The Master Manipulators

~ Anton M. Huber

There is but one creature on this planet that is truly capable of being the master of its own universe. An object set against this creature will stand no chance, and cannot possibly withstand a siege from this behemoth. People in shapes other than this beast’s preference become metamorphosed into that of its desire. Other creatures around it fear and respect it. The enigmatic afore-mentioned creature is, of course, the African elephant.

If per chance there is a fence between an African elephant and its destination, that fence shall simply cease to exist in its current form, instead becoming a pile of wood chips and splinters. This is true even for things as big as houses when set against a herd of African elephants. Truly there are few things that exist in nature that can survive a siege from one of these leviathans, save things of stone and great magnitude, yet even those may not withstand the power of a herd for long, if it is its will.

African elephants, when not raising a calf, are mostly nonviolent towards bipedal creatures, as their defensive evolutionary developments did not factor in humans. However, if an elephant should so choose that a person is a shape not of its fancy, then if that person doesn’t immediately remove himself or herself from the equation, that person will instead be turned into a new shape, most probably flat. Although peaceful relationships between elephants and humans have existed, it is more common the elephants simply ignore people’s way of life and consume the humans’ livelihood (being that most likely if people are experiencing elephant-human relationships they grow their own food). This may cause some frustration to farmers; however, that frustration will have to either be ignored or redirected have they not an elephant gun or another of higher caliber.

From the great plains of Africa to the forests and even to the deserts, there exists a vast diversity of creatures that inhabit that land. Many are strong, many are predators, yet only a select few hunt the African elephant, and then only in great numbers, and only at night. Even those select few fear and respect the elephant’s power, and only hunt it in desperation. The rest of nature knows to simply stay out of this behemoth’s way. An ancient Chinese curse states “may the gods take interest in you,” and so it is with the African elephant. Most of nature prefers to simply go unnoticed by this great beast, and tries as hard as it will to remain so.

This powerful leviathan is essentially the master of its environment. It is the last of its kind, the great beasts of the world. Such a yin and yang is born in these creatures–a perfect balance between beauty, power, and intelligence–that many ancient civilizations worshiped the elephant. Elephants continue to appear in the mythos of humanity’s past, and so will continue to inspire.