Pasha Sets Off

Pasha the elephant was off to Australia to get a degree. He was very excited indeed. He had an airline ticket, and a visa, and a suitcase that was so full, it looked like an elephant itself.
“That’s a lot of excess baggage you have there,” said the Ticket Lady with a frown. For you see, poor Pasha was twice as heavy as his suitcase.
“I can’t help it, I’m born this way,” said Pasha. What if they didn’t let him get on the plane. Was his journey going to end so soon? But the Ticket Lady was very kind.
“I don’t think you’ll fit in the passenger cabin,” she said. “But you can travel in the cargo hold.”
So she pasted a white sticker that said ‘PER’ onto Pasha’s tail. “That means you’re going to Perth,” she explained. “Now what kind of meal would you like?”
She put Pasha down for a vegetarian meal, and then told him to hop onto the baggage rack.
So off went Pasha, riding on the conveyor belt with the suitcases. He was put on a wagon and loaded onto the plane.
“The things people take on a flight these days!” said the pilot, looking out of the window as the elephant was heaved on board. He wondered if he’d be able to take off.
But the plane was sturdy, and the flight was uneventful.
And so it was, that ten hours later – after a long and delicious flight – that Pasha the elephant landed in Perth.