"Egg, nest and tree"
Aribelle didn't go to check on Horton every day, for one thing it was getting boring. But she did have other things she needed to do.
But one of the gossiping birds always came to report if she had seen Horton sitting there.
Near as Aribelle could tell, Horton hadn't left the nest.
She spotted Gertrude McFuzz, her long tail wound around her like a scarf, heading over towards the nest.
Curious, she followed her.
Gertrude hopped up to a tree branch near Horton. "Horton," she said, "I brought you a scarf." She draped it around his neck.
"Thank you Gertrude," he said, "Have you heard from Mayze?"
"She sent a card from Palm Beach..." Gertrude started.
"Palm Beach?" he exclaimed, "Gertrude - what if she never comes back?"
"Don't worry," she tried to assure him, "She will."
He sighed softly
"Umm... Horton?" she unwound her tail and flicked it about, "Notice anything... different?"
He looked to her and then nodded.
She seemed to light up.
He sighed, "it's getting colder."
Gertrude looked crushed, and hopped down to the ground, her beautiful tail dragging along in the dirt behind her.
Aribelle felt sorry for her and she bounded up to her, "Hey Gertrude," she called.
The little bird turned around to see Aribelle.
She gave Gertrude a smile, "your tail is looking lovely these days."
"Thanks..." she said quietly, although her heart wasn't really in it.
When winter set in, Aribelle relied more on the reports of the gossipers that Horton was still sitting on the nest.
Gertrude had brought him blankets to keep him warm, and based on dejected look she always wore, Aribelle guessed that Horton still hadn't really noticed Gertrude's tail.
One mild day near the middle of winter, Aribelle decided to accompany Gertrude on her trip to visit Horton. She was going to insist that Horton stop this foolishness once and for all.
Mayze was not coming back, so there was no reason for him to stay there. They could take the egg somewhere else. Aribelle had spoken with some of her informants and most of the birds agreed that Mayze lost all rights to her egg.
As they neared the spot, suddenly Aribelle froze, putting a paw on Gertrude's wing to stop her.
"Wait," she hissed, pulling Gertrude back behind another tree, "Something is wrong..."
She blinked and looked to Aribelle, "Wrong?"
Up on the nest, Horton was sensing it as well, he looked around. From the top of the tree he had a better view point than Aribelle.
"Oh no!" he gasped, "Hunters!"
Hunters? Instinct took over and Aribelle took to the one place she felt safe - the trees. She blended right in.
Horton, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. The hunters surrounded him.
Gertrude screamed out his name and spread her wings, trying to fly to his rescue, but her tail got tangled in some branches.
Aribelle, seeing Gertrude's plight, dropped down from the tree and quickly worked to free the little bird.
But, as she did so, the Hunters threw a net over Horton.
He clung to the nest. "Shoot if you must," he said bravely, "but I won't run away. No matter what happens I said I would stay!"
After talking briefly, the Hunters decided that an elephant sitting in a tree was good enough to take, egg, nest, tree and all.
Aribelle had to practically hold Gertrude back to keep the little bird from getting tangled up again.
"They're taking him!" she wailed, "I have to help him!"
"Just hold still a moment," Aribelle ordered, finishing freeing the little bird from the branches. She twisted Gertrude's tail together so it wouldn't get tangled again.
"Alright," she said, "Go."
Gertrude moved away from the trees, spread her wings and took off. She only got a few feet in the air before the weight of her tail brought her crashing down to the ground.
After repeating this experiment twice, Gertrude flopped down on the ground and burst into tears.
Aribelle's heart went out to the poor bird and she went over by her.
"How long have you not been able to fly?" Aribelle asked gently.
"Since... since fall..." Gertrude replied tearfully.
Aribelle shook her head slightly. "Gertrude, your tail is beautiful, but..."
"But it's too long," Gertrude finished with a sob, "And he didn't even notice!"
"You know what you have to do," Aribelle said gently.
With Aribelle's help, Gertrude got to her feet and made her way back. She could move much faster with Aribelle helping to carry her tail.
As they made their way along, Aribelle sent some of her bird agents off to keep an eye on Horton.
From the various reports of her agents, Aribelle was able to piece together what happened:
Up out of the jungle, up into the sky, up over the mountains ten-thousand feet high, then down from the mountains and down to the sea - went Horton the elephant - egg nest and tree!
They loaded the wagon right onto a ship, out over the ocean, and ooh what a trip. Rolling and tossing and sick as can be - just a seasick elephant, egg nest and tree.
After bobbing around for two weeks like a cork they landed at last in the town of New York. He was wet, he was tired, and hungry and cold.
Then Horton was taken to action...
And sold to the man from the circus, egg nest and tree.
Gertrude McFuzz was devastated at the news. For weeks she stayed huddled in her nest, occasionally looking forlornly over at Horton's abandoned house and only leaving to eat.
Once and awhile Aribelle came to check on her. Not 'officially' of course, for Gertrude had done nothing wrong. But the little bird needed a friend.
When spring came, Gertrude asked Aribelle to help her to manage her tail again.
"I want to go visit Dr. Dake by the lake," she said.
Aribelle blinked, but agreed to help her.
They got to the Doctor's office and Dr. Dake came out to see her.
"My tail has been a mistake!" she exclaimed, "Dr. Dake, I've been foolish and vain!"
He looked to her and nodded slowly, but refrained from saying "I told you so"
Gertrude took a deep breath, "Pluck it out."
Aribelle blinked and then smiled.
"Get it off!" Gertrude told the Doctor, "I won't do it again!"
The Doctor put on a pair of gloves and got some tools, then told Gertrude to brace herself against the table.
And then, he went to work, pulling her tail out, a few feathers at a time.
"Ouch!" Gertrude yelped, biting her lip. It hurt a lot, especially when the doctor hit a tender spot.
But he did the best he could, pulling out all of the brightly colored feathers. If Gertrude was ever to become as good of a flier as she used to be, there was only one thing he could do.
After what seemed like forever he was done. Gertrude stepped out of the pile of feathers, shaking the flew loose ones free.
It felt much lighter.
She craned her head back to look, and sighed slightly, "Just a One-Feathered tail."
Then her eyes narrowed and took on a determined glint. Without another word, she spread her wings and took to the sky.
She was a little awkward at first, because she'd been grounded for so long, but her wings quickly remembered what to do.
Aribelle watched the little bird sail through the sky. Gertrude would be alright now.
Just to be on the safe side, she kept an eye on her for the next week.
The little blue bird hummed to herself as she cleaned out her nest, tossing out the old dried grass and lining her nest with soft clovers.
And then, one day, seven weeks later, Gertrude was gone. Just like that.
Aribelle didn't worry too much about her at first. Her thoughts had gone back to Horton. If he was being paraded around all over the place, why, then everyone would think that all of the citizens of the jungle of Nool were just as crazy, and therefore, entertaining.
She couldn't have that.
So she called together her most trusted agents, the Sour Kangaroo and the Wickersham brothers.
Her bird agents told her where Horton was.
"I need all of you to find him and bring him back here," Aribelle ordered.
The leader of the Wickershams gave her a salute and a wink from his bright blue eyes. "We'll get him."