Purple Pachyderms

By M. A. E. 

“Could you maybe… not do that?” I pleaded with the fairy as she zipped around the elephant pen.

I’m just an intern at Safari-Land Sanctuary and Tours, and arguing with pixies isn’t on my list of daily tasks—especially not when an important client is scheduled for a tour. I was finishing the morning rounds and arrived at the pen to write a report on the baby elephant in my care before this unexpected guest flew in.

The flying glitter-bomb ignored my pleas. She continued to sprinkle purple dust, magically altering the color of the pachyderms in my care.

“Hey! Stop already!” I began waving my arms wildly to attract her attention.

She halted, put her hands on her hips, and hovered, her translucent wings beating like a hummingbird’s. “Why? Think you could do a better job?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. The locals told stories about a fairy that caused all sorts of mischief, but I’d never believed them. That is, not until I walked out to the pens this morning and found a palm-sized pixie darting around and adding her own brand of creativity to the landscape.

I’m no artist, but even a professional painter couldn’t transform the rough gray hides of our sanctuary’s elephants into soft shades of lavender. The purple beasts on the horizon were beautiful to behold, though a little unnerving.

“No, not at all. You’re obviously incredibly talented,” I sputtered. “It’s just that… purple elephants don’t exactly seem natural.”

Her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized my hair. “You’re one to talk. I suppose those blonde highlights are just sun-bleached.”

This was getting me nowhere. I frantically searched my memory for details of stories I’d overheard. Locals teased each other about blaming small mishaps on the fairy. A fruit basket overturned? Cleary the work of that winged rascal. The tales of harmless tricks reminded me of Irish folklore about leprechauns. Today, however, was the worst possible time for a prank.

“Listen, pixie, I’m sure you’re having fun, but this is really important. We’ve got a potential donor coming for a tour later, and my boss wants to make a good impression. And I want to keep my job.”

“That”—she shot finger guns—“is not my problem.”

No—it was mine. If this fairy flew off and left me to explain why our sanctuary was full of whimsically-colored animals, we’d probably get accused of unethical dying practices. I was so fired.

“Grrrr… Why are you even doing this?!” I shook my fists.

“Because I’m bored.”

She began flying about again, arms crossed and mouth curled into a smirk. I rubbed my temples. Watching her quick movements was giving me a headache. She dove toward me and snatched the safari hat off my head. Laughing manically, she tossed it in the dirt several feet away.

“Hey!” I  marched toward the hat. “Look, I—”

She took off toward the giraffes. I could only imagine what color she had in mind for them.

“You’ll attract poachers!” I shouted after her.

She paused midair.

“We’re always on guard against them. Imagine if they found out we have the world’s only purple elephants. Each hide would be worth a fortune.”

She spat angrily, which somehow didn’t seem very pixie-like. “Hateful poachers. If they come here, I’ll turn them purple. And not with magic.” She shook her tiny fist.

“Really?” I crossed my arms. “You’ll actually guard the whole perimeter of this huge sanctuary night and day and give up all your fun antics to protect these animals? After you put them at risk?”

“Fiiiine, I see your point.” She flew off. The sheen on her wings glittered in the sunlight as she glided back and forth across the grassland. One by one, the elephants regained their natural color.

She returned and gave me a friendly wave as she soared past. Off to cause more trouble somewhere else. My shoulders drooped with relief. I retrieved my hat and shook away the grime and purple glitter. I checked my watch. The boss and potential donor were set to meet me at the elephant pens any moment.

I pulled out my tablet and typed furiously, filling out the report on the youngest pachyderm I’d been all set to write before a certain fairy interrupted me. Footsteps approached just as I finished.

“How does he look today?” My boss strode up beside me and peered into the pen.

“Much better.” Not at all like a giant grape. I snuck another glance at the baby elephant to reassure myself that he’d returned to his normal color.

“He’s so tiny! How adorable!” The client bent down and started taking photos.

While he hung on the fence, the boss and I went over health details and recent changes to the feeding schedule.

“Good work, Kaitlynn.” My boss clapped me on the shoulder. “Just be sure to file the report correctly this time.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Now I know who’s responsible for the last report that went missing. A deep sense of dread settled over me. There’s no telling what kind of pixie prank would inconvenience me next. I removed my hat and wiped my brow.

The boss returned my tablet. “Oh, and I love your new hair color!”

I lifted a section of my hair and internally screamed. I yanked my hat over the deep orchid highlights. “Th-thank you. A, um, friend did it for me.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

M. A. E. is passionate about all things creative and can usually be found painting, baking, reading, writing, or discussing sci-fi film plots. She believes that imagination and creativity are gifts from God for His glory and our joy and encouragement.

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