‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  My name is Tillah. My sister, Likkah and I were born in Thailand, she two and a half years before me. Born to a working mother, from the early age of four I began my working life when I joined my sister and mother accompanying them to work. Mother worked on a steep slope in a rain forest pulling and sometimes carrying cut logs and trees to be floated down the great river. She liked her work because her keeper was kind even though the work was hard.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Of course my sister and I didn’™t do any real work but would watch our mother and other elephants at their work. Naturally, just as would be expected of a four and six-year-old, we often went off a little on our own to play. I especially loved playing in the mud at the riverside especially when the weather was hot and sticky. There was a sand-bank, broad, soft and cool at the turn of the river where we had the best fun. It was’  also at this place that floating logs would jam and pile up. Very special care would be taken to separate these from each other, pulling them’  off the mud and into the stream that carried them to the mills down-river. It was there, too, that the accident happened to my sister.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  We were playing on the mud bank, our mother dragging a heavy log down the slope when this became caught against a tree on a steep slope quite close to the bottom.’ 
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Her mahout* undid the chains to the log and I watched as my mother knelt above the log to push against it with her short tusks. The log came free then began rolling and sliding faster and faster down towards us. Since I had been watching, I moved quickly out of its path but Likkah was playing in the mud and could not scramble away in time. She was struck heavily on her hind leg. Even today I remember the scream that came from her. It still sends a shiver through me.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  I went as quickly as I could to her. She lay in the mud unable to rise. I hurried to her making quiet sounds to calm her. I placed my trunk upon her neck for the comfort of a soft touch. Helped by the mahout, mother, using her chains and harness and by pulling this and that way, gradually coaxed Likkah to stand. In spite of excruciating pain, she managed to limp up the slope to our stockade. I was glad that in the following days I was not made to accompany my mother to work but allowed to stay by Likkah. I was at her side almost constantly to help her through this difficult time.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  It was then that a stranger began coming to us.’  There was much talk between him and my owner and over the next few weeks visited many times. By this time Likah was much better although walked with a decided limp.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  *mahout – elephant trainer and keeper
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‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  It was not without some surprise and excitement that on a particularly heavy monsoon day with the warm rain pelting that a large trailer and crane upon which were two stout’  wooden cages arrived at the compound. These were unloaded and both my sister and myself were cajoled into them by our mahout. Little did I realize then that this was the first stage of a journey the memory of which would haunt me the rest of my life.’  Even the few yards that prevented me from touching Likkah caused me pain. I wanted so much to be close to her. But, eventually it was the shock of separation from my mother that was to become the worst – that and’  having no idea of what was in store for me.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  The journey from my beloved jungle to the noise and smells of a large city was truly shocking but not half as bad as what was to follow. We were never allowed out of our cages and I pined for the freedom I knew. I pined, too for the touch of my mother and my sister; the feeling of loneliness weighed’  heavily upon me. It seemed as if my heart bled from the pain.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  There came a night when the moon was full, my cage was raised high then lowered into a dark, large place that smelled of dust and all the smells I ever knew as well as many that I had never met before. Where Likkah was now I had no idea. I was completely alone in a strange, black world. As my eyes became accustomed to the dark I could make out some piles of jute sacks not far off but otherwise there was nothing. I simply became morose and silent. Of course worse came when the roof’  over me was closed and my room became pitch black. When my eyes became a little more accustomed to the dark, I did see two small round windows near the ceiling that did let in a little mild light. Twice a day I was visited by a black man who sprayed me with salt water, filled’  a drum just outside my cage with fresh water, left a bale of hay and left. I had no idea of the passage of time.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  A rocking motion gradually began which made me feel suddenly sick. This rocking didn’™t stop but went on and on. I couldn’™t eat and thought that I would die. I tried lying down but that seemed to make it even worse.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  I don’™t know how many days this movement went on, for I had no idea of days and nights any more. It might have been a week ‘“ to me it seemed time without an end. Fortunately I became slowly used to the rocking and even was able to eat and drink a little though the hay was so tasteless and dry after the lush greens I loved so well. I slept and dreamt of my mother and sister. I dreamed we played together but waking brought me another reality.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  The rocking finally stopped and I began wondering what would happen next. It was with great expectations that finally the roof of the great room was taken away and for the first time I was again able to see the sky! It was, I think the most wonderful sight I had seen for so long.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Again my cage was lifted high and set down among a host of hurrying people and vehicles. Then I saw Likkah also lowered and placed not far from me. I could even smell her from time to time.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Again I was lifted and placed on a trailer’  which, began moving slowly through great city streets filled with smells, peole and traffic of all kinds.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  After a day of travel, we finally arrived at an open space with tents and cages and many people moving quickly from place to place. The nicest thing of all I saw were the many trees surrounding the space. It was so refreshing to see once again a little green. I looked for Likkah but she was nowhere to be seen.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  A very dark man approached me making sounds that mahouts make. It was a somewhat comforting sound but a far cry from those I once knew. He fed me green leaves which were so refreshing after the straw I had been fed. He also sprayed me with fresh water, washing the salt from my skin which had been irritating me for so long.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  After some days I began to take a liking to my keeper and when he opened my cage, I followed him quite docilely munching on the delicious greens he handed to me as we walked.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  This is when we began working together on very different work I had seen my mother do. He taught me to stand on my hind legs with a small ball on the end of my trunk high in the air. This I learned to throw to him to the delight of so many spectators watching us in the great tent. With a signal unseen by the audience, I would also throw the ball far into the crowd making them laugh even louder with a prize for the person catching it. Together with me were, of course, the many other animals and people working, I never could, however, take a liking to the other animals there. So many played their games and so many humans too to the great amusement of the crowds.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  This became my life. It was not bad but I pined for the forest and days I had played with my sister who’™s image became more and more distant as the winters passed to summers. Once again, as with every summer, we would show the crowds what we could do.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  So many such winters and summers came and went during which time, lonely in my cage in the winters, I would remember the mud bank, my mother and fun I had in the faraway country where I was born. These cold days were the longest while the busy summers, passed quickly enough.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Uncountable seasons came and went until, finally, I began to feel a weakness coming upon me. As much as I tried I was unable to stand on my hind legs and had to do my act sitting on a tub. This to say nothing of the ball that often fell before I could throw it. My keeper too, was becoming weak himself and missed the ball it when I threw it.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  It was with much trepidation and worry that the following winter I was once again loaded onto a great trailer that began again on a journey I knew not where.’  I remembered with a shudder another journey so long ago and the suffering that came after. This journey went on many days during which time I was so weak I had to lie most of the time. My keeper was worried and did his best to keep me comfortable with fresh leaves and a wash from a bucket.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  It was in such a state of weakness that we arrived, finally’  at a great open space. In the distance I saw mountains and forests and I began wondering if this was to be my new home. I certainly hoped so. The forests looked so cool and inviting. Then I saw something else which brought with it a great excitement; in a paddock not far off, another elephant was moving. I wondered if we could become friends. Excitement began tingling and I wondered over and over what would be. The excitement gave me the strength I needed to be able to stand during the unloading of my cage. Placing me once again on the ground seemingly taking forever.’ 
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  I suppose the owners were afraid of what may occur when two strange elephants met for the first time so they kept me caged while the free elephant approached cautiously to acquaint himself with a new arrival.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  As it turned out, the other was female too. Curiosity got the better of me and I reached out for her scent. At first I was struck by it being familiar but brushed the idea aside for its absurdity. Then, as she back away and began moving around the paddock I noticed a decided limp. Surely it couldn’™t be?
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œLikkah!’™, I trumpeted and there was an instant response. She almost ran back to my cage, disbelief in her enlarged eyes. ‘œLikkah!’ I called again and this time there was her answer. ‘œTillah,Tillah! Is this really you? Can it be?’
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  We wound our trunks together in a kiss that washed away so many years of yearning. I cried then. Of course we elephants don’™t cry as humans do, Dry-eyed I cried for all those years of loneliness and yearning. I cried for joy to be once again with my beloved Likkah. And I could clearly see that the humans standing around watching were crying too.