i didn't come tonight to conquer your body

bedtime story:

there once was a very sad girl, who ran away from home. she ran for as long as she could, but got tired in the hills and began to walk. she walked and walked until she found an elephant sleeping in the long grass. he looked very comfortable and she curled up beside him and fell asleep, too.

when he woke up, he was very surprised to see the very sad girl sleeping beside him. he was glad to have company, though– had lost his way and ended up hungry and lost in the hills. they quickly became friends, and decided to travel together.

they had not gone very far, when they encountered a bee. the elephant wanted to eat it, but the girl knew that one bee is not enough food for two. excuse me, she said, we're hungry and tired. do you know the way to some honey? the bee sighed deeply and explained, that all his life he had made honey. one afternoon, while he was dusting around in a flower, he began to wonder why he made honey all the time. he couldn't say for certain. he left the flower, confused, and couldn't find his way back to the hive.

so you see, he explained, i'm hungry, too. they thought it over and decided that if they could help the bee find his hive, he might give them some honey to eat. he agreed, and joined them. after awhile, they came to a river. next to the river sat a bear, licking his chops over the carcass of a fish. the three were very hungry. the bee buzzed over and said, in exchange for a few fish, the travelers would be willing to show him a big hive of honey.

the bear thought this was a good idea, and caught some more fish. they all ate until they were full and fell asleep in the rushes. when they awoke, they set out in search of the hives again. they walked for a very long time. after many days, they came to the sea. oh, dear, said the girl. what now? asked the elephant. we swim, replied the bear. not me, said the bee. so they all set off swimming, except for the bee, who flew alongside.

they swam for several days and became very tired. on the fifth day, just as the sun was coming up, they met a whale. what are you doing in the sea? she wanted to know. looking for the hives, the responded, but we can't swim much longer. there's not much i can do about the honey, the whale replied, but if you need to rest, i'll let you come inside and rest. they agreed, and the whale swallowed them up.

it was nice inside the whale, and the three got along well. they ate lots of fish and had plenty of interesting things to look at. the whale traveled all over the world and swallowed things to amuse her guests: a deck of cards, a chinese book of drawings, funny looking shoes, a green umbrella. they lived there very happily for many years.

the little girl grew up, and forgot why she was sad.

the whale had grown older, too. very old, in fact. so old, that when a fisherman caught her in his net, she decided it was time to let her body go. he dragged the whale up on deck and cut her stomach open. imagine his surprise to find an elephant, a bee, and a bear inside! but he was most surprised of all to find the girl. she didn't look like other women at all: her skin was pearly white from years without sun, and slick like a fish from living in the wet. her hair was thick and black, her eyes cast down because the bright light hurt them. he fell in love with her immediately and asked her to be his wife.

she didn't mind the fisherman, and her friends agreed to the marriage as long as he could help them to land. he took them home to his family. his brother and his brother's wife tended to an orchard of lemons and many hives of bees. in exchange for their services with upkeep, they agreed to take on the bear and the bee.

the elephant did not want to be parted from the girl, and stayed with she and the fisherman. after several months, the girl began to adjust to her life on land, and helped the fisherman with his catches. the elephant helped too.

but one day the woman had a funny feeling. she, whose life had been so long characterized by wanting, grew unsettled in having. she loved her husband and her work, but one day, she climbed on the grey shoulders of the elephant and they rode on.