The Beast as it was tentatively named now is The Heffalump, a name that son Dylan insists is the right one for this creature of ours. Reading Winnie the Poo stories to him and his sister some years ago I always imagined Heffalumps as being large, ominous but ultimately harmless foes. The only defense against them appeared to be the Heffalump trap. However, none were ever captured using that method. Except the odd cast member from the Poo universe would sometimes stumble into one. I don’t know who is responsible for modern representations of The Heffalump. I’m guessing Disney is involved. But in truth The Heffalump is an ill-defined, shadowy figure, all the more to play on the imagination of the reader.
So far, The Heffalump has led a mundane existence. Primarily getting it from Chicago to Laramie with stop in Saint Paul to pick up a passenger. Through the whole trip, I’ve paid for all of a one-night’s stay, the last on the road, so that I could empty the “blackwater” … oops, that should be black water, not the notorious security consulting firm … the black water tank. Not nearly so unpleasant a task as I thought it might be. I’m just hoping all of that has not had the effect of de-winterizing The Heffalump. I have poured copious quantities of antifreeze down the various drains and left valves open that drain the plastic plumbing. Fingers crossed.