Another story I've made, this time about an elephant! They've always been a favourite of mine, so I hope you enjoy this one!
It was a sunny Saturday morning in the large city of Furridelphia. This city is one of the largest in its continent, its population rising every year. Furridelphia was popular due to its growing economy and high job availability, making the other anthros move here. Unfortunately, the city soon became rather overpopulated, and the so-called ‘high job availability’ was not a thing anymore.
That was what Khairin the elephant thought of the city. Khairin came from a poor family, who moved to the city a year ago to find hopeful prospect for their daughter. Sadly, by then it was very difficult to find a house, yet alone a job, in this humongous city. Her father worked at a cannery while her mother worked at a clothes manufacturer. Her grandmother and grandfather were retired, so they could not do much.
Khairin goes to a well-known school named Tastic High School. It was a slightly more than average school, and not too expensive either, making it a top pick. ‘Not too expensive’ was a… subjective term, when it came to the poor. Although Khairin did in fact manage to get accepted, there was no way the family could pay the monthly school fee. Their jobs did not have a very high salary.
Following her mother’s advice, Khairin decided to look for a part-time job. However, she was never accepted because of her young age; only fourteen and a half years old.
But one day, opportunity came to her.
A female elephant had come up upon her while she was cleaning the school yard. The woman was impressed at how good she was, and offered a job. Khairin immediately accepted.
And now, here she was, at her new job.
Khairin was sleeping on a bed, snoring loudly. Her skin was a beautiful deep reddish-brown colour, giving her a kind of African or Indian vibe. She had normal proportions, as her mother was very strict about that. She was around 1,50 metres tall, about average maybe. Everything about her was average… except her trunk.
Her trunk was not like a normal elephant’s trunk. You’d expect two nostrils, and maybe one or two tips, depending on the species. But she wasn’t like that. Instead, she just had one big nostril, with an extra thick rim and no trunk tips. It was like a gaping hole. She had gotten that from her mother, and some people make fun of her because of it. Despite that, Khairin still loved her trunk very much. She thought it was unique and special. Plus, it made sucking things a lot easier.
Today was Saturday, so no school, so she slept in. She was having the best sleep in a while when -
“Khairin? Khairin, wake up, sleepy!”
The elephant’s large ears twitched as she groggily woke up, rubbing her eyes. The air smelt stale and dusty, making her more aware and awake. “C-coming!” She called out. “I-I’ll get dressed first!”
She brushed her teeth, took a quick shower, and put on a maid’s outfit. It wasn’t one of those black and white ones; it was a simple one, with plain mustard and white colours and some stripes. Once she was ready, she opened the front door. A female elephant with light grey skin was waiting for her, wearing a more upgraded style of Khairin’s outfit. “Ah, you’re ready?” She asked, smiling.
“S-sorry, I slept in.” Khairin said, lowering her head. This woman was the one who got her this job, named Caithla. She offered Khairin a job as a cleaning maid in an old motel she worked at. When they first arrived here, Caithla said that the job only required two conditions: one was that you had to stay overnight during weekends because the place was understaffed and they could not afford to lose manpower. Secondly, she had to perform well or risk getting fired. Khairin took her job very seriously so she could earn money for the school.
Caithla smiled softly, lifting up Khairin’s chin with her trunk. It was long and slender, and had quite the muscle power. “It’s all right, Khairin.” She said. “Now, I believe you should start working.”
Caithla was the head maid here, so she told Khairin what to do for the morning. “Two rooms were checked out last night, but they haven’t been cleaned yet. I suggest you start from there.”
Khairin walked out of her room and walked down the corridor, pushing her cleaning trolley. The motel she was at was rather run-down. It might even go bankrupt soon without more customers. It only had two floors, and the staircases and hallways to the rooms were all outdoors. All the rooms were standard, cheap places, with no difference at all. A proper bed, curtains, not-really-decent bathroom, wardrobe, coffee table, and a few other pieces of home furniture.
Khairin stopped in front of one the rooms. A circular brass plate was on the door. “Room 207,” She whispered to herself. She took the keys from her pocket and unlocked the door, opening it.
She stepped inside the room. It was in terrible shape. Dust was everywhere, bottles of beer left on the table, bedsheets scattered, and it smelled of gross food. She wrinkled her trunk, the disgusting smell bothering her. “Ew,” She said, picking up the plate of food and placing it on the cleaning tray. “Gonna have to take that back to the kitchen later!”
Khairin was a very efficient worker, despite her trunk not being able to pick up minuscule things due to its thick rim. Her suction power had more grip than most elephants, so even oily bottles will not fly out of her grasp. After she placed all the bottles on her trolley, she rearranged the bedsheets, using her trunk to flatten it out, making it look neat and tidy.
Now for the fun part.
Khairin never used vacuum cleaners to clean up dust; both at her school and at her job. She just uses her trunk. It was a handy appendage, after all. Having one or two nostrils does not make any difference, and she has a natural resistance for inhaling dust. She quickly waved her trunk above the carpeted floor, sucking up the dust that was there. Once she felt her trunk was full, she blew all the contents into the vacuum cleaner she keeps on her trolley. The hose was removed, so she could simply blow into the hole there.
Sniff, suck, blow, repeat. It was easy!
Unless there was… something other than dust she was inhaling…
Her trunk searched around under the bed, sniffing and sucking up dust. But since she wasn’t able to see, she did not know that there was a single large, black feather under there. She sucked up the dust, completely unaware of the danger. The feather, broad but light, got pulled by the force of her suction. Moving roughly against the carpet, before finally lifted off the ground and straight into the elephant’s nostril.
“H-Hrngh!?” She gasped, pulling her trunk back instantly. That was a mistake. Her trunk automatically curled, sending the feather deeper. The bristles tickled the sensitive nasal passages, making them turn red. “Ha- Ah, hrh…” She recognized this feeling; the soft touch of a feather. She was allergic to feathers, any kind of feathers. She found out her feather allergy when she first held a feather duster and sneezed it away.
“H-hh-hhhh…” Her breath hitched as the end of her trunk wiggled, the giant nostril flaring. She tried to blow it away, but the feather was a rather large out and got stuck on the creases of flesh inside. An allergic red colour spread throughout the inside of her trunk and to the rim of her trunk. She could feel it inside, yet was powerless to fight it.
“Hrah—haah…” Her chest heaved, her trunk coiling. She curled the end of her trunk into a ball, trying to resist the tickle. Each breath she took made the feather move slightly, loosening, bristles brushing, tickling~
“Huh…hahhh…hya…” She could feel both her head and fear rising. If she sneezed, she would mess up the room again! Against instinct, she resisted as hard as she could, but the more time passed the more her trunk tickled. It needed to sneeze… The feather simply there, twisting around as it was pushed by her short breaths, the tip of it pushing against irritated flesh…
And then, the feather no longer got stuck… right as she sniffled.
And so, it was sucked in even further, to become lodged again, to tickle her even harder.
Her eyes widened as she felt it get sucked in further, her trunk jumping up. The end of her trunk was shaking like mad, the one nostril expanding, keeping a tickle than only agonized her trunk. The dust she had sucked up earlier made the itch even worse. Sure, she was resistant, but having a clump of dust in your sinuses when you’re about to sneeze feels horrible. Her trunk shivered, taking hitched breaths as the feather only tickled, tickled, tickled, tickled, and tickled her poor nose.
The tip of her trunk quivered with anticipation, unable to contain it in. She felt a familiar feeling, the feeling in her trunk that she normally had before she sneezed. A tingle, starting at the base of her trunk, slowly creeping upwards toward the end of her trunk, bringing itchiness along with, making her trunk wiggle. When it reached the end, she could feel the need to sneeze intensify greatly.
She couldn’t hold it in any longer, she can’t, she just HAS TO SNEEZE!!!
“Hraa… haa…haaa… HYAAATCHOOOOO!!!” It was a powerful sneeze, like a blast from a cannon. Her trunk only had one nostril, which made it even more alike to a cannon. The annoyance of a feather was shot out of her trunk instantly. The bedsheets and pillows she had tidied up flew up into the air before landing in a messy pile, and whatever leftover dust was in her trunk or under the best scattered everywhere.
She could feel another sneeze come up and trying to force its way out her trunk, but she kept it in.“Hhhrh! Hhh, hngh…” Fortunately, it didn’t last long, and the itchy tickle subsided. “Hrrh… Phew… Ughh…” She was relieved - for avoiding another sneeze - and annoyed - for having to redo her work again. Looking up, she saw the feather lazily glide down. She avoided using her sensitive trunk and used her hands to catch it. Her trunk sniffled a bit as she held it and placed in the trash can. “Hopefully I can avoid that happening again…” She murmured.
After cleaning the room again and officially declaring it all clear, she headed to the next room, which was right next door. It was room 206 this time. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. The sneeze just now shook some of her confidence. She sniffed the air a few times, making sure her trunk is all right. Seems to be that way. “Okay, here we go…”
She opened the door and stepped inside the room. She was quite glad at the sight. It wasn’t too terribly messy; the bed needs a little tweaking, trash on the table, and the usual dusting of the place. She felt her confidence boost a bit. Time to get to work!
She worked fast, clearing up most of the things in a jiffy. Dust on the floor and furniture quickly tucked inside her trunk and blown into the vacuum’s storage. She arranged the furniture to make it nice and tidy, mopped the bathroom floor and wiped all the windows and glass and cleared out the ashtray - without inhaling anything sneezy, of course.
“There, all done!” She exclaimed proudly. But just as she was about to leave the room, she noticed something troubling. The pillows, which she had rearranged earlier, do not appear very puffy. She walked over to the bed, prodding the pillow with her trunk. It was not stuffed completely and felt kinda like pudding. “Oh, this will not do…” She grumbled, wondering why they were not stuffed full yet. Maybe one of the other staff members. They aren’t as dedicated to their jobs as her, after all.
She didn’t like this part, she thought, picking up a bag she had brought from the motel’s storage closet. This motel did not have a lot of budget, and was forced to buy the cheap product pillows. Dreadfully for Khairin, it was the one that used feather stuffing. You’d never think these were still in sale, but apparently not. Her feather allergy was already an issue, not to mention only having one nostril. Without a septum, it’ll be much easier for a feather to get too close into her trunk.
Carefully, she slid her trunk into the bag, controlling her breathing. She avoided tilting her trunk vertically to avoid the feathers going inside. A few feathers dangled lightly from her thick rim. The touch only got an itchy twitch from her trunk. She then stuffed the feathers into the pillow, pushing them in. “Okay, just a few more scoops…” She muttered.
The entire process only took a minute, but if felt more than that to Khairin. After she put her last scoop in and testing the puffiness of the pillow, she let out a satisfied breath. “Phew, finally, I didn’t screw it up~”
Although she may have said those words to early.
The elephant had forgotten to seal the pillow properly. Her trunk got too close to the opening, and when she took a deep breath through her trunk to ‘celebrate her victory’, a loose feather quickly got sucked up right into her large nose. “H-hurgh?” The sudden tickle in her trunk caused her to sniff, making a few more feathers zipping out from their place and into the nostril. “O-oh no…!”
The little feathers danced around inside, her erratic sniffles causing them to float around. Their light bodies brushed against the pink flesh of her trunk, waving around and teasing her poor nasal passage. Her trunk scrunched up, forming a swan neck shape. The feathers ended up piling at the base there, making the inside of her trunk forming ticklish waves. “H-hhhah… hahh… hraaaah…”
She tried her best to resist the urges of her trunk, the end curling up again. She could feel it building up, the tickle, the itch, that annoying thing in her trunk, just tickling her trunk to insanity. The feathers bounced around with each hitched, their tips lightly poking the sensitive inner walls and going all over the place. “H-Hraaaghh…” She took a sniff too deep, and one of them escaped the swan neck curved and up and even deeper into the depths of her trunk. It was much narrower here, so the little feather covered more spots than the others~
“H-HYAAAAAHH-!!” The feather at the base of her trunk made her trunk jerk upward towards the ceiling. N-no, she m-musn’t sneeze, she can’t, or else she’ll blow the roof! But the tickle was just too much; those devious little feathers playfully brushing the tender, squishy flesh inside her trunk, triggering her allergies and making the end of her trunk from her regular brown colour to a pinkish-red, and she was all but powerless to stop it.
That feeling came again. A tingle, like air trying to force itself out of her trunk. She could feel it ripple from the base of her trunk, slowly edging towards the shaking rim of her nostril. The end of her trunk scrunched up as the gigantic urge to sneeze was trying to blow out of her nose. She thought quickly and hastily pushed her wriggling trunk under the bed. At last, she could not take it anymore. “HAAAH…. HYAAATCHOOOOOOOOO!!!”
An explosion rocked the room, a shockwave could be felt as the bedsheets flew up a little and the curtains waved. She did not have enough time to relax as another itch overtook her powerful appendage. “H-HAA… HRAAA… HRAAAAATHEEEEOOOOOOWWWW!!!” Another blast, the floor shuddering under its wake. The little feathers flew out of her trunk, erasing the itch in the process.
She sat down on the bed, exhausted. “Hhh… haah… Not my best day…” She sighed.
After she made sure the room was nice and tidy again, she stepped outside to tell her boss. She found Caithla downstairs in the kitchen, washing the dishes. Khairin passed off the gross plate of food from earlier, which Caithla complacently took.
“By the way, I heard you sneeze up there,” Caithla commented as she scrubbed the plate Khairin handed her. “You sick today?”
“N-not really,” Khairin grumbled, rubbing the end of her trunk with a finger. “Just allergies.”
Caithla raised her eyebrows. “You never told me you had allergies.” She said sternly.
Khairin seemed to droop a little. “W-well, I didn’t want to tell you, s-since I didn’t wanna lose my job.”
The head maid glared at her, then her face softened. “Do you mind telling me what your allergies are?” She asked. Khairin looked up at her. “I need to know my own staff’s weaknesses. Can’t have them sneezing all the time, can I?” She smiled a bit at the end, which made Khairin smile too.
“U-um… I am allergic to feathers…” Khairin replied, rubbing her trunk self-consciously. It was rather embarrassing to admit. “Other than that I’m fine!” She added.
Caithla nodded and smiled. “Then I think you should be fine!” She said. “The only thing feathery around here are just the pillows and dusters, and you don’t even use the dusters! You’ll manage~”
Her words encouraged Khairin a lot. She stood up straighter, feeling some pride. “Th-thank you, Ms. Rina!” She said.
“Please, it’s just Caithla. I don’t like being called a missus.”
“A-alright then, Caithla, what should I do next?”
She thought about it, scratching her chin with her long trunk. After a minute, she spoke up. “Perhaps you could wipe the windows? The ones on the second floor are all filthy, so I think you should handle it.” Khairin nodded and turned to leave, but Caithla stopped her. She continued, “And I mean, really filthy. It won’t be clean if you just spray it with water. You will need a window wiper. There should be one on the second floor janitor’s closet. Okay, now you can go.” Caithla grinned cheerfully as she watched her friendly subordinate leave the kitchen and up the stairs.
Khairin finally reached the janitor’s closet on the second floor. She opened the door. It was quite big, but also cramped with racks and equipment. Piles of brooms and mops leaned against the wall, various sized dusters hung on the hangers, and the shelves were full of sprays and other stuff Khairin doesn’t recognize. She turned on the lights, entering the tight closet and shutting the door behind her. It was very dusty in here, cobwebs everywhere, but she didn’t mind. “Let’s see… window wipers, window wipers…”
As her head turned around, her trunk accidentally brushed against a cobweb. A spider who was there got swept up and got on her trunk. It took her a few seconds before she felt teeny tiny legs crawl on her trunk and she spotted the small black arachnid. “EEEEEEK!!!” She screamed, flailing her trunk and arms around. She was deathly afraid of spiders! “GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF!!!”
Well, it did get off, but not the way she wanted it. Instead, it fell right into the opening of her trunk! The spider, panicking like her, scrambled all over inside the wobbly cavity of her long nose. The flesh squished beneath its feet, its hairy legs irritating the soft tissue. The inside of her trunk grumbled as the spider ran around everywhere, not realizing it was causing a problematic tickle.
Her trunk curved in response, feeling the tickle legs of the spider disturbing her trunk. “U-ungh…” She panicked, swinging her trunk around in cramped space of the closet. Her trunk knocked over a feather duster, and the feathery end slid inside her large nostril. The long, brown feathers tickled the thick rim of her trunk’s opening and the sensitive flesh inside. An allergic red colour and swelling began to consume her uncontrollable trunk. “Hrrrnhh… Haaaahh…”
Her trunk scrunched and wrinkled, waves of ticklish attacks on her trunk made it bend upwards and upwards against her will. Her gigantic nostril flared, only making the feather duster slowly sink deeper into her sinuses. The poor arachnid inside, trapped and afraid, randomly crawled on the nasal passage’s ceiling, punch the thick walls, and go deeper and deeper and deeper into Khairin’s itchy, agitated trunk.
“Hraaaaaghh… H-haa… Hraaaaa…!” Her trunk took hitched breaths as it neared its climax. The dusty state of the room did not help either. She may have a natural resilience towards dust, but having it inside your trunk while you’re feeling sneezy isn’t exactly a pleasant thing. It only tickled her trunk further, pushing it closer and closer to the edge. The end of her trunk twitched and wiggled like mad, unable to contain the powerful build-up going on inside.
This was the third time she had this feeling: a slow, calm rise, going up from the deepest reaches of her trunk, spreading all the way to the tip. The end of her trunk looked like a pipe that was about to burst. Although, instead of water, it’ll be a sneeze~
“HAAAAAAH…. HAAAAATCHEEEEEEEEEEWW!!!” The air came out of her trunk and slammed the ground hard. The entire closet practically shook and dust flew up out of nowhere. Both the feather duster and the spider shot out of her trunk like a bullet, hitting the ground at high speed. Khairin’s trunk, still reeling from the sneeze, had another itchy fit as a leftover feather from the duster remained inside. She stood up, trying to control the direction of her trunk, but she couldn’t. Her trunk quivered a bit, the itch rising, before finally releasing another sneeze.
“H-HAAATCHOOOO!!!” The sneeze knocked out the bottles from the shelves. She thrusted her hand to grab her trunk, but she missed. The tickle in her trunk was not relieved yet. “H-HYAAATCHOOOOOOOOO!!!” Her trunk, which was aiming at the door, blasted the door out of its weak frame, the thing crashing to the floor.
Khairin stumbled outside. The feather was gone, but that tickly itch was still there. A quiver, a twitch, a sudden urge to sneeze again… She shut her eyes tight as she felt her trunk about to let go. “H-hhh-haaaaaa—!”
Then it suddenly stopped.
Khairin opened her eyes. Caithla was there. She was using her trunk to pinch the end of her trunk tightly. “Shh~” The elephant whispered, sounding a bit coy. “No more sneezing from you today.”
The hold was working. The tickle soon died down and the itch faded away. Khairin’s trunk still tingled from the experience, but she has proper control now. Rubbing her sniffly appendage, she lowered her head in shame. “I-I’m so sorry…” She apologized. “I-I just c-could not control my trunk…”
Caithla patted the young teenager on her head. “It’s fine, Khairin.” She giggled. “Although, it appears you’ll have to work overtime today.” She added, looking at the broken door.
“A-are you gonna tell the manager?” Khairin asked fearfully.
“I’m not going to tell the manager about this.”
“R-really!?”
“Of course. You and your trunk,” Caithla scratched the base of Khairin’s trunk as she said so. “have a lot of potential. You just need to learn to control your sneezes. Now, I believe you need this?” Caithla walked over to the damaged janitor’s closet and picked up the window wiper Khairin had been looking for earlier. Khairin reluctantly took it. “Now go out there and clean those windows!”
“Y-yes, Caithla!” Khairin exclaimed, running down the hall and disappearing down the stairs. Caithla sighed, shaking her head but smiling.
“Oh, what a handful she is,” She laughed. “Time to get back to my work again.”
