Elephants at the opera

The fire was on, and M and T had their feet up. In their hands were giant mugs of thick, sweet hot chocolate.

So sweet, in fact, that rings of chocolate circled their mouths like goatees. Every now and then, they’d pause, licking around their lips to catch every last bit. Outside was cold and wild.

But inside? Toasty, chocolatey peace.

A knock at the door.

M sat up. “Someone needs help.” T nodded. “At this time of night? That’s for sure.”

They opened the door.

There stood Joe. Known all around town for his wonderful heart, but tonight he wasn’t smiling — he was panting like he’d run the whole way there.

“Come in, Joe,” M said. “What is it?”

Joe burst out: “They’re locked in! Everyone’s trapped!”

“Who’s locked in?” asked T.

“The whole town!” said Joe. “They went in for the opera and now they can’t get out. And there’s… terrible, terrible music everywhere.”

M and T couldn’t believe their ears, but if they listened hard they too could hear awful violin sounds drifting across town.

“Why can’t they get out?”

Joe’s voice trembled. “The elephants. They’re sleeping all over town. Blocking every doorway. You can’t move them. There are hundreds! Thousands! Gazillions of them!”

M frowned. “There aren’t even elephants in SnoozyTown.”

“I know!” Joe said. “But there are now, and you’ve got to help us get them out.”

M and T clicked into gear. When people needed help in SnoozyTown, the Fixers always showed up.

They pulled on their Fixer T-shirts — their unofficial adventure uniforms — and ran out the door.

The first elephant they found had a belly like a bouncy castle and was utterly conked. They tried lifting a leg. Nothing. The trunk? Too heavy. It snored away happily, blocking the street.

“There’s no way through,” said T.

“How many elephants are there again?” asked M.

Joe shrugged. “Gazillions.”

M and T weren’t even sure how many a gazillion was, but it sounded like too many.

M paused. “We can’t get through. We need someone who knows every shortcut in SnoozyTown.”

Joe looked confused. “Who?”

“Come on,” said M. “We’re going to the courthouse.”

They banged on the grand door.

“Who’s there?” called a voice from inside.

“It’s us!” said M. “The Fixers!”

Inside sat the Velvet Judge — wise and always working late.

“Oh dear,” he said, peering out the window. “I thought I was losing it. Elephants? And massive ones. Just sleeping everywhere…”

“We need to get into the town hall,” said T. “There’s someone causing chaos in there — and we can’t get past the elephants.”

“And there’s terrible music,” added Joe. “Like… screechy, horrible music. Everyone’s trapped.”

The judge rubbed his chin. “You’ll need the secret entrance.”

M blinked. “There’s a secret entrance to the town hall?”

The Velvet Judge gave a little wink and pulled a book from his shelf. The bookshelf turned slowly, revealing a narrow tunnel lined with stone steps. “This will get you in,” he said. “Go. And good luck.”

M, T, and Joe darted into the tunnel and made their way underground toward the town hall.

Above them, the screeching violin only grew louder.

Inside the hall, the opera had turned into a nightmare. A round figure in a cloak stood centre-stage, sawing away at the violin, producing the worst sound anyone had ever heard.

Windows were flung open to spread the noise across the whole town.

The original singer, GagaLyn — famous for the most beautiful voice in SnoozyTown — had been locked in her dressing room. The audience couldn’t leave. The snoring elephants blocked every exit. And the music? It was unbearable.

At last, M, T, and Joe reached the end of the tunnel.

They knocked.

“Hello?” came a voice from behind the door. “Who’s there?”

“It’s the Fixers!” said M. “And Joe!”

The door opened — and there stood GagaLyn, looking both relieved and confused.

“We’re here to help,” said T.

“They locked me in!” GagaLyn cried. “We can’t get out!”

“Do you have a hair clip?” asked M.

“A what?”

M and T had learned a few tricks. They took GagaLyn’s hair clip and asked for a newspaper. Sliding it under the door, they poked the clip through the keyhole… and once it fell, pulled the key back in on the newspaper.

“You clever clogs!” said GagaLyn.

“Come on,” said T. “We need your voice.”

Backstage, M and T found three big drums.

Joe took a deep breath; a minute ago he’d been terrified, now he marched beside the Fixers with steady feet.

The Fixers beat a soft booming rhythm that echoed through the hall.

And GagaLyn began to sing. Her voice rose like the moonlight itself — clear, strong, and beautiful. The music pushed back against the awful screeching.

And then… something stirred. Elephants near the door twitched. Then swayed. Then started to tap their feet.

They were dancing.

As the music grew, more elephants woke. They bobbed. They wobbled. They danced.

And with that, the exits cleared. People streamed outside. Soon, the entire town square was full of townsfolk and dancing elephants, moving to the music together.

But inside the hall, the cloaked figure kept screeching away.

M and T exchanged a look. It was time.

They crept onto the stage, snuck up beside the cloak… and pulled it off.

It was… Sneaky Cauliflower.

Sneaky Cauliflower — a giant cauliflower, famous in SnoozyTown for harmless — but not always hilarious — mayhem.

Once, it built a machine that released thousands of tiny flying tigers to nip people gently on the bottom.

Not evil, just irresistibly sneaky and cheeky.

And tonight? The chatty vegetable had tried to stop bedtime by screeching the worst violin music ever heard.

But not this night.

GagaLyn’s song and the Fixers’ teamwork saved the day.

The crowd cheered. The music soared.

“Off you go,” said M gently to the Cauliflower. “You’re Sneaky — but it’s time for a timeout.”

And so Sneaky Cauliflower was sent somewhere soft and quiet… but where the beds never get warm — the place SnoozyTown sends those who need a gentle reset.

SnoozyTown was safe again.

Thanks to GagaLyn. Thanks to Joe. Thanks to the Velvet Judge.

And of course — thanks to the Fixers.

Even the biggest problems shrink when friends share the load.

The elephants? They kept dancing until they were tired once more… and then lay down in the park, where they snored gently until morning.

And with a little help from music, kindness, and chocolate moustaches, SnoozyTown settled once more into sleep.

The End.