Secret Attic
  • Home
  • Short Story Comp
    • Short Story Results
  • WEEKLY WRITE
    • WW Results
  • Picture This!
  • The Long Short Story
  • Drabble Contest
  • The Booklets
  • Online Booklets
  • League Table
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Short Story Comp
    • Short Story Results
  • WEEKLY WRITE
    • WW Results
  • Picture This!
  • The Long Short Story
  • Drabble Contest
  • The Booklets
  • Online Booklets
  • League Table
  • Blog
  • Contact

When to Err is Not Human by Dipayan Chakrabarti

29/3/2021

0 Comments

 
“Hello, Sukna forest office,” Cliff O’Brien, the forest officer, answered over the telephone, “can I help you?”  “A wild elephant is running circles all around the village, sir!” blurted out a raspy voice from the other end. “Don’t worry,” O’Brien assured, “we will be there in an hour.” “Call the driver,” he barked to the new office peon. The driver rushed in. “How much fuel do you have in the fuel-tank?” O’Brien queried. “It’s full.” “Get ready then,” he ordered.
The wild elephant had left the forests of Sukna Valley in Darjeeling district, meandering into the nearby village in search of food. “It is pregnant!” yelled a local. “Yeah, the wild elephant is going to give birth in some months,” O’Brien agreed. The elephant walked around in the village in hunger.  Country-made crackers exploded everywhere, as the villagers tried to drive out the frightened animal of the locality.
“It hasn’t harmed anybody yet!” exclaimed a local. Suddenly, the sound of an explosion shocked everyone. It was followed by a heart-rending trumpeting sound. “Find the source of the sound,” snapped O’Brien in an impatient voice. The small group of forest officials who were engaged in rescuing the elephant followed the sound to the wild pachyderm. “It is in searing pain, sir!” cried out a forest official. “Yeah, her tongue and mouth seem badly injured.” Vertical wrinkles appeared between O’Brien’s eyebrows.
The elephant eventually walked up the Sukna River and stood there with her mouth and trunk in water.  “She must be doing this to avoid flies and other insects,” O’Brien sighed. Other officials continued to look on in disbelief.
 After hours of attempts by the forest officials to rescue the elephant, it died standing in water. 
Post mortem reports revealed that the pregnant elephant had eaten a cracker-filled pineapple left by the locals.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Issue 8 & 9

    January 2021
    February 2021



    The Stories

    All
    A Blanket Of Stars By Georgia Cook
    A Chance By Liz Breen
    A Close Shave By Cindy Pereira
    A Compromise By Caitlin Magnall-Kearns
    A Drink After Work By Graham Crisp
    A Furtive Conversation By Sammi McSporran
    A Letter By Joe Bedford
    A Moment Of Introspection By Madelaine Taylor
    An Easy Mistake By Rachel Smith
    An Unfortunate Incident By Hilary Taylor
    Author Author! By Andrew Ball
    Bat Chat By Elaine Peters
    Bat Woman By Niall McKenna
    Beads Of Gold By Eva Bell
    Bearly Dry By Madelaine Taylor
    Bell Bottoms And Beer By Cindy Pereira
    Bench Mark By Jennifer Patsalidou
    Bride To Be By R.T. Hardwick
    Carnaby St Boutique By Steve Goodlad
    Caroline And Steven By Graham Crisp
    Cash Or Claret By Colin Ward
    Caught In The Act By Hilary Taylor
    Chance Encounter By Jeff Jones
    Change Matters By C.R. Berry
    Command By Ian Tew
    Crocodile Tears By Felicity Edwards
    Crossed Wires By Jeff Jones
    Ding Dong Dung By Cindy Pereira
    Dreaming Of You By Steve Goodlad
    Friederike By Mark Harbinger
    Global Architects By Rachel Smith
    Happy To Chat By Elaine Peters
    Holiday Of A Lifetime By Elaine Peters
    Horror Scope By Cindy Pereira
    Hotel Kasbah By Beverley Byrne
    Hunger By Caitlin Magnall-Kearns
    Lend Us A Tenner By Graham Crisp
    Love And Sparkles By Hilary Taylor
    Mistaken Identity By Madelaine Taylor
    Molly-Dolly’s New Clothes By Elaine Peters
    Mountain By Soren Petrek
    Mr. Patel’s Shop By Graham Crisp
    Out On The Town By Caitlin M Kearns
    Peter By R.T. Hardwick
    Plenty By Miriam H Harrison
    Pocket Money By Felicity Edwards
    Raisins And Rum By Cindy Pereira
    Reality
    Room 12 By Graham Crisp
    She Thinks I'm Stupid By Steve Goodlad
    Siesta By Elaine Peters
    Taking The Floor By Claire Barnard
    Tangle By Miriam H. Harrison
    Teacher By Madelaine Taylor
    The Book Of Revelations By R.T. Hardwick
    The Choice By Hilary Taylor
    The Death Of An Actor By Steve Goodlad
    The Ending By Liz Breen
    The Incidentals Table By Liz Breen
    The Inheritance By Graham Crisp
    The Neighbour By Lynne Couzins
    The New Guy By Felicity Edwards
    The Oasis By Tanvi Nagar
    The Present By Peter Hankins
    There Once By Miriam H. Harrison
    The Rescue By Hilary Taylor
    The Returners By Liz Breen
    The Stone By Felicity Edwards
    The Surprise By Jeff Jones
    Tough Cookie By Liz Breen
    Waiting Words By Madelaine Taylor
    Weakender By JP Seabright
    Werewolves By Jessica Brown
    What A Concept By Bud Scott
    When To Err Is Not Human By Dipayan Chakrabarti


    OPT-OUT
    To request your story to be removed from online publication: EMAIL US
Secret Attic - Founded March 2020