Sian's Storytelling Sunday: What's That Coming Over the Hill?

Hello, hello.

On the first Sunday of each month Sian, over at From High in the Sky, shares a story ... and invites anyone reading to do the same. It can be a tale as long and involved or short and sweet as you like, even a story told in photos. Whatever it is you want to tell, Sian wants to hear.

[If you want to read more on taking part, the details of Storytelling Sunday are here and then visit Sian's March 2012 story here, where you can leave a link to your own, or simply visit others].

Here's mine ...

What's That Coming Over the Hill?

 I can't remember when this happened. But it did happen. For sure. Yep.

I'm almost certain that I didn't dream it ...

Once upon a time, not so very long ago [although I can't remember exactly when] my Mam and I decided to walk to a small retail park on the outskirts of town - for both a little bit of exercise and some retail therapy once we got there.

To reach our destination we had to walk along past my old primary school and along where the path begins to climb up and over an old railway bridge. And from that side of the bridge, you can't really see what lies beyond.

And, usually, nothing does lie beyond it apart from a B&Q store ahead, a car showroom on the right and an empty field on the left.

Usually.

But not this time.

As we reached the crest of the hill, I remember seeing something in the Usually Empty Field and exclaiming: "What's that ...?"

 And, once we'd both looked ... and once our eyes and brains had had a quick discussion over whether they believed each other ... me and Mam came to the realisation that 'that' was in fact ...

... an elephant!

 Yes. An. Elephant.

And a real, fully grown, living, breathing one at that.

I don't think I could breathe for laughing for quite sometime afterwards. It was one of those, my-stomach-muscles-can't-take-any-more laughs.

It was such an incongruous sight.

In fact, there's a snigger building up inside me now, as I sit here writing this.

An elephant I tells you.

An elephant!!!!

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Thanks Sian - Storytelling Sunday gave me the shove I needed, as I've been meaning to document this moment for a long time.

Julie :-)

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p.s: For the record - I live in NE England ...and not the grasslands of Asia or Africa. Elephants are not what you might call an everyday feature around here ...

p.p.s: It turns out it was there with a travelling circus who were setting up on the field. And the less I think about the fact it was in captivity, the more I'm able to still smile about the pure, dreamlike, moment of wonder and confusion the day we came over the hill ... and saw the elephant.