Thanks, Clara. That cool drink and mud bath at the oasis was most refreshing. I’m a little tired. YAWN.

Wow, that is quite a honker you’ve got there!

Well, for an elephant like me, it is just the perfect size. I can honk if I want to get someone’s attention; I can use it as a giant straw to sip water; I can even use it like a fire hose to spray water, and . . . I can pick up things AND . . . scratch myself when I get an itch – like right now – (scratch, scratch).

Okay, okay – calm down! Very impressive! We camels have nothing like that – just our one or two humps of fatty tissue that can provide energy and water when needed. But besides your elongated nose, I notice you have one gigantic tooth outside your mouth. What is that for?

Clara, that is my tusk. I am supposed to have two tusks – one on each side. If someone bothers me, I can use my tusk to send a pointed message – usually to their posterior. Just before I escaped from the circus, I was forced to go to the dentist and have an extraction. They did not give any reason but I understand my tusks are quite valuable to humans.

Not to worry, Elliot. There are no humans here anymore – they have not been seen for many generations. That shimmering gateway you passed through when escaping must have been a time portal – a gateway to the future – to this moment in time.

Thank goodness. Between their electric prods and tusk extractions, it was not a good place for an elephant.

Let’s go exploring together, Elliot. I could use some company.