Erwin and the Multi-Coloured Trousers

Erwin the baby elephant looked at his new pair of trousers. He scratched his head with his trunk. They were the strangest pair of trousers he had ever seen. The front of the trousers was covered in red polka dots. The back of the trousers had bright blue stripes. The knees had yellow and green patches on.
Erwin put one foot inside the trousers cautiously. They were far too tight. They only reached as far as his ankle.
“I must get these trousers on. Otherwise I won't be able to go to school,” he thought to himself. Erwin had been looking forward to his first day at school for ages.
He took a deep breath, pushed his trunk inside the trousers and pulled up as hard as he could. He was determined to get them on. “Oops!” he cried. He fell over and did a forwards somersault. “Ssssstop that, you clumsy great creature,” hissed a slithery sounding voice. Erwin blushed all over until he turned pinky-grey. He stood up, blinking slowly and looking all round the green forest.
A smart looking young snake uncoiled his long body and stared snootily at Erwin. “You're far too fat for those trousers,” he said, preening himself. He had a shiny new suit on and a bow tie. Erwin looked sadly at Septimus Snake. “I can't go to school without my trousers on.” “Well, I suppose you won't be able to go then,” said Septimus, admiring himself in a pool of water. He slid off into the forest, rustling smoothly over the leaves. Erwin sighed. His trunk dangled low and swung sadly from side to side.
Suddenly there was a rustling and a tussling and Helena Hippo lumbered into the clearing. She had four brand new sandals on and her huge toenails were painted pink. “Can't stop,” she panted ponderously. “On my way to school. We're doing maths today. What's five hippos times four leopards plus three alligators?”
“A nice snack for the alligators,” said a dry and growly voice. Alvin Alligator splashed his way out of the river and flumped down beside Erwin and Helena. He stretched his mouth and snapped his teeth at them ferociously.
Erwin rolled his eyes and flapped his ears. “You're always threatening us but you haven't eaten us yet!”
Alvin stuck his spiky nose in the air. “Just wait till I get older. Anyway, I must swim off now. Time for school.” Helena stopped staring at her pink toenails and picked up her school bag. “Yes, I've got to go now. See you later, Erwin!” She heaved herself off into the forest and with a last scowl, Alvin swam off down the river. Erwin was all alone again with his funny trousers. He blew down his trunk sadly. He really wanted to go to school, but how could he go without putting his trousers on?
The bushes rustled as Lawrence Lion entered the clearing. He was holding a mirror and peering into it anxiously. “My mane is an absolute disgrace,” he muttered. “How can I go to school like this?” Lawrence was a very small lion with a very big mane which he spent hours combing.
Erwin chuckled and Lawrence turned around. “It's all right for you elephants! You don't have any fur to worry about.”
“I'm sorry, Lawrence,” said Erwin. “I just wish someone could help me with my trousers. I can't get into them, no matter how hard I try.”
Lawrence scratched his ear with his paw and thought hard.
“How about if I hold them at one end and you hold them at the other and we pull and we pull as hard as we can?” suggested Erwin hopefully. “That might stretch them.”
“I suppose that might work,” agreed Lawrence.
Lawrence took hold of one bit of the trousers with his teeth, and Erwin knotted his trunk around the other part. “Ogay, on da count of tree,” said Erwin, who now sounded like he had a cold with his tied up trunk. He stamped his foot three times on the ground and they both pulled as hard as they could. The trousers began to make a tearing sound. “Dop!” shouted Erwin. Lawrence dropped his end of the trousers and began to giggle. “What's da madder?” said Erwin crossly. The trousers were still hanging from his trunk. “Your trousers are stuck up your nose!” said Lawrence, who couldn't stop laughing. “And your nose is tied up in knots!”
Erwin padded over to the river and stared at his reflection worriedly. He did look silly. His trunk looked like a big bow on a birthday present. “Everyding's going wrong,” he wailed.
Lawrence suddenly looked at his watch. “I'm going to be late! Don't worry, Erwin. I'm sure there's someone who can help you.” And Lawrence ran off into the bushes, leaving Erwin sitting dejectedly by the river. His forehead was all wrinkly and crinkly, like he'd just had a bath. But it was because he was worried about missing school.
The forest was very quiet now. All the other animals had gone to school.
Suddenly he heard singing. It was quite close by and was coming nearer. A little girl skipped her way into the clearing. She was wearing pyjamas with lots of animals on.
Erwin could hear the words of her song. “Hooray! Hooray! No school for me today!”
She stopped in the middle of the clearing, closed her eyes and spun round and round until she fell over.
Erwin moved slowly towards her. He wondered if she was okay. She lay very still on the ground and then opened her eyes suddenly.
“I see stars! And elephants. A funny looking elephant.” She stared at Erwin's knotted up trunk curiously.
Erwin blushed bright pink, the same colour as Helena Hippo's toenails. He lowered his eyes to the ground and blinked slowly. “Whad's your name?” he asked shyly.
“I'm Obi. And I'm NOT going to school today.” Obi stamped her foot on the ground.
“I can'd go to school,” sighed Erwin. He looked sad.
Obi came closer. “Why not?” she asked. She reached up and untied his trunk. Erwin shook his head until his big ears flapped. “Thank you!” he exclaimed happily. He stared down at the trousers which had fallen on to the ground.
“It's these trousers. I can't fit into them,” he explained. “I've asked all the other animals but they can't help me.”
Obi looked puzzled. “But I've never seen an elephant wear trousers before.”
“Nor have I,” said Erwin. “But Mervin Monkey, the postman, delivered these trousers to me. He said all the other elephants wear them.”
Obi began to chuckle. She had a deep, loud laugh which echoed round the clearing. She laughed so hard that the branches of the trees shook. A coconut landed on Erwin's head. “Ow!” he said crossly and rubbed his head with his trunk. “What's so funny?” he asked grumpily.
“Mervin's the naughtiest monkey around. He's always playing tricks on people. He told me I wasn't allowed to wear any clothes to school at all! I nearly believed him... but then I saw some children going to school, and they were wearing clothes. So I knew he was making it up!”
Erwin made a relieved trumpeting noise through his trunk.
“Now I can go to school!” he said happily. “I might make it in time if I hurry.”
He stopped to think for a second.
“Wait. Who do these trousers really belong to?”
Obi picked them up and looked at them. “Oh my goodness!” She looked at the red polka dots on the front. Then she looked at the bright blue stripes on the back. And then she looked at the knees with their yellow and green patches on.
“They're my trousers.”
She looked down at the ground and scuffed her shoe backwards and forwards.
“I gave them away so I wouldn't have to go to school. I didn't know Mervin was going to give them to you.”
She looked a little bit sorry but not very. The dimple in the middle of her cheek quivered like she was about to laugh.
“Why don't you want to go to school?” asked Erwin.
“Because no one likes my trousers!” said Obi. She suddenly looked sad and her dimple disappeared.
She held the trousers up in the air and looked at them. They were the most colourful things in the entire jungle.
“I really liked them at first. But everyone keeps laughing at them.”
“I think they're wonderful trousers!” said Erwin. “And everyone always laughs at me too because I fall over a lot. Look at my knee.”
Erwin had a big orange plaster on his knee.
He scratched his head with his trunk and thought hard.
“The teacher said that we should bring something to school on our first day. Can I bring you? And your trousers?”
Obi skipped up and down. “I've always wanted to go to the Animal Academy! Human school is boring, boring, boring!”
“You can ride on my back if you like,” suggested Erwin hopefully. He knelt down and Obi clambered on top. They set off at a speedy pace for the Animal Academy. They followed the forest path for a mile or so and then they came to a building on stilts in the middle of a clearing. All the animals of the forest were climbing up the ladder to get in the front door of the school.
Everyone turned round to look at Erwin and Obi in her brightly coloured trousers. “I love your trousers!” said Gemma Giraffe. Septimus Snake looked annoyed and stroked his bow tie. He had always been the best dressed animal in the forest. Mrs Tembo, the headmistress, an ancient and very wise elephant, stuck her head out of the front door to see what was happening.
“Why Erwin, how wonderful! You've brought a little human to school. Now, everyone, say hello to Erwin's human. Can anyone tell me if it's a boy or girl?”
Obi spoke up loudly. “I'm a girl. And I want to come here every day!”
Everyone cheered. Apart from Septimus Snake who was writing a letter, complaining about humans in school.
“I'm sure that can be arranged!” beamed Mrs Tembo. “Do come in and sit down.”
From then on Erwin and Obi went to school together every day. Obi made Erwin a scarf the same colour as her trousers. Sometimes Erwin got his trunk tangled up in it but Obi always untied it for him. In return, Erwin would let Obi slide down his trunk again and again until she collapsed, squealing and giggling on the ground. They were best friends, and from then on, whenever anyone teased them, it never mattered for very long.