STÜ - NEW YORK Animals and Other Things | Page 6

a balanced elephant I once was an elephant so very large and grey who wandered the jungle for somewhere to play while I was walking as elephants do on a beach, by the ebb I so happened to stumble upon a spider so silently making its web I watched for a moment while it spun and stuck and halting my walking to approach the beast I tested some words upon its tiny ears "can I jump on your web?" I asked so quietly as if a whisper, to the spider who ceased its spinning and spun around to face me grinning "of course you may" it spoke in a voice very loud a voice that heard the entire jungle without making a single sound "I have completed my web,"it roared, "you may commence your hopping" I,  scared but still quite bored climbed up the tree and unto the web I tested one foot then another and began to balance my fatty lumber I started with one hop then two, then three I started bouncing on the spider web filled with glee I was bouncing so high I hardly noticed my new friend the spider who had mysteriously made its way to the web on the beach, by the ebb licking its ferocious jaws and sharpening its eight skinny claws and with one final leap, into the web I fell so gra- ciously It greeted me with open arms, eight skinny arms that spun and stuck and turned me round with endless spinning then stopped and let me look into the face only slightly grinning 5