In a lush, green jungle where the birds sang sweet melodies and the river whispered to the trees, lived a tiny elephant named Elu. Unlike the other elephants, Elu was much smaller—so small, in fact, that the monkeys often mistook him for a plush toy and tried to carry him up trees.
Elu had big, sparkling eyes, oversized 
ears that wobbled when he ran, and the cutest little trunk that squeaked when he tried to trumpet. But don’t let his size fool you—Elu had the biggest heart in the whole jungle.
Every morning, Elu sat at the edge of the waterhole, watching the grown-up elephants spray water high into the air. They would trumpet loudly and stomp the ground with thunderous glee. Elu tried to join in, but his splashes were more like dribbles and his trumpet was more like a “toot.”
Still, he never gave up.
One sunny day, the jungle grew strangely quiet. The birds stopped singing, and even the wind seemed to hold its breath. Something wasn’t right. Soon, the word spread—Luma, the youngest lion cub, had wandered off and gotten stuck in a narrow crevice in the cliffside. The bigger animals tried to help, but their paws and trunks were too big to reach her.
Elu heard the news and ran as fast as his stubby legs would carry him. When he arrived, he peeked over the edge and saw Luma crying, her tiny paw caught between two rocks. The adults were pacing, worried and unsure of what to do.
“I’m small enough,” Elu said softly, stepping forward.
The others gasped. “Elu, it’s dangerous,” said a parrot. “You’re just a baby!”
“I may be little,” Elu replied, “but I want to help.”
With careful steps, Elu made his way down the rocky path. His small size let him squeeze into the tight spot. Luma looked up, eyes wide with hope. Elu wrapped his little trunk gently around her paw and gave it a soft tug. It didn’t move.
He thought for a moment
, then remembered something his mother taught him—if you can’t pull, push gently. He nudged the rock, shifting his weight, and with a final tug, Luma’s paw slipped free!
Cheers erupted from above as Elu guided Luma back up the path. When they reached the top, the jungle came alive with joy. Birds soared, monkeys clapped, and even the grumpy old rhino smiled.
From that day on, Elu was no longer seen as “just a baby.” He was known as the Heart of the Jungle—a tiny hero with courage as big as the tallest tree.
Elu still sat by the waterhole each morning. But now, the big elephants invited him to join their splashes. And when he trumpeted, the whole jungle listened—even if it still sounded a little like a squeaky “toot.”
