Magic Happens

Once upon a time on an almost barren land, a huge gang of robbers

was looking for a place to hide their loot.
Where do we hide the loot, Chief? asked one robber. There is
nothing here that we can use to mark our place. No interesting
looking old tree, no stream to mark our path. There are just dry
stumps of trees and hard sand beneath our feet.
I think, boomed the Chief, twirling his moustache, this rock looks
interesting.
He pointed to a big rock in front of them. There were many rocks,
pebbles and gravel in that land, but this one was really different. Its
dull black color was mixed with yellow, red and blue. A most strange
looking rock.
We will hide our loot under it, decided the Chief.
All the robbers started digging up under a huge rock.
Thwack, Thwack, Thwack went their spades on the hard soil.
Dig harder! cried the Chief. He was a big man, taller than 6 ft.,
bursting with muscle and people usually did what he told them to do
in his booming voice.
Thwack, Thwack, Thwack, Twang
What was that? boomed the Chief.
Everyone scrambled to look carefully.

The strange sound had come from a rusted, old metal chest under
the rock.
They quickly scraped the mud out from it.
Hah! boomed the Chief, we have more loot, even without
looting.

Open it! Open it, cried the other robbers in excitement.

I think its jewels, exclaimed one.
Oh No! It looks way too precious and too old, maybe it has a genie
inside that will grant us all our wishes, cried another.
Ooh! All our wishes! they cried.
The greedy robbers were very excited.
Open it! Open it, cried all the robbers in excitement.
The Chief opened the box.
Nothing
There was nothing inside it.
And there was nothing outside
No people.
No robbers.
Just elephants sitting next to a tree.

(And thats me with the drum, telling the story)

One elephant picked up his trunk and trumpeted Whoooo!
But it really meant to say, Where have we come and what have we
become?
The other elephants trumpeted too, Whoooo!
We want to go back, they tried to say but only the trumpeting
sound came.
What had happened?
All the robbers had turned into elephants and had landed in a very
different world.

I told you, your magic is as rusted as that box, said Rabbit to Dog.
Who are you, boomed the Chief who was now a huge elephant.
The Rabbit hopped.
Its not me! That silly Dog got you here, said the Rabbit as he
hopped and he hopped as he said.
All the elephants stared hard at Dog.
Oh! It will be all right, said Dog. I have another plan you see.
No we dont! boomed all the elephants together.
I will show you, theres nothing to it. A little magic never hurt
anyone and all the animals here are proof of it, barked the Dog.
The elephants looked around in the new world and saw many
creatures.

There were crocodiles, deer and many more.

I was a carpenter once, said a crocodile
I was a beautiful dancer, said a deer.
I was the most wonderful chef, sniffed the Rabbit, and this
useless Dog was my friend, the Chief Assistant to the Great
Magician.
How did you all come here? asked the Chief, who was now an
elephant so we will call him the Chief elephant.
The Greatest magician in the whole world made us so.
Great Magician? How did look, this Great Magician of yours?
trumpeted the Chief elephant. Was he as handsome and as strong
as me? The Chief thought that all leaders should look strong and
big like him, and as he had never met anyone stronger or bigger
than him he was very curious.
Oh! No. Never. Not at all, hopped the Rabbit as he spoke and
spoke as he hopped.
You see his magic is so old, that he prides himself in his age. The
Great Magician actually looks like a very old man bent with age. He
even uses a walking stick to look really old. But one magic word

from him and POOF!! the flowers turn into trees, mountains come
out of lakes, the rich become beggars and people change into
animals! See this is his picture I drew it on this rock to remind this
foolish Dog that this is how the Greatest Magician looks. See, and
all the elephants saw the picture of an old man, bent with age
walking through lands.

He looks strange for one so strong! bellowed the Chief elephant.

What followed was stranger, hopped the Rabbit as he spoke and
spoke as he hopped, one day, this Dog who was then a human and
a Chief Assistant to the Great Magician thought he would become
the Great Magician. He took out the oldest magic book from the
magicians library. You know that old books have the greatest
magic.
The Chief elephant nodded because he didnt like to say he didnt
know, but the truth was that he never thought books were any
good. The rabbits story made him think differently.
I told him not to, continued the Rabbit, but he wouldnt listen and
he went muttering the books magic all over the city. Everyone who
heard him said he was the Greatest Magician ever. And that made
this silly Dog so proud that he walked up to his master, the Great
Magician and said he was greater than him, said the Rabbit as he
hopped and hopped as he said.
I was so foolish, sighed Dog.

What happened then? asked the Chief elephant. No Rabbit let the
Dog say it in his own words, he bellowed quickly because all that
hopping was making him feel dizzy.
The Greatest Magician looked at me and all these people who were
following me and he said Chief Assistants to the Greatest Magician
have to be loyal. He turned me into a dog to learn that. But when he
said the words he was so angry that the magic overflowed and all
the people following me also turned into animals, sniffed Dog sadly.
Hah! And he says a little magic does no harm, hopped the Rabbit
as he spoke and spoke as he hopped. He will never learn. See, now
this funny Dog has made you also come here to share our fate.
No! No! said Dog. I think they are just what we need. They will
get us out. Ive told you of the magical tree that lives under the
ground. The elephants will get us out you see.
The Dog whispered something in the Chief elephants ear.
Hah, thats easy, said the Chief.
So the elephants held onto each others tails and made a huge
circle.
The circle covered the whole land.

whoooo! they trumpeted.

whoo, WHOOO, WHOOO!
The land shook under the fury of this loud sound.
Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! stomped the elephants feet.

The land started cracking. It creaked, it cracked, lines deepened on

its crust and then just like an egg it cracked open!
The most wondrous tree came out of that crack. It had a golden
trunk, sparkling leaves and branches that seemed to burst with fire.
Yes, yes, yes! yelped Dog.
Youve done it! hopped the Rabbit as he spoke and spoke as he
hopped.
And with a bang the old world disappeared and so did the animals.

You see those people joyfully coming down the road, they are the
robbers, the carpenter, the beautiful dancer, the smart Chief
Assistant to the Great Magician and the hopping man in the end
why he was once a rabbit and loves hopping more than walking now.
Ask him, if you dont believe me.