Building an Elephant
Synopsis:
A teenage boy with a half-constructed elephant in the garage discovers his father will sacrifice anything for appearance's sake.
Book Excerpt:
Two days after my seventeenth birthday I found Dad in the living room talking to himself as he stared out the front window. Next door, the Hendersons and their daughter Jenny stood on their front yard. An eighteen wheeler was parked on the street. Lumbering out of the back was something nearly as big as the truck.
Dad said, "My God. I think Henderson bought an elephant." When upset, Dad referred to Mr. Henderson by last-name-only. Henderson dented the fender on my car. Henderson still hasn't returned our goddam hedge-trimmer. "Godammit he has. He bought a damn elephant."
Topics/Categories:
Coming of Age, Magical Realism
Genre:
Literary Short Stories, Magic Realism Short Stories, Short Stories
Type of Work:
Publishers:
Awards:
Original Published Source:
The Adirondack Review
Purchase From:
The Adirondack Review (printed story)
Lit103.3 (audio mp3)
Formats:
Online Audio mp3
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