Deleted Scene: David
and Chanrille
Context: The day after Thanksgiving, Emma remembers what happened to David when he was twelve-years-old.
Last
night had been great fun. They hadn’t had people over in ages, and she realized
just how much she missed entertaining. The only shadow on the evening had been
her son. All of her attempts to get him to talk or spend time with Teresa had
failed – miserably.
The boy can be so rude sometimes!
David had
seemed distracted all night, and when she asked what his problem was, he made a
lame excuse about a headache, excused himself and went to his room. Daniel had
leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I think he and his girlfriend had a
fight.”
Daniel was grinning, but she didn’t find
it funny. That was what the evening was all about. David needed to realize there
was more to life than elephants!
Emma was
pacing about her bedroom, looking for her robe that lay on the bed in front of
her.
Enough of this! Today, I’m putting my foot down. He may be a grown man,
but sometimes he acts like he’s twelve years old.
She stopped, scowling down at the errant robe. “Twelve, oh, now that
was a year. I thought I’d lose my mind or kill him!’
Everyone had said David was entering puberty and all kids get a little
nuts around that time.
A little nuts . . . not David. No,
my son lost his mind completely!
* * * * *
Emma had gone by the zoo to say hello and see how her little “working
man” was doing. She found Daniel in a state of panic. David was supposed to stay
with Daniel and help him with whatever chores needed to be done. Somehow, David
had wandered away and now Daniel couldn’t find him. He and several of the other
keepers were searching the zoo.
They went together to the elephants’ pen. Daniel was sure that’s where
David had gone. Before she could voice concern, one of the elephants let out a
bellow and headed into the pool at the end of the keep. The new baby elephant
was there in the water, so at first everyone thought he was the cause of the
alarm. But after a moment, the elephant began backing out of the pool, dragging
something with its trunk. It wasn’t actually a something; it was a someone –
David. The elephant was pulling David from the pool by his legs.
Emma screamed and Daniel flew into the pen. Before Daniel could reach
him, the elephant placed one of its gigantic feet on David’s chest. Emma
screamed louder. She tried to follow Daniel into the pen, but her legs were like
stone.
This is a nightmare. I’m going to
see my son trampled before my eyes and I can’t move!
When Daniel reached David’s side, the elephant had already removed its
foot from David and he was coughing up water. The elephant had not harmed him,
but had in fact saved his life. Despite Daniel’s attempts to get it to move
away, the elephant stayed and watched over David as Emma and the others arrived.
Emma held him in her arms and cried as David regained himself,
occasionally coughing and rubbing his eyes. When he was breathing normally
again, he looked up, past her, at the elephant still lingering nearby.
“Thanks, Chan,” he said to the animal, and before Emma could stop him,
David was over to the elephant with his arms thrown about her neck.
Emma was speechless. She couldn’t sort out her anger from astonishment.
There was no doubt the beast had saved his life, even going as far as to
resuscitate him.
How did she know to do that? How
could she possibly understand that he was drowning? What instinct told her to
force the water from his lungs?
With questions churning in her mind, she somehow came to the conclusion
that she should thank the elephant for the life of her son. Emma went and stood
so that she was looking up into its eyes and said quietly so no one else could
hear, “Thank you for saving my son.”
She never told David or anyone else that she heard her reply, “You are
welcome.”
Later on, in a more coherent state, Emma chalked it up to the stress of
the moment and an overactive imagination. Elephants do not talk – despite what
her son thought about them. She was simply worried and exhausted, and the whole
thing with the talking was something to forget.
But David’s relationship with that elephant continued to grow over the
years. He talked about her as if referring to another human being. They read
together, played together, even slept together. David thought his
Until now!