The Elephant Lugger

The Elephant Lugger is found in many parts of the world. He may not always be found with a wagon. Sometimes it is a backpack. Other times it may be a two-tonne truck. Whatever it is, he is always pulling it and he will tell you that it is very heavy. This is probably because of the elephant that is sitting inside it.

"Why, if I had an elephant, I would ride it," you might say.

But no, this has never occurred to the Elephant Lugger. It is unthinkable. He will tell you that the elephant has a mind of its own and cannot be trained. In fact, to the Elephant Lugger, having an elephant is rather unfortunate. It is not a creature that is delightful, like an otter or a platypus. This kind of elephant cannot even have its tusks harvested for the precious ivory (something I would not recommend since a tusk without an elephant means that there is a dead one lying somewhere around).

If you meet an Elephant Lugger, you must always be careful not to insult his elephant. You may think this strange since he seems to detest it so much in the first place. And you would be right. But the relationship between a Lugger and his elephant is much like the relationship between siblings. For whether you deem this relationship parasitic or symbiotic, between the Lugger and the elephant there is both loathing and love.