XVII. Trapped in the Spotlight, Part Two

… three Bull Elephants were walking straight towards us.

Tom didn’t stop the truck. He turned off the headlights and drove towards them. When he came to within about fifty feet, he stopped and shifted into reverse. He slowly backed up, keeping pace with the advancing elephants, all the while maintaining what he (not necessarily I) considered to be a safe margin of error. I told everyone to stay calm and quiet, and not to take any photos unless I gave the okay. The travelers had to absolutely wait until the elephants turned their heads away. Elephants had been known to get spooked by flashbulbs. To underscore the gravity of the situation, I told the travelers the story of the Dead Monk Photo. While doing so, I placed the spotlight below my chin. The story was completely true; I just liked to “heighten” the drama.

“Early one morning, about a year ago, in this very jungle, park rangers found a camera lying in the bush. They could see there had been some pictures taken, so they took the film to a local lab to be developed. There was one particular photo from the roll that made front pages all over Thailand. This photo, taken with a flash, showed a monk with his hand resting on the trunk of a wild elephant. The authorities called in elephant experts and Buddhists to piece together the story.

Two men, one monk, the other a layman, were walking through the jungle at night. The experts did not know why – walking through the jungle at night is never a good idea. That was when the larger animals come out to eat. The two men ran into the elephant which, not expecting to see two humans in the middle of the jungle at night, was almost certainly startled. The monk, evidently radiating Buddhist Loving Kindness and Compassion, calmed the elephant down to the point that the he could lay his hand on its trunk. The layman, evidently recognizing a great photo opportunity, took a picture, a flash picture, right in the elephant’s face. The elephant freaked out. The experts knew this because when the park rangers found the camera, it was lying next to their CRUSHED DEAD BODIES!”

My job was done. The travelers stood in the bed of the truck, clutching their cameras against their chests, fear in their eyes. Maybe I “heightened” the story a bit too much, but at least there would be no elephants freaking out. Or so I thought, before I heard the rustling in the brush behind us.

To be continued…