed near Little Zoh.
“You are an elephant! You can go to the elephant
fair this summer and play games. Why, I wish I
were you so I could go to the fair.”
“Please, Miss Polly. I’d rather be alone,” said
Little Zoh. He licked a salty tear from his chin.
“Nonsense! Nonsense!” screeched the parrot.
“You need help with some big problem, and I am
here to help. Just tell me what it is. Tell me!”
Little Zoh did not answer. Hot tears were
burning his eyes, and he did not want to cry. Big
elephant boys do not cry. He blinked back the tears.
3
Slowly, sadly, he lifted his big head. “It’s my
trunk, Miss Polly,” he said. “Mother says it’s an
obstinate trunk.” He stumbled over the big word.
“Obstinate?” The parrot cocked her head and
blinked a beady yellow eye. “Obstinate?”
“My trunk is not submissive,” said Little
Zoh. “It won’t do what I wish it to do.”
“Oh,” said the parrot. “What do you wish it
to do?”
“I wish it to balance a ball on a big splash of
water. Peel can do that, but every time I try, my
trunk slithers and flips like a snake with hiccups.
Then ... plash! I end up with eyes full of water, the
ball bounces into the river, and everyone laughs
at me. Peel will win the ball game at the fair.”
4
“Let him win,” said the parrot. “Let him
win.” She lifted her big wing and smoothed a soft
blue feather. “You can win some other game.”
“No I can’t,” said Little Zoh. He blinked the
tears again. ““My trunk is not submissive. It
won’t do what I wish it to do.”
“Of course it will. It may not balance a ball
on a big splash of water, but it will do something.
What else do you wish it to do?”
“I wish it to hold a big red crayon and draw
a picture. Tembo can do that, but every time I try,
my trunk squeezes too hard. Then ... snap! One
piece of crayon flies through the paper, the other
flies into the river, and everyone laughs at me.
Tembo will win the drawing game at the fair.”
5
“Let her win,” said the parrot. “You can win
some other game.”
“No I can’t,” said Little Zoh. He sighed a huge
sigh. “My trunk is not submissive. It won’t
do what I wish it to do.”
“Of course it will. It may not balance a ball
on a big splash of water – and it may not hold a
big red crayon to draw a picture – but it will do
something. What else do you wish it to do?”
Little Zoh began to cry big elephant tears.
“I wish it to make an enormous pink bubble-gum
bubble. Big Olifant can do that, but everytime I
try, my trunk blows like a trumpet. Then ...
whoosh! The bubble-gum lands in a tree, I land in
the river, and everyone laughs at me. Olifant will
win the bubble-gum game at the fair.”
6
“Let him win,” said the parrot. “You can win
some other game.”
“No I can’t,” said Little Zoh. He gulped a
huge sob. “My trunk is not submissive. It won’t
do what I wish it to do.”
“Of course it will. It may not balance a ball
on a big splash of water – it may not hold a big red
crayon to draw a picture – it may not make an
enormous pink bubble-gum bubble, but I know
something it will do. It will water your pumpkin
vine, and you can grow the biggest, the brightest,
the orangest pumpkin in the whole fair.”
Little Zoh raised big sad eyes. “No I can’t,”
he said. “My trunk is not submissive. It won’t
do what I wish it to do. When I want it to water
my seeds, it does anything but! It flips over my
7
head and showers my back. It twists like a pretzel
and I roll like a sack. It refuses to water my seeds,
and everyone laughs at me.”
The mountain trail became very quiet for a
moment. Then the parrot spoke again – gently.
“Little Zoh, I have an idea. Hurry to the river and
wait for me. I need to get something.” Away she
flew, her beautiful colors gleaming in the sunlight.
Little Zoh watched her go, but he did not
move. What could she get that would help him?
Mother had tried everything. From the time she
carried him home in a big, soft yellow blanket, she
had tried to make his trunk be submissive. She
starched it once to make it stiff, but then he fell
on his chin. She tied a big red ribbon on it to help it
remember, but it still forgot to submit.
8
His trunk was obstinate. That’s all there was
to it. It would never, never learn submissiveness.
“But if Miss Polly’s idea does work – if she
does have something that will help...” he said
aloud. He got up and trotted quickly down the trail.
He was very hot, but he was eager to see what
Miss Polly would get – to see what her idea was.
Straight to the river he went, straight to a spot
under a big green jungle tree. There he stopped.
A large blue mushroom floated down from
the tree. At least, Little Zoh thought it was a
mushroom. But the sun shone right through it.
The sun doesn’t shine through a mushroom. It
wasn’t gray and brown like a mushroom, either.
It was as blue as – as a piece of cool water. Little
Zoh raised his big gray foot to step on the water.
9
“No, no! Don’t stomp it,” cried the parrot.
“But it looks like cool water, and my feet are
hot,” said Little Zoh.
“It isn’t water. It’s an umbrella. People carry
them to keep the rain off. It will keep the water
off of you when your trunk is obstinate. It will help
your trunk learn submissiveness.”
“How will it do that?” asked Little Zoh. “Even
if it keeps the water off, it won’t make my trunk
do as I wish.” He stared at the blue mushroom.
Miss Polly fluttered down, picked up the
umbrella in her beak, and tied it to Little Zoh’s
neck. “Just try it,” she said. “Just try it.”
Little Zoh looked up at the big blue umbrella.
It was a very pretty shade of blue. Tembo would
10
think he was handsome with his big blue hat. And
maybe – just maybe – it would help his trunk learn
submissiveness.
Carefully, he walked to the edge of the river.
Carefully, he let his trunk suck up a long slurp of
water. Carefully – ever so carefully – he aimed it
at a tall weed. Then he squirted.
His trunk twisted. His trunk turned. His
trunk wiggled. His trunk squirmed. Then, all in a
rush – SPLASH! His face was soaked with water!
“Oh!” Little Zoh gasped. He gulped – and he
gasped again. “Oh, oh! Miss Polly! Look! This is
worse than ever. My trunk squirted water under
the umbrella. Nothing will help this obstinate
trunk. Oh, I do wish I weren’t me.”
11
Little Zoh rubbed against the tree to get the
blue umbrella off of his neck.
“Wait, Little Zoh. Don’t give up!” Miss Polly
flew back and forth, trying to encourage him, but
the little elephant did not listen.
When the blue umbrella – which was now
very dirty – fell to the ground, he turned. He lifted
his head to look at the bright parrot.
“I’m going away, Miss Polly,” he said. “I’m
going far up the mountain – up where no one will
see me and my obstinate trunk. I will eat the sweet
green leaves of the jungle vines, and sleep on the
cool damp ground beneath the trees. I won’t ask
my trunk to help me at all. I won’t wish for it to do
even one little thing.” Little Zoh paused and sniffed
the fresh air off the river.
12
He looked back at the parrot, straight into
her beedy yellow eyes. “My trunk may hang down.
It may sway back and forth. It may pretend it’s a
snake or pretend it’s a log. I don’t care what it
does, because I will never use it again. Never.”
“Oh, you must use your trunk,” said Miss
Polly. “You need your trunk to pull leaves off trees.
You need it to get a drink out of the river and pour
it into your mouth. You need it to take a shower.”
“But my trunk is not submissive. It
won’t do what I wish it to do,”said Little Zoh.
Maybe a big tiger will eat off my trunk. Then I
will never have to worry about it again.”
Miss Polly’s eyes grew big. “Oh, Little Zoh!
Don’t even think about tigers!” She shuddered.
13
Miss Polly was interrupted by the thunder
of many elephant feet. She spun around on her
tree branch, and Little Zoh turned, too. Out of the
trees came nine big elephants – Little Zoh’s grandmother, his mother, five aunts, and two cousins.
“What’s this about tigers?” asked Little Zoh’s
grandmother.
“Tigers! Tigers!” Miss Polly chattered in
alarm. “Tell him! Little elephants shouldn’t go into
the jungle alone. Tigers are dangerous!”
Mother ran her long, strong trunk along
Little Zoh’s back. She used her long, strong trunk
like a straw to suck up a big drink of river water.
She put the drink of water in Little Zoh’s mouth.
She sucked up another big bucket of water and
showered Little Zoh. Then she spoke.
14
“Tigers eat little elephants if they wander
away from the elephant family, Little Zoh. Were
you thinking of going away?”
Little Zoh hung his head, but mother put
her strong trunk under his chin and lifted the sad
little face. “Were you thinking of going away?”
Little Zoh nodded, his trunk bobbing up and
down. “My trunk is not submissive. It won’t
do what I wish it to do,” he said.
Little Zoh’s mother laughed – a deep, kind
laugh. The aunts and cousins laughed, too. “Of
course, your trunk is not submissive,” Mother said.
“Every little elephant is born with an obstinate
trunk. It isn’t natural for a trunk to know what to
do. It must be taught.”
15
Little Zoh’s small trunk quivered. “But
Mother,” he said, “Peel’s trunk can balance a ball
on a big splash of water. Tembo’s trunk can hold a
big red crayon and draw a picture. Olifant’s trunk
can make an enormous pink bubble-gum bubble.
I want to do those things, too.”
“Poor Little Zoh. Of course you do,” said
Mother. “Peel and Tembo and Olifant are older
than you. They have taught their trunks to do as
they wish – and so will you. Your trunk will learn.”
She patted his head with her strong
trunk.Then she showered his back with dirt so he
would not get a sunburn. She turned to the aunts
and cousins and said, “I think Little Zoh needs to
learn the elephant song about obstinate little
trunks. Let’s sing it for him.”
16
They began to sing, to a tune that sounded
much like the tune of “Down by the Station”:
Elephant trunks must
learn to be submissive,
Doing just exactly what
we wish for them to do.
They must be like straws,
and suck up drinks of water
Slurp, slurp – whoosh, whoosh,
Whoo – whoo – whoo!
As they sang the last line, all nine of the big
elephants waved their trunks in the air.
Little Zoh and Miss Polly laughed. The big
elephants laughed, too, and began to parade along
the river as they sang the next two verses.
17
Elephant trunks must
learn to be submissive,
Doing just exactly what
we wish for them to do.
They must be like hoses,
and shower us with water
Splash, splash – sploosh, sploosh,
Whoo – whoo – whoo!
Elephant trunks must
learn to be submissive,
Doing just exactly what
we wish for them to do.
They must be like hands,
and pick us leaves for dinner,
Crunch, crunch – chomp, chomp,
Whoo – whoo – whoo!
18
The elephants looked very funny as they
paraded beside the blue river. They made motions
with each verse, pretending to use their trunks as
straws – as hoses – and as hands. At the end of
every verse, of course, they waved their big trunks
high in the air.
Soon, Little Zoh knew the words, and he
joined the parade. His obstinate trunk would not
do the motions, but he could sing – and he did.
After several more verses, the elephants
came to a stop. Laughing and hot, they plunged
into the cool river. Little Zoh followed them. He
couldn’t go in as far as they could, of course. He
was too little and the water too deep. It felt very
good to be back with his family again, though. And
maybe he could teach his trunk to submit.
19
When the elephants were cool, each one took
a long drink from the river. Elephants, of course,
never drink through their trunks. They sucked
water into their trunks, curved the trunks toward
their chins, and poured the water into their
mouths.
Mother showed Little Zoh how to suck up
water. Then she helped curve his little trunk up
to his mouth. The water flowed over his little pink
tongue, and he had a cool drink.
After their baths and drinks, the elephants
left the river and began plucking leaves from the
trees overhead. Little Zoh stretched his trunk very
high, but he could not reach the high leaves. He
was very hungry after the parade, so he stretched
and stretched, but the leaves were too high.
20
His little mouth drooped. His eyes filled with
tears. He would have to be satisfied with grass
instead of leaves. Grass was not as tasty, but his
trunk could reach it. He began to walk away.
“Do you want some leaves, Little Zoh?”
Mother was standing behind him.
“Yes, but I can’t reach them,” said Little Zoh.
Mother smiled. She wrapped her big, strong
trunk around the tree, leaned back, and pulled.
Up came the tree - right out of the ground! Mother
laid it beside Little Zoh.
“Now you can reach the leaves,” she said.
Little Zoh grinned. “Will my trunk be that
strong some day, Mother? Will it do that for me?”
21
“It will do that and more,” Mother replied.
You will have a very strong trunk – and your trunk
will learn to be submissive.”
Little Zoh crunched a big mouth full of
leaves. He thought about submissiveness. And the
more he thought, the more he wondered what it
really meant. He knew that it meant his trunk
had to obey him. Was that all? He swallowed.
“Mother,” he asked, “what does it really
mean for my trunk to be submissive? I know it
means my trunk will obey. Is that all, or is there
more? What is submissiveness?”
Mother covered his little back with another
layer of protective dust. She filled her mouth with
a big trunk full of leaves and chewed slowly.
22
Then she answered.
“Submissiveness is:
• knowing whose wishes to obey,
• knowing what those wishes are,
• always doing those wishes willingly,
• even when nobody is watching.
“You see, Little Zoh, your trunk must obey
only your wishes, not everyone’s wishes. Just
imagine. What if you were trying to get a drink
from the river, but Peel told your trunk to pull
down a tree branch. If your trunk obeyed Peel....”
“My trunk would wrap around the water
instead of sucking it,” said Little Zoh. He giggled
at the idea. “It would tug and tug at water, and
you can’t pull water with a trunk.”
23
“That’s right,” said Mother. “Suppose you
were trying to pull up a tree and Tembo told your
trunk to suck up water. Your trunk obeyed Tembo
instead of you and....”
“And I sucked up a trunk full of tree,” said
Little Zoh, laughing. “That would be awful!”
“It would,” agreed the mother elephant. “So
your trunk must know whose wishes to obey. Then
it has to know what those wishes are. I will teach
you how to make your trunk listen to your wishes.”
“And then will it do my wishes willingly?”
“Always,” said Mother, “even when nobody
is watching.” She took another mouthful of leaves,
and watched as Little Zoh clumsily got a few sweet
green leaves with his obstinate little trunk.
24
The sun was hot now, and the elephants
were sleepy. Elephants nap in the middle of the
day. Grandmother, Mother, aunts and cousins all
gathered around Little Zoh to protect him while
they napped.
“Will you sing the elephant song again?”
Little Zoh put on his nicest smile as he asked. “The
one that says elephant trunks must learn to be
submissive.”
Mother patted his head with her big trunk.
“We know another song that you should learn,
Little Zoh. Grandmother taught it to me when I
was your age, and it is every bit as true for you.
We sing it to the same tune as the submissive
trunk song. Listen.”
25
All of the elephants listened as Mother sang.
She sang softly, almost like a lullaby.
Little girls and boys must
learn to be submissive,
Doing just exactly what
their moms wish them to do.
They must never, never,
wander from the family.
Danger! – Danger!
if they do.
Little Zoh smiled sleepily. “I like that. Are
there more verses, Mother?”
“There are,” said Grandmother. “We will
sing them for you, but you must close your eyes
while we sing.” The elephants sang together.
26
Little girls and boys must
learn to be submissive,
Doing just exactly what
their moms wish them to do.
They must take their baths,
and eat what’s put before them.
Happy! – Happy!
if they do.
Little girls and boys must
learn to be submissive,
Doing just exactly what
their moms wish them to do.
They must mm-mm-mm,
and mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm,
mm-mm! – mm-mm!
if they do!
27
Little Zoh was so sleepy that he didn’t hear
the last few lines of the song. He fell fast asleep,
and soon was dreaming little elephant dreams.
When he awoke, Mother had drawn a chart
in the dirt under a big tree. “This chart will show
how your trunk is learning to be submissive,” she
said. “Every time it is submissive, you can make
a mark on the chart. There will be only a few
marks at first, but soon there will be too many
marks for the chart.” She drew a second chart as
she added, “This chart will show how you are
learning to be submissive.” She smiled. “I will
make the marks on this chart. I hope there soon
will be too many marks for this chart, too.”
“There will be,” promised Little Zoh, “because I’m going to do what you wish for me to do.”
28
Little Zoh worked very, very hard to learn
submissiveness, but he worked even harder to
make his trunk learn submissiveness.
Every morning, before he got up, he took a
long look at his trunk, all the way from his tiny
eyes – down along wrinkle after wrinkle – to the
bumps at the very tip of his trunk. “Trunk,” he
would say, “today you will obey me.”
Then he would get up and trot to the river
for a drink. At first, the drinks were like baths,
and Little Zoh was a clean little elephant indeed.
But he was very thirsty – until one morning when
the trunk obeyed. Then Little Zoh got a long drink.
“Mother! Mother!” My trunk can give me
drinks,” shouted Little Zoh. “Now I can put a mark
on my elephant chart under giving a drink.”
29
He hurried to make the mark, then ran off
to watch Peel balance a ball on a splash of water.
“I will be able to do that soon,” he told himself.
The next day, Little Zoh was able to put a
mark under plucking leaves. His little trunk did
it very nicely, and he had a delicious green lunch.
Then he ran off to watch Tembo draw a picture
with a big red crayon. “I will be able to do that
soon,” he told himself.
But on the very next day – oh no! The little
trunk would not give him a drink and it would not
pluck leaves. Mother helped him with his drink,
plucked leaves for him, and told him not to worry.
But Little Zoh did worry. “My trunk is not
submissive. It won’t do what I wish it to do,”
he said. He lay down and cried himself to sleep.
30
It took many days to train his trunk – good
days and bad days – but it did learn to submit. It
didn’t learn in time for the elephant fair, but that
was all right with Little Zoh. He just watched the
other elephants do their tricks. He laughed with
them and he cheered for them.
When it was his turn to do a trick, he stood
very tall – as tall as a little elephant can – and
said, “I don’t have a trick , but I have a song.”
Then, with his trunk behaving very nicely, he sang
the elephant song – the song about trunks.
As he finished, he saw a flash of bright red,
blue, and yellow feathers, and heard a squawk:
“Hooray for Little Zoh’s submissive trunk!”
“Submissive trunk.” Little Zoh grinned.