Ralph Helfer - Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived

WHEN BRAM ARRIVED at the circus grounds it looked as though a tornado had come during the middle of the night and taken it away. All the circus equipment had been packed in big cargo crates, stamped across the front in ten-inch red letters: DESTINATION U.S.A. The big top had been taken down and packed, most of the vehicles had been sold, and the calliope was being readied for shipment. The fairways had been dismantled and lay on the ground, ready for packing. Only the menagerie tent still stood. Jake was repairing an elephant harness when Bram walked up.

Morning, Jake, hows Mo this morning?

Hi, kid. Jumbo is fine. Look for yourself.

Jumbo?

Yeah. Thats her new name. Better for advertising.

But wont it confuse her, having two names?

She doesnt have two names, Jake answered irritably, and dont let me catch you using Mo or any other name anymore.

You hear me, kid?

Sure, Jake, I hear you.

Mo was nibbling her hay when Bram entered the tent. She gave him a low rumble of affection and a hug with her trunk. Bram grabbed an ear and, pulling it down, whispered, Hi, Mosie.

Spring was fast approaching. The melting snow had filled the rivers, days were becoming warmer, and beautiful flowers filled the hills and valleys. It was on such a day that a car, horn honking, sped into the circus grounds and headed straight to the menagerie tent. Curpo sat next to the driver. Both jumped out of the car and approached Bram. After talking a minute, the three quickly got in the car. With a cloud of dust kicking up behind it, the car raced out of town to the Gunterstein farm. Josef had taken a turn for the worse.

The spring sun cleared the ridge as the procession slowly wound its way up the dirt road to Grenchin Hill Cemetery. It was named after Mr. Meisters daughter, who had lost her life falling from her horse on the very spot where the cemetery was located. She was the only one buried there until Meister died. Since then, a few had chosen this lovely spot to sleep their longest sleep. It overlooked miles of rolling green hills that eventually melted into the great mountains to the north. Grenchin Hill itself was quite steep, and the graveyard had room for only a few dozen. Josef had known the family since childhood, and when Meister died, he left two sites for Josef.

On a nearby hill, silhouetted against the sky, Bram and Gertie sat atop Modoc. They looked unrelated to what was happening down below, as if they were from another time. The trio watched the serpentine line of cars make its way up the hill. Some of Josefs friends came in trucks, others arrived in family cars. A nearby neighbor drove his tractor directly from the plowing field. Bram pointed out the Tall Man, the Seal Man, Little Marigold, the Fat Lady, and the rest. Theyd all arrived by one means or another. Curpo and some of the roustaboutsunbeknownst to the new cir

cus ownerhad loaded the calliope on a flatbed truck and drove it to the cemetery, parking it near the gravesite. It was the best way they knew how to say their goodbyes. When the last car neared the crest, Bram nudged Mo and headed for the cemetery.

Bram had asked if Modoc could be there. Katrina had called the new owner, but could not get permission from him for Mos attendance until Herr Gobel intervened and persuaded the American buyer. Katrina figured it was Gobels guilt at abandoning his circus family so abruptly that made him do it.

Bram and Gertie both dressed in black. Together theyd made a huge black ribbon for Modocs neck. A spray of wildflowers from the field was fixed to a twig of tamarind and hung down her forehead. Bram slid off and then helped Gertie down. Brushing off her dress, Gertie took her place by her father; Bram stood with his mother.

The calliope began to play its oom-pah-pah as the rabbi gave the sermon. Bram had never been to a funeral before, and found it hard to believe his father was lying in that long, shiny box. Bram knew that wherever his father was, he would look out for his family.

As Bram helped his mother place some flowers on the coffin, Mo, on a signal from Bram, reached up and took the flora off her forehead, stepped forward, and placed it on the coffin with the others.

The sun fell behind a cloud and did not reappear for the rest of the day. The weather turned cold, and shivering against a gray sky, they lowered Josef into the ground. Katrinas soft sobs were joined by many others who mourned Josefs passing. Bram could not cry. Instead a hard, tight ball of hurt filled his stomach, and his teeth and jaw hurt from clenching them unknowingly.

As the music of the calliope drifted over the hills, there came the lone trumpeting of an elephant who, in her own way, was saying goodbye to her friend in his final resting place, the little cemetery in the hills of Germany.