Suddenly, the elephant wrapped its powerful trunk around the rusted iron bars. With a massive heave of its head, the giant actually managed to lift the heavy grate a few inches off the ground. But as the pouring rain slicked the metal, the wet grate suddenly slipped from its trunk, slamming back down with a deafening crash. The elephant let out a panicked rumble, its trunk slipping helplessly as it tried to lift the barrier again.
The rushing stream of water along the curb was growing deeper by the single minute, pouring down into the drain like a miniature waterfall. Realizing the elephant’s trunk was simply too thick to pinch the tiny babies through the narrow slots, the humans had to act. Peter and Katie dropped to their knees on the wet asphalt, jamming their fingers into the edge of the grate. Working together in the pouring rain, they unleashed a burst of adrenaline, straining their muscles to heave the massive iron obstacle completely out of its concrete socket and onto the pavement.