A Very Short Story

 

 

Elephant Ears

By Jean-Marie Gunner

 

 

There is no telling what physical quality will help you fly in this world.

 

Some babies are born with big noses, some with thick toes, and some with long pointy chins.  I was born with big ears that stuck right out of my head. 

 

As babies we are fine if some part of our body is extra sized and large.  Everyone thinks babies are beautiful just the way they are.

 

 

As we grow up, it doesn’t seem that regular-sized or small makes a difference but large and big do, especially when you get a little older and go to school.

 

My ears didn’t seem to develop all the way while I was growing inside my mom.

 

As I grew my ears seemed to grow too.  They had absolutely no trouble pushing their way out into the world. 

They were excellent receivers and receptors of words and conversations.

 

If I was really quiet, my ears could pick up many signals and hear a pin drop.

 

I thought not everyone’s ears could do that!  And I was special just the way I was. 

 

I imagined that I was a secret spy and my ears were my antennae, specialized device for hearing top secret codes and messages.  The quieter I became, the more precise my hearing would be with my ears. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One day in third grade while I was walking home from school a boy called me a name. 

 

“Hey, Elephant Ears, how’d you get ears that big?” 

 

“Ha, ha,” he laughed making fun of me all the way down the side walk from school yard to my street.

Suddenly, my ears didn’t seem so special any more.  When I got home, I said hello to my mom and then went into my room to look at myself in the mirror. 

 

My secret special ears seemed too big, sticking out of my head and hair.

 

I wasn’t so happy about my ears anymore. 

 

My mom asked me, “What is the matter?”  I told her about the way the boy had made fun of me.  She said that for some reason he was acting unkind and I should stay away from him.  If he made fun of me again, I ought to tell an adult and realize that he was trying to make himself feel important by calling me names.

 

The very next day I decided to wear a hat and cover my head and ears just in case I ran into him. 

 

Leaving school that afternoon, the bully boy approached me and pulled off my hat, snapping it to the ground. 

 

He called me “Elephant Ears” again and again and again.  Taunting me and trying to make me feel sad.  He laughed and said, “Your ears are so big you could fly with them!”

 

So my ears could help me fly as well as receive secret coded messages and hear far away conversations.  They were good and helpful and very beneficial.

 

My “Elephant Ears” were something special and to be celebrated.

 

I turned around to look at the bully boy and noticed something that I had overlooked.  He had a very long nose.  I then realized that maybe someone had made fun of him, too!

 

With this fresh perspective, I stood my ground, looked him straight in the eyes for a few long seconds, then confidently bent down to retrieve my hat.

 

I said to him, “There is no telling what will be able to help us fly in this world.  It seems I was born with oversized ears for some reason and I might as well appreciate them.”

 

I decided to not put my hat back on and instead walk proudly home.

 

The End …. Time to Fly!