Dana pressed her nose against the cold window and saw something tiny and purple shivering in the garden rain. A little elephant stood with his trunk wrapped around his knees, ears drooping low. "Hold on," she whispered. She grabbed the thickest quilt from the bedpost and shoved the window open.
She wrapped the starry quilt around the elephant and hoisted him onto her shoulder. He let out a tiny *pfffft* sneeze that blew her hair across her face. Dana giggled and tightened her grip. Her bare feet whispered against the dewy grass as she walked through the glowing night.
A tall hedge blocked the way home. The elephant whimpered and pressed his trunk into her shoulder. Dana climbed onto the garden wall and held the quilt flat between her hands like a bridge. One tiny foot went first, then the other, toenails clicking softly against the brick.
At the edge of the garden, three paths lay before them. One was tangled with thorns. One crossed a puddle shining like a mirror. The third disappeared into a tunnel of glowing fireflies. Dana chose the light path. The fireflies swirled around them in a sparkling cloud, and the elephant made a sound that sounded like a laugh.
At the end of the firefly tunnel, a small purple flower caught the elephant's eye. He froze. Something moved in the leaves. Dana stepped in front of him and stamped her foot. *Thump.* A beetle scuttled away. The elephant peeked out and gave her hand a gentle nudge with his trunk.
Dana carried the elephant through the open back door and into her bedroom. The colorful decorations glowed brighter than ever. She spread the quilt on the floor beside her bed. The elephant climbed up, circled twice, and curled into a soft purple pile. He let out a long sleepy sigh and his ears finally stopped trembling.
Morning light spilled through the window. Dana woke and found the elephant asleep at the foot of her bed, one ear draped over the edge like a curtain. She tiptoed to her desk and pulled out a sheet of paper. With careful letters she wrote: *Welcome Home.* She taped it to the wall beside her window.
The elephant's trunk peeked over the quilt as Dana set a small bowl of water and a handful of berries on the floor. He stretched, yawned wide enough to show all his tiny teeth, and nudged the bowl with his trunk. Then he looked up at Dana and trumpeted softly. Dana smiled and patted his head.
