​

The ocean was calm,
but inside her heart the elephant was anything but—
a full-blown emotional monsoon.

“I don’t know why I’m freaking out,” she said, voice shaky.
“Everything’s fine... right?”

The lion glanced at the glassy sea, then back at the fearful elephant with her trembling trunk.
“Sure, the ocean’s calm,” the lion said, gently picking up the oars,
“but I see that storm brewing inside you though! And I’m rowing us right out of it.”

“NO ONE CAN ROW US OUT OF THIS!!!” the elephant cried. "I'm trapped!" 

The lion paused and looked at Elephant mischievously.
“…What if I ROAR us out of it?”

“Please don’t!” she snapped and cried out. “My parents yelled and roared all the time!”

“Right! It’s that childhood trauma again,” the lion said gently. “Okay. Then… you roar us out?
Shouldn’t you be finding your voice anyway?”

“I can’t,” the elephant said, flustered. “I only have a trunk.”

They sat in silence.
A beat.

Then the lion said, seriously and quietly, but with a spark of mischief still in his eye:
“…Then sneeze us outta here. Or blow us out. A toot maybe? A squeak? Whatever works.”

The elephant blinked. “What?”

“You heard me. You’ve got that trunk.! Let it rip.”

The elephant stared at Lion in wonder and disbelief.

Then laughed—a real small laugh—the kind that snorts out sideways before you can stop it.
“I swear,” she said, “you’re ridiculous.”

“But you’re carrying everything in that trunk”.

They paused.
Elephant said tearfully, “Yeah. I know. I keep my feelings buried in there.”
Lion said, “Yeah, like a storage trunk— packed with secrets and anxiety, not buried treasure, and no label, no key.”

The elephant felt seen.
And also weird.
And also very, very vulnerable.

The lion nodded, still holding the pretend oars. “Well… whenever you’re ready… I’m right here.”

"Really? Me? Make a sound?" asked the elephant, hesitant but curious. 

"Yes! You! I know you can do it, you absolutely have a voice in there", the lion said confidently. 

Elephant made a squeak. “Eeeeppp!”
Lion joined the squeak. “Eeeeeeppp!!” “Eeeeeeep!”

Then, in their goofiest voice, Lion shouted to the sky and sea:
“LET ‘ER RIIIIIIIPPPPPPPP!!! GET THOSE FEELINGS OUT!”

The elephant and the lion together roared:
“EEEEEEEEppp!!!!! RRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!! Braaaawwwww GRRRRAAAAAAWWW!!!!!!!”

The elephant laughed again—louder this time.
And deep in the folds of her trunk, a trumpet was created.
And in her underbelly, somewhere close to her heart,
something began to loosen.