Elephant Jaboo and Suzy Shrew.

Elephant Jaboo and little Suzy Shrew were the best of friends and it was the fervent wish of both of them that their companionship would never end.

Watching little Suzy climb up Jaboo's elongated snout to sit upon his head Oswald Owl had his doubts and winced to see young Suzy scamper inbetween great Jaboo's feet which, although they were quite graceful (for a full grown elephant) and always well manicured and neat, were, nevertheless, each six times wee Suzy's size and oft times did wise Oswald sigh and shake his round-eyed head to see the friends play 'Tag' or 'Chase' or 'Last man across the river today is dead!'

So perturbed was Oswald infact he commissioned the master-gnome of Zhish to have his workers construct a whistle whereby Suzy might make known her movements - an elegant thing of jade and sun-dried liana with such a beautiful sound that even monkeys grew still in contemplation of its tone, quite forgetting to jabber and murmur.

But alas, some forms of beauty quite excell their duty and Sydney Snake nursed a passionate

desire to possess that whistle til it expunged all sense from his brain and one day, he just couldn't help himself, he devoured Suzy Shrew, whistle and all then lay in a coma (he had a Diploma) for almost a week, digesting his excessive zeal and thinking how best to disguise

all evidence of his nefarious meal.

But it was no good - as soon as he spoke the whistle exploded and blew through the vile serpent's throat. Jaboo at once woke from his own grief and mope and guessing then at poor Suzy's fate he stamped on the snake til Sydney resembled a glittering, wafer-thin plate.

Jaboo never forgot his little friend Suzy and killed every snake that he saw.

As for Oswald, though the result of his well-intentioned intervention struck in his craw he kept the full nature of his involvement to himself, pretending the whistle was the Gnome King's idea (even owls are less than perfect). 

In future he would keep his bright ideas to himself, he vowed.

And he kept his word. If ever you visit him in his tree cast your eye surreptitiously upward

- there they are, kept in a jar, upon a high and padlocked shelf whose intricate key

(fashioned by the Gnome King, no less) is buried in a secret place so elusive that often even wise Oswald himself quite forgets where it is, so that sometimes, when he has a bright idea he has to carry it around for days and days before he can imprison it.

Once a year Elephant Jaboo bakes a special cake to celebrate and remember little Suzy and even Oswald permits himself to eat a slice for Jaboo is an excellent cook and in such things even the wisest and most repentant of owls cannot always be choosy.

From the mind and pen of the wonderful Willowdown