The sun was warm on the tall yellow grass. Baby Ellie had only just been born, and she lay in a soft grey heap on the ground. Her legs felt like wobbly jelly.
“Come on, Ellie,” said Mummy, nudging her gently with her trunk. “Up you get. You can do it.” Ellie pushed. Her front legs went out. Her back legs went up. PLOP! She sat right back down on her bottom.
“Again,” said Mummy softly. “Try again, little one.” Ellie tried again. Her legs shook and shook. Her tummy wobbled. Then, slowly, she pushed her back legs straight, and her front legs too. She was standing! She looked down at her four big feet, and her ears flapped up and down.
“I did it, Mummy!” she said. Mummy gave a deep, happy rumble. “Clever girl.”
Ellie had a trunk, but her trunk did not know what to do. It flopped this way. It flopped that way. It swung round and slapped her on the face. FLAP! “Ow!” said Ellie. “My trunk won’t listen.”
Mummy reached up and pulled down a green leaf. “Look,” she said. “Curl the end round, like this. Then squeeze.” Ellie stretched out her trunk. It wriggled. It wobbled. It missed the leaf completely. She tried again, and this time the leaf tickled her nose. “Atchoo!” she sneezed. The leaf flew away.
Ellie did not give up. She curled her trunk round the next leaf and squeezed, nice and tight. This time the leaf stayed. She lifted it up, up, up, and popped it in her mouth. Crunch, crunch, crunch. “Yummy!” said Ellie, with a big grin.
After lunch, Mummy began to walk towards the river. THUMP, THUMP, THUMP went her big feet. She was going very fast, and Ellie was still standing by the tree. “Wait for me, Mummy!” called Ellie.
She lifted one foot. She put it down. She lifted another foot. Her legs wobbled, but she kept going. Step, step, step. Mummy slowed down and swished her tail, just in front of Ellie’s nose.
Ellie curled her trunk round Mummy’s tail and held on tight. Now she could follow, step by step, all the way down the dusty path. Her feet were a little tired. Her trunk held on very well.
At last they came to the river. SPLASH! Mummy sprayed cool water over her back. Ellie stuck her trunk in the water and blew bubbles. Blub, blub, blub! The water tickled her toes, and she giggled.
Mummy stood tall beside her, like a great grey hill. Ellie tipped her head right back to look up at her. “Mummy,” she said, “I want to be big like you.”
“You will grow,” said Mummy, and she rubbed Ellie’s head with her trunk. “Every day, a little bit more. Big and strong.”
Ellie stood up tall on her four feet. She flapped her ears, and she lifted her trunk high in the air like a trumpet. “Big and strong!” she said. “Just you wait and see!”