Dan stared at the vet, mouth agape. Every single possible scenario passed through his mind, but this didn’t even come close. He couldn’t believe it.
But when she started sleeping in the barn so she could be closer to it, he got concerned. And now that he knew the truth, he didn’t know what to think. Dan and his daughter, Lila, were thick as thieves. Since her mom died, they had become closer than ever before. And with a farm to run, their bond became unbreakable. Even though they were together 24/7, the little four-year-old adored her dad. He was her world. And for a moment there, it seemed like that would never change.
Dan and Lila lived on their elephant farm in Botswana. And since the location was so remote, Dan was being more than just a father; he was also her teacher and mentor. So, none of the farm had been in their family for generations, and he wanted his little girl to learn the important things early on so she would know what to do when she eventually took over.
But being all those things at once didn’t come easy. Dan had to make time for schoolwork, and he had a full-time job of running the farm so they could survive. But things had been tough in the past few years, and he was having a hard time breaking even. Even though elephants were scarce, he could only produce so many, and breeding had been declining.
Dan stuck to his values, though, and he pushed through everything that was thrown his way. Because of that, he had two valuable lessons to teach his daughter. But one was that she had to stay strong no matter what, and the second was that the elephants were all they had.
Without the elephants, their business would be ruined. But for the first time in months, they had hope. For the first time in years, one of their elephants was pregnant. So both father and daughter were at the edge of their seats. If anything happened to this little guy, it would mean the end of their livelihoods. So they had to ensure that the baby was born and that he was healthy enough to survive.
Months of grueling tension had passed, but the day was finally there. The elephant had gone into labor, and thanks to the vet, a healthy little calf was born. But the vet missed something incredibly important, and because of that, all the joy the father and daughter shared could come crashing down. Would they discover the problem before it was too late?
Lila fell in love the minute she laid eyes on the baby elephant. The last baby the farm had seen was born long before she was, so it came as no surprise to see that she was smitten. And it seemed like the feeling was mutual. The elephant adored the little girl as well, and the two of them quickly formed an unbreakable bond. Lila called the baby elephant Dumbo after her favorite character, and Dan had to admit that the little guy looked the part with his massive ears. It would be hard to miss the resemblance. But everyone was still oblivious to what was going on behind closed doors. Little Dumbo had a massive problem, and it could ruin everything.
At first, everything seemed perfectly fine. Little Dumbo didn’t have any obvious issues, and he was instantly accepted by the herd. His mom had welcomed him into the world with open arms, and before long, he was venturing through the massive property Dan owned. It would remain that way for a while, but the truth would be revealed soon enough.
As the days passed, Dan, Lila, and Dumbo settled into a new routine. They would check up on the little guy every morning and then again before they went to bed. He had gotten used to their presence and was adoring the attention he got from the little girl. But things were about to take a drastic turn that would have Dan leaping for his phone.
On this particular morning, Dan woke up a little later than he usually would. He didn’t know why he felt so tired that day, but the extra hours of sleep seemed to do wonders. And that all faded when he went to wake up his daughter. Though as soon as he stepped into Lila’s room, he knew something was wrong. His daughter was missing. Dan forgot about everything he was thinking at the time and started going through the house. He called her name and searched in every possible place where she could be hiding, but there was no sign of his little girl. Had something happened to her? How did he not realize that she was gone? Where was she?
After an hour of searching, Dan didn’t know what to do. He searched every cupboard, heck, he even checked in the attic. But he couldn’t find Lila anywhere. Where was she? Where was she? He sat down to catch his breath, and suddenly it hit him. There was one place he neglected to check. It was the place he should have checked first: the animal pen.
Dan walked into Dumbo’s pen and let out a sigh of relief as he saw his little girl snuggled up against the elephant. She was fast asleep, and Dumbo’s trunk was wrapped around her in a very protective way. Dan thought it was a sweet sight. But once he learned the truth, he would realize just how wrong he was.
