The Elephant and the Staring Contest

Ellie the Elephant was feeling very worried. Usually, she loved wandering through the jungle, but lately, she walked with her head down. Her best friend, Milo the Monkey, noticed her long face from his favorite branch.

"Hey Ellie, why the long face?" Milo asked, swinging down to get a closer look.

"It’s the Lion," Ellie whispered. "Every time he sees me, he just stands there and stares. He has such a scary, intense look in his eyes. I think he’s planning to attack me, Milo. I’m too nervous to even look at him!"

Milo chuckled and shook his head. "Ellie, look at you! You’re the strongest, smartest animal in the forest. You’re ten times his size! I bet he isn’t staring because he’s mean; I bet he’s staring because he’s intimidated. Next time he looks at you, don’t look away. Stand tall, look him right in the eye, and show him you aren't afraid."

A few days later, Ellie went down to the river for a cool drink. As she stepped onto the muddy bank, she saw the Lion. He was already there, lapping up water. When he heard Ellie’s heavy footsteps, he snapped his head around and began to stare.

Ellie’s heart started to thump-thump-thump. She wanted to run, but then she remembered Milo’s advice.

Instead of looking at her feet, Ellie lifted her trunk high. She looked the Lion right in the eyes and stared back.

They stood there for a long moment—completely still. Then, Ellie took one bold, confident step forward. STOMP!

The Lion’s eyes went wide. He let out a tiny yelp, turned tail, and scrambled into the bushes as fast as his paws could carry him!

As it turned out, the Lion had been staring at Ellie because he was terrified she was going to step on him! He was just waiting to see what she would do.

Ellie smiled, took a big gulp of water, and went to find Milo. She realized that sometimes, all you have to do to find your strength is change the way you look at the problem.

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