gregorycolbert:

A Captain’s Log [GC]

A hurricane smashed the hull of a ship called Dreamsong. The boat broke apart on a coral reef near the island of Borneo. They were carrying precious cargo—one thousand cellos and a herd of Asian elephants. From the shore, the orangutans watched from high up in the tree canopy. The captain remained with the elephants while the crew abandoned ship. As the boat rocked and listed to one side, the elephants carefully removed the cellos from their cases and nimbly plucked the strings with their trunks. They began playing a cello suite called One Thousand Rivers.

The orangutans signaled to a pod of whales who soon gathered round the ship. Enraptured, the whales silenced their blows and listened. They lined up end to end on the water’s surface and invited the elephants to cross.

The elephants continued playing as they walked across the bridge of whales. When they touched shore their last note kept resonating on the water.