Day 110-A Toy Elephant

Sans! Sans! Help me please! A small voice called just outside my chamber. I rubbed my eyes. Who could it be at this hour? I wondered. Sans! Sans! It cried persistently. Reluctantly, I walked to the door and opened it slightly.

What do you want? I asked the toy elephant with irritation. At the same time, I was marveling at the craftsmanship..hmm, exquisite! It is not tiny, like most toys. Probably the size of a child, 3 1/2" tall all the way to its trunk and 3" wide from foot to foot. Must be European, I thought. It is all the rage now, what they call a ride-on pull animal. As its name suggest, it is a toy where a child rides on while another pulls it along, causing squeals of delight. Little noises the well-to-do will pay top dollar for.

You must help my mistress, Eva, toy elephant pleaded.
Eva, who? I asked, Eva's Tabla's Diva Eva?
Yes , yes! Toy Ele answered, You must do something for her. MAKE me RUN and until then, DO NOT eat!
What??

And before I could protest further, the toy elephant vanished and I woke up with a start.

The next morning, I went to work as usual and as prophesied in my dream, a parcel arrived from Spain. Of course, it was from Eva! And o my, what a delicious pile!

I eyed the sweets greedily while trying to concentrate on Eva's notes to me. I was told that these were the most famous Spanish Christmas desserts, specially the big one, Turron. The Turron that she had sent was the most typical (Jijona Turron). It was made with almonds, sugar, honey and white. Very sweet...Then there are the smaller ones (individuals), the Polvorones and it is true that........I couldn't wait any longer and before I even finished reading, I had already popped a Polvorones in my mouth. Oooooh, I was in heaven. It was pure ecstasy! An incredible sensation of nutty stickiness and musky aroma exploded in my mouth and I wanted to scream "absolutely delicious!" except my lips were glued together and I could only gargle!!

Arghhh, I suddenly remembered the elephant's warning! And when I went back to Eva's note, I saw that she had warned me too.. "Then there are the smaller ones (individuals), the Polvorones and it is true that they are less sweet. A normal joke here with friends or family is to try to say a long word like “Constantinople” with an entire Polvoron in your mouth ;) Totally impossible…LOL.." I stared at the toy elephant and I swear I could see an evil I-told-you-so grin on its face!

I tried not to panic. Alright, maybe if I can make the elephant run, he can run back to Eva to seek an antidote for me. That's a plan! I quickly took out my tools and the parts required.

I needed a wooden base so I took one of those I ripped off from my dolls and started sanding it down to half its thickness.I then spray painted it silver. With the veneer sanded off, the base had the look and feel of sandstone. Then I started on the wheels. I have kept bits and pieces from the construction kit when I completed the temple in March last year. Finally, I have some use for the little round wooden chips. I knocked a hole in the center of each chip and then fit 2 chips through the ends of a tooth pick. I then spray painted the wheels "October Brown". When the paint dried, I glued the silver bits onto the wheels to make them pretty. I then fixed 4 "hooks" for the ropes, 2 by the side, one front and one back. Finally, after I glued a filigree silver piece onto the base, I glued the elephant on it.

I tested it and yes, it could run. Quite fast too for wooden wheels. I then added the quintessential feather to its head and wondered how much the palace would pay for a toy like this. By the time I finished, it was past midnight but I still could not open my mouth. There was nothing much I could do and so with a heavy heart, I prepared for bed. I did not sleep well.

It was almost dawn when I thought I heard the door hinge squeaked. I thought I was dreaming again but the next morning, toy elephant was nowhere to be found. And neither were my sweets!

I opened my mouth and heard myself shout "absolutely delicious!" The curse was broken! I could speak again! And I could brush my teeth! No bad breath! I sighed with relief.

Much as I am happy the curse is gone, I do hope however, that toy elephant will return, maybe with Eva. But definitely with the sweets. Shucks, I haven't even tasted the Turron yet!