Ellie the elephant was a very happy elephant, but she had one little problem: she didn’t always listen. Not because she *wanted* to ignore people, but because her mind was always full of wonderful, exciting thoughts! She’d be halfway through a game of splashing in the watering hole when her mama would ask her to collect berries, and Ellie would just… wander off, thinking about building a magnificent mud castle.
One sunny morning, Old Man Fitzwilliam, the wise tortoise, needed help. He was trying to move a large, flat stone to cover his garden, protecting his prize-winning pumpkins from the hot sun. He called out, “Ellie, dear! Could you please give me a little push?” Ellie was busy imagining she was a cloud, floating across the sky. She heard a voice, but it sounded far away.
“Hmm,” she thought, “A cloud wouldn’t push stones. A cloud would drift and dream!” And she continued to pretend, swaying back and forth, completely forgetting Old Man Fitzwilliam. He tried again, a little louder. “Ellie! A little help, please!”
This time, Rosie the rhino noticed Old Man Fitzwilliam’s struggle. She nudged Ellie gently. “Ellie,” she said, “Old Man Fitzwilliam needs our help. He’s trying to protect his pumpkins.” Ellie blinked, startled. “Oh! Did someone say something? I was… being a cloud.”
Rosie and Ellie hurried over to Old Man Fitzwilliam. Rosie easily pushed on one side of the stone, and Ellie, remembering to *listen* to Rosie’s instructions, pushed on the other. “Slowly now, Ellie,” Rosie coached. “Together, we can do it!” Ellie focused all her energy on pushing, and with a final grunt, the stone slid into place.
Old Man Fitzwilliam beamed. “Thank you both so much! You saved my pumpkins!” He offered them each a juicy pumpkin seed as a reward. Ellie realized something important. Helping Old Man Fitzwilliam felt much better than even the most wonderful cloud dream.
“I’m sorry I didn’t hear you the first time, Old Man Fitzwilliam,” Ellie said, her ears drooping a little. “I was too busy thinking about other things.” Old Man Fitzwilliam smiled kindly. “It’s alright, dear. Sometimes, the most important thing is to listen. Listening helps us understand what others need, and it lets us be helpful friends.”
From that day on, Ellie still had a very active imagination, but she made a special effort to listen when someone spoke to her. She learned that paying attention wasn’t just polite, it was a way to show she cared and to be a good friend. And sometimes, listening led to the most wonderful adventures of all, like helping Old Man Fitzwilliam and enjoying a tasty pumpkin seed with Rosie.
As the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the savanna, Ellie snuggled close to her mama. “Mama,” she whispered, “I learned something important today. Listening is a superpower!” Her mama smiled and wrapped her trunk around Ellie. “It certainly is, my sweet girl. It certainly is.” Now close your eyes, little one, and remember Ellie’s lesson. Listening is a wonderful gift, and sweet dreams await.