Nilo and the Ancient Elephant

Nilo and the Ancient Elephant: A Little Friend from the Past

Edisi Indonesia: Nilo dan Gajah Purba

A gentle breeze whispered through the dense forests of Flores. Nilo, a young child from the Ebu Gogo tribe, walked alone through the jungle, searching for fruit for his family. Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound from behind the bushes. Cautiously, he approached and saw a tiny elephant with wide ears and small, newly grown tusks.

But this was no ordinary elephant. Nilo recognized the creature from the Elders' stories—a stegodon, an ancient being believed to have gone extinct long ago. The little stegodon’s eyes were filled with fear, its legs tangled in the roots of a tree.

Without hesitation, Nilo crouched down and began untangling the roots wrapped around the tiny creature’s legs. The little stegodon wiggled its trunk excitedly, as if expressing gratitude. Nilo smiled and gently patted its head.

"Are you alone?" Nilo asked.

The stegodon let out a soft whimper, its eyes glistening with sadness. It had been separated from its family. Nilo nodded in understanding and decided to help the small creature find its way home.

For days, the two of them wandered through the forest together. Nilo taught the stegodon how to find safe fruits to eat, while the little stegodon showed Nilo how to listen to the whispers of the jungle—how to recognize signs of danger, read tracks, and understand the language of nature.

But danger lurked nearby. The Orang Besar (Big People) ventured deeper into the forest, cutting down trees and hunting greedily. One night, Nilo and his little friend barely escaped when a group of hunters spotted the stegodon’s footprints in the soil. Nilo knew that if they found the creature, they would never let it live.

With great courage, Nilo led his tiny companion toward a hidden cave—one that, according to the Elders, was once a sacred refuge for the ancestors of the stegodon. As they arrived, a deep rumble shook the ground.

From within the cave, a herd of great stegodons emerged, their wise eyes gleaming in the moonlight. The leader of the herd stepped forward, gently touching the young stegodon’s head with its trunk.

He had returned to his family.

Nilo smiled, though his heart felt heavy at the thought of parting with his dear friend. But before he could leave, the little stegodon pressed its trunk gently against Nilo’s forehead, as if making a silent promise—they would always be a part of each other.

As Nilo walked back to his community, he realized something: this story must be told. The world needed to know that these forgotten inhabitants of the forest were not just legends. They were a living part of history, waiting to be rediscovered.

And deep in the forest, beneath the thick canopy of trees, the small footprints of a stegodon remained— a quiet reminder that true friendship could transcend time and legend.

Read Also: Ebu Gogo: The Last Traces in the Forests of Flores