Read Online Four Doors and Other Stories by A. G. Billig - Free Book Online
Authors: A. G. Billig
Ads: Link
odor-free liquid from a porcelain bottle. She would grab it again, continuing the embellishment process. After a few similar gestures, thoroughly made, she would put her trunk into a smaller basin, get some water, and let it flow on her body.
One thing was certain: Gaya was the brightest elephant on Earth! Not only did she knew how to take a bath but she knew how to use a towel as well. A big, white one. Children and adults were equally mesmerized. Gaya seemed to notice finally, the crowd around her. Her eyes had a cocky glow. She moved to the center of the arena, waving her ears as if she was saying:
“Ok, you caught me again in the act! But you loved it, I know that!”
Starting the tour of honor, her trumpet-like voice sang again while a dozen men were taking out the water basins. Children approached the board, their hands full of candies. Gaya stopped in front of a little girl, with curly hair. She gently caressed her forehead with her sole finger. The kid handed her a big, red lollypop. Gaya gently grasped it with her trunk and put it in her mouth. For a few seconds, she moved her lips and kept her eyes closed as if she was enjoying it to the fullest. Afterwards, she resumed her triumphant march and disappeared in the artist entrance tunnel.
From this moment on, Mickey’s memories got unclear. A bunch of sounds, colors, and smells. He left the tent with the other Indian children. It got cold and dark. He almost broke into tears when a familiar trunk grabbed him, putting him somewhere high up and chasing his worries away.
“Don’t worry, we’re going back home. I’m so proud of you. You are the bravest little boy in the whole world. Don’t you ever forget it! You’re the bravest little boy in the world!”
The gentle touch in his hair made him open his eyes:
“Gaya?” he murmured.
“Mum, yes, it’s me, Mum,” the voice answered, holding him. “My brave little boy who fell asleep dressed up as a cowboy.”
Mickey is rubbing his eyes, his fists clenched, having a hard time believing he is back in his bed. Somehow, his mother’s smile reminds him of Gaya’s. As she takes him into her arms, tears gather in his eyes. Few tears. Because he is the bravest little boy on Earth.
“Mum, can I ask you something?”
“Of course, honey! Anything!”
“Can we go to the zoo on Saturday to see Gaya?”
G REEN E YES
The hard soles of his shoes were leaving marks in the cobblestone, melted down by the heat. The narrow asphalt strip went by the steep barren lakeside for a while, when suddenly it turned right and followed the highway, leaving behind a whitish dusty path. It was this path he chose daily as a short cut to his home. His shirt was glued to the skin of his chest and back because he hated wearing an under-vest. The man’s strides were heavy and rhythmic. He looked straight ahead, with a frowned set gaze. It might have been the daylight, as heavy as it was, making his wedding ring glow. He was tired. Tired from all the dust, tired from the scorching heat, tired with this forsaken place where he has been living for the past two years. He felt trapped.
He had settled down here right after being betrothed to Mary. He had met her at the movies. They were total strangers and yet, they had seats next to one another. The film was utter crap and he did not refrain from commenting and laughing out loud. She had told him to behave himself, otherwise she would have the usher throw him out. The man was puzzled. He was used to women performing a somersault to get into his good books. But not this one. Mary was all determination and self-confidence. A different female species he had to explore. At the end of the movie, he had made a short but irresistible apology that had put a smile on her face. “Piece of cake,” he had said to himself, thinking that the war was won before any battle had taken place. He had pursued her to the bus station, extracting a phone number and the promise of a date.
It had not been
One thing was certain: Gaya was the brightest elephant on Earth! Not only did she knew how to take a bath but she knew how to use a towel as well. A big, white one. Children and adults were equally mesmerized. Gaya seemed to notice finally, the crowd around her. Her eyes had a cocky glow. She moved to the center of the arena, waving her ears as if she was saying:
“Ok, you caught me again in the act! But you loved it, I know that!”
Starting the tour of honor, her trumpet-like voice sang again while a dozen men were taking out the water basins. Children approached the board, their hands full of candies. Gaya stopped in front of a little girl, with curly hair. She gently caressed her forehead with her sole finger. The kid handed her a big, red lollypop. Gaya gently grasped it with her trunk and put it in her mouth. For a few seconds, she moved her lips and kept her eyes closed as if she was enjoying it to the fullest. Afterwards, she resumed her triumphant march and disappeared in the artist entrance tunnel.
From this moment on, Mickey’s memories got unclear. A bunch of sounds, colors, and smells. He left the tent with the other Indian children. It got cold and dark. He almost broke into tears when a familiar trunk grabbed him, putting him somewhere high up and chasing his worries away.
“Don’t worry, we’re going back home. I’m so proud of you. You are the bravest little boy in the whole world. Don’t you ever forget it! You’re the bravest little boy in the world!”
The gentle touch in his hair made him open his eyes:
“Gaya?” he murmured.
“Mum, yes, it’s me, Mum,” the voice answered, holding him. “My brave little boy who fell asleep dressed up as a cowboy.”
Mickey is rubbing his eyes, his fists clenched, having a hard time believing he is back in his bed. Somehow, his mother’s smile reminds him of Gaya’s. As she takes him into her arms, tears gather in his eyes. Few tears. Because he is the bravest little boy on Earth.
“Mum, can I ask you something?”
“Of course, honey! Anything!”
“Can we go to the zoo on Saturday to see Gaya?”
G REEN E YES
The hard soles of his shoes were leaving marks in the cobblestone, melted down by the heat. The narrow asphalt strip went by the steep barren lakeside for a while, when suddenly it turned right and followed the highway, leaving behind a whitish dusty path. It was this path he chose daily as a short cut to his home. His shirt was glued to the skin of his chest and back because he hated wearing an under-vest. The man’s strides were heavy and rhythmic. He looked straight ahead, with a frowned set gaze. It might have been the daylight, as heavy as it was, making his wedding ring glow. He was tired. Tired from all the dust, tired from the scorching heat, tired with this forsaken place where he has been living for the past two years. He felt trapped.
He had settled down here right after being betrothed to Mary. He had met her at the movies. They were total strangers and yet, they had seats next to one another. The film was utter crap and he did not refrain from commenting and laughing out loud. She had told him to behave himself, otherwise she would have the usher throw him out. The man was puzzled. He was used to women performing a somersault to get into his good books. But not this one. Mary was all determination and self-confidence. A different female species he had to explore. At the end of the movie, he had made a short but irresistible apology that had put a smile on her face. “Piece of cake,” he had said to himself, thinking that the war was won before any battle had taken place. He had pursued her to the bus station, extracting a phone number and the promise of a date.
It had not been
Similar Books
