Author Information
Elephants do Forget.
Folder:
Bern's Prose. - Elephants do Forget.
- A pal of mine was a genius with what some call a photographic memory. Any thing he read was indelibly printed somewhere on the grey matter of his brain. He not only remembered whatever he had read but also anything he heard. It was sometimes very uncanny. At school it could at times be very uncomfortable with his vast knowledge. He did not forget a thing. Soon he had a new nickname Elephant boy over the weeks it changed to Jumbo. A very apt name, I thought.
- Jumbo passed examination after examination he left school and studied at the University of Cambridge. He left Cambridge as a fully-fledged Doctor of Philosophy. I lost sight of him for a few years. One night on television I heard jumbo’s name. There was Jumbo older taking part in a question and answer program that if he won he would be five hundred pounds Stirling richer.
- Making myself a cup of sweet tea I relaxed in my armchair. I was going to enjoy this. Jumbo taking part in a quiz show, Jumbo with his photographic memory he would I was sure win. Question after question were fired at him. Jumbo answered quicker than any other candidate that I had previously seen on the show. Nine questions answered with ease and Jumbo looking more and more comfortable, I myself thought he will win without a doubt. Then the last question came. For the first time I saw a look of incredibility come over his face. This was not the confidant schoolboy that I had locked in my memory store. The question was so simple and yet Jumbo could not answer the question. My heart went out to him such a simple question and Jumbo not knowing the answer.
- I myself could have answered some of the questions but for Jumbo to be stumped on such a silly question it was unbelievable. I wonder if you Dear Reader would have been able to answer the question.
- What would happen if you took nothing from a deep hole? Why nothing from nothing leaves nothing and poor Jumbo lost five hundred pounds Stirling. I have not seen or heard anything about him since that evening program on the television. I wish him the best of luck in his future life.
