Giggles the Heroic Donkey, Underdog of the Mystical Coast

Years later, Giggles the little donkey still remembered the first big challenge she won, against the coyotes stalking her friend, Huckleberry, the baby elk calf.

In that contest between donkey and coyotes, the donkey's unexpected skills and natural gifts surprised the coyotes, who thought they were clever.

It was 1898 in the rainforest wilderness of the Mystical Coast, where emerald mountains covered by towering fir trees met the vast ocean reaching to the horizons.

Appearing to be an underdog, with her plain, grey hair, stubby legs, and tall, waving ears, Giggles the little donkey had extraordinary secret talents that helped to make her a hero. 

Other creatures who challenged her learned to beware after losing contests with her. She had gifts they did not suspect.

Bonding with creature animals and human animals who were friendly, Giggles did not think with words. But instinctively, and in her feelings, she wanted to be respected and valued.

She was very social, however, if threatened, or if her friends were threatened, Giggles was very loyal and full of surprises.

Giggles recalled the time she was living as one with the elk herd, and she fought and drove the coyotes away from her friend, the baby elk calf known as Huckleberry.

Earlier, that previous winter, her family abandoned their homestead for another, and Giggles was left behind out in the meadows.

The donkey always roamed freely near the homestead, often guarding the livestock, and the homesteaders left Giggles to find her own way in life, knowing she liked her freedom and independence. 

Once when they tried to put a halter on her or restrain her, Giggle’s wiggled out of it. Another time they put her into a barn stall, leaving the top half open so she could still see outside.

But Giggle’s cleverly reached over the top, flipped the handle of the steel lever holding the bottom part of the door closed, and slid it open. In the morning the family saw the open door and empty stall. 

Around the side of the barn, they found Giggles in the haybarn, happily munching away on a tasty breakfast.

 Living up to her name, Giggles would throw back her head, and let a soft, rippling bray like a laugh caress the ears of those around.

 However, as any creature who threatened her learned, she had other talents too.

When the family got another homestead in an area better suited for them, they abandoned their first one, and Giggles became a free spirit, grazing on the grasses and exploring the mountains, valleys and coastal areas.

 But the little grey donkey felt lonely, and without the family and animals of the homestead she did not feel like sounding her laughing bray. 

Giggles wandered and looked for her friends for many months in the valleys, forests, mountains, and beaches. In the Spring the lonely donkey joined a herd of elk and made several new friends there.

While Giggles was wandering and grazing, the bears, coyotes and cougars noticed the big eared creature, but they continued on their paths in the forest shadows and meadow grasses, unconcerned and feeling no threat.

Her appearance was deceptive. Giggles had many talents that were unsuspected by others. In time, those who knew her considered her to be quite gifted.

Those who underestimated her were surprised, when they were bested in contests by an underdog.

It was a misty Spring day in the emerald world of the coast, when Giggles met the elk herds.

The creatures were grazing in a meadow next to a forest. Giggles saw they were a different kind of donkey. 

They were the ones with long legs, delicate ears, and a tall stature. They had sleek brown coats, white rumps with small, fluffy tails, and delicate ears.

Looking up into their warm, liquid brown eyes, Giggles saw herself reflected, while they studied her in return.

Not completely accepted, Giggles nibbled wild grasses but stayed a distance from the herd of female elk.

To them, she was a strange-looking elk, with her long ears protruding like giant corncobs and her stubby legs.

One particular mama elk, whom the herd thought of as “Brambles,” approached Giggles cautiously with her elk calf, “Huckleberry.”

Brambles and Giggles flared their nostrils, snorted softly, and sniffed, and touched muzzles.

Giggles pawed the ground with excitement and Brambles stomped her forefeet.

When Giggle gave one of her softer, laughing brays, a friendship was born.

Some distance away was another herd of the larger male elk, with their majestic spreads of antlers like tree branches sprouting from their heads. 

Towering over the other male elk, was a male with a spread of antlers reaching high, and a massive frame, that everyone respected. He was known to the elk as Sky Mountain. 

He watched the strange-looking little creature trotting on stubby legs over at the females’ herd.

Should he lower his head of pointed antlers and charge forward, bugling a challenge, to run off this long eared animal? Was it even a threat or was it a comical playmate for the elk calves?

 Sky Mountain decided to wait and watch.

Until Autumn, the huge males, as large as 1,000 pounds, had their own herd, while the females stayed together, nursing, and protecting their newborn elk calves. 

Every Fall, the two herds merged, the males bugling their echoing calls across the lands. There were battles between the male elks over females, with the males charging each other and locking horns.

The little donkey, Giggles, lived the free spirit of her heart, with her elk friends, roaming the meadows, mountains, dunes and beaches of the Mystical Coast. 

She was not quite accepted as part of the herd, except for her friends Brambles and Huckleberry. But the rest of the females and the male elk leader, Sky Mountain, tolerated Giggles.

Secretly, most of the elk thought Giggles was inferior to their majestic stature. They moved gracefully around the meadows and forests on their log, slender limbs.

They glanced at each other, when the little grey donkey trotted by, with her stubby legs taking short, choppy steps.

What kind of elk does this? They kept their thoughts to themselves, but Giggles could sense by their body language what they felt. Some of them noticed Giggles smelled different too.

But over time the donkey proved that she had unique talents of her own.

One day the young calf, Huckleberry, was chewing on grasses, while his mother,Brambles, grazed a little ways away.

Giggles was nearby, enjoying tasty green morsels. They were so delicious. It was a sunny day in late Spring. The fresh shoots were so tender. The breeze blew gently.

Life was peaceful and wonderful. The contented donkey breathed in the sweet, fresh air and relaxed into a drowsy state.

Drifting almost asleep, Giggles sensed a new presence. Then one of her long ears caught a strange sound. Something or someone was moving stealthily through the field.

She rolled her eyes toward it, and saw the tips of tall golden wild oats waving slightly.

What was over there? It did not smell like an elk calf.

The little donkey's body went rigid. She flared her nostrils, raised her head, and peeled back her big, full lips in a grimace, because it helped her to smell better. 

The visual effect was fearsome, with her large chompers and gums bared, and her cavernous mouth gaping wide.

She saw the little calf, Huckleberry, with his head down, learning to munch happily on a tender meal of spring grass.

Something was out there, near Huckleberry. Something threatened her little friend. 

Giggle’s heart leaped. A tickle began deep in her throat and the air caught there, then grew into a sound that carried for miles.

She opened her mouth like a wide doorway with the thick, strong, huge teeth bared. 

Across the valleys and mountains, all living things heard a sound that was like a whistling scream.

“Heee Haaawww…Heee Haaawww…HEEEEE..HAAAWWWW.”

It exploded, shrieking across the countryside so that animals everywhere tried to hide their ears from it. Hee… haw….HEEEEE…HHAAAWWW.

The group of camouflaged coyotes, legs bent and bodies close to the ground, creeping through the tall field toward the unsuspecting elk calf, froze at the sound bellowing from Giggles.

They shook their heads to try to stop the sound from assaulting their eardrums.

One of the coyotes, known as Sly, for the gift of creeping undetected, crouched even closer against the ground, and signaled the others to do so too.

 The short, stubby legs of the donkey pounded the ground and she charged, braying her screaming hee haw so that it boomed and frightened all the living things nearby.

The birds stopped singing and watched. A hawk overhead soared with winds outspread, coming closer to see what was happening.

Squirrels and chipmunks scurried into their hiding places.

Even the very wind, itself, seemed to pause, at the ear splitting sound bellowing from Giggles.

The black bears, cougars and raccoons in the forests shook their heads and tried to hide from the terrible sound. The eagles and ospreys overhead turned their backs and flew upward into the sky. 

Even the trees seemed to cringe from the large sound of the gifted braying of the little donkey.

It was as if time stopped. Even the earth hesitated in its rotation, at the incredible noise of the sound that the shaggy little creature made.

Such was the power of Giggle’s talented, magnificent bray.

She would not let anyone harm her friend, the little elk calf.

The elk could not believe this sound was coming from the small, grey, shaggy creature.

 How could she do that? It was even more piercing than the bugling of the male elk in the Autumn.

But the coyotes continued creeping forward.

In a blur of movement, the coyotes leaped to attack the calf.

But the little donkey spun, her short legs moved like lightening, and she dove through the grasses toward the nearest coyote.

The contest with the coyotes was a tough fight.

Like a raging hurricane, Giggles went after the nearest coyote, with her teeth bared, big ears flying bahaunchesand her haunches pushing her at top speed. Her hind legs with their sharp hooves kicked backward and sideways, too.

Faster than the coyotes eyes could see, Giggles spun like a whirlwind, and her hooves flew, kicking the coyote out of the way. It ran off towards the forest to hide..

Then another coyote came at her, and another. 

Fiercely she tore at them with her big teeth, and whirled like a dancer, her small, sharp hooves sending them flying.

The elk were her friends, and no one was going to hurt them.

For thousands of years, her donkey ancestors defended homes, herds, and friends. Their bravery and loyalty surged through Giggles, in this contest to save the baby elk's life.

The other elk came charging to help their strange looking friend with defending the baby elk. The coyotes took off running for cover, disappearing into the dense underbrush in the distance.

Sly and his coyote friends would remember this.

They would not bother this elk herd again.

Especially, they would keep their distance from the strange looking little, shaggy grey elk with the long ears,

and the horrendous, hideous, shrieking, bellowing braying sound that pierced their ears.

 Brambles, the mama elk, huddled next to her baby, Huckleberry, nuzzling him to be sure he was not injured. 

The other Elk surrounded them protectively. Their eyes expressed concern and they sniffed and nudged Huckleberry all over his body to see if he had been injured.

The rest of the Spring passed, with more baby elk calves on the ground. Then Autumn came and the herds merged, finding mates.

For several years Giggles enjoyed being a member of the elk band.

After the incident with the coyotes the female elk adopted her into their inner social circles.

Giggles was happy, feeling valued and enjoying their affection.

Sometimes they would scratch each other’s backs with their teeth or rest their heads on each other’s withers. They were comrades, like team mates.

But the little donkey was still lonely for the children who used to stroke and gently pull on her incredible ears.

She missed the way they would blow their breath into her nostrils to see them flutter, and climb onto her back, sitting lightly on her narrow barrel of a body, while she carried them carefully.

With her small feet, short steps, and large, soft pad in the bottom of each hoof, Giggles was more surefooted than ponies, horses and many other creatures when navigating rocky surfaces and stony trails.

She scrambled over them easily instead of slipping and falling.

The elk observed her and grew to respect her talents more.

When it rained, Giggles didn’t like to get her large ears wet, because it was hard to get the water out. Her shaggy coat did not handle water well, and it was different from the coats of horses.

So she sheltered under the dense fir tree boughs during the rains. 

But shaggy burro could swim if she needed to do it.

After crossing a stream or river, she would shake herself hard, sending water spraying everywhere, leaving the shaggy hair standing up in spikes for a while.

The Elk were good swimmers and sometimes they crossed waters, and she had to keep up. They were her friends. 

One day Giggles heard sounds coming from a creek.

She walked through the shadows beneath the forest and peered through the tree boughs. There was a group of children playing in the water.

When they got out and walked along a trail, Giggles was curious and she followed them. She remembered creatures like this from a long time ago, when she lived on the homestead with her family.

Emerging from the forest, the children came to a wide beach, surrounded by tall cliffs. The ocean waves blended with the horizon and bubbled onto the sand, forming tidepools.

“Look, what’s that?” The children noticed the grey creature and pointed.

“Some kind of pony.”

They walked past a row of crops growing beyond the sand on a slope, then began going up a steeper but wide path.

Giggles hesitated, then followed them at a distance.

One little girl stopped and pulled up some tender grasses, holding them in her hand out to the grey donkey.

A distant memory surfaced in Giggles’s mind, she recognized the gesture.

With small, delicate steps, she approached, stretched her neck way out, and pursed her large lips to use them to grasp the little handful of grasses.

They were moist and tasty.

Her eyes lit up under her shaggy brows and tossled forelock.

“Elsie, be careful,” one of the boys called to the girl.

“It’s ok. Look. She’s friendly. It’s like she knows me.”

Elsie reached up and stroked the furry neck and wispy forelock over Giggle’s face.

She saw the large, warm, intelligent eyes studying her. In return, Giggles nuzzled the girl’s hand, sniffing.

The girl felt the soft, velvety muzzle against her hand and arm.

The little grey donkey felt her affectionate nature rising and the social bonding began to form a partnership of trust.

Then she raised her head, opened her mouth wide like a gate, and let the flutter that started in her throat come out in a soft, laughing sound, with her lips peeled back.

That night, Giggles ate the extra feed the little girl threw onto the lawn of the house.

When an old Black Bear, known as Stormy, wandered out of the forest near the lighthouse keepers’ Victorian home, Giggles charged at him, braying her magnificent sound.

Stormy was looking for leftover garbage from the keepers’ meals.

 The family was used to having to clean up because Stormy scattered their trash frequently.

Sometimes Stormy the black bear crawled up over the veranda railing and roamed the porch. At night the lighthouse keepers flashed their lanterns before they went outside to be sure they did not run into him.

Stormy had been arriving intermittently for so many years that the lighthouse keepers had a wealth of stories, and they often chuckled and laughed about their neighborly roaming Black Bear.

 The huge black bear fled from the little donkey, crashing through the forest, fleeing the assault on his ears of that whistling, screeching sound.

Back at the lighthouse station, Giggles raised her head, peeled back her lips, and laughed with her soft fluttering sound.

The next day, Giggles was following Elsie and her father, Joseph, when they hiked the quarter mile up to the lighthouse. 

They went inside and Joseph climbed the stairs up to the beacon, 65 feet above the ground, on the bluff 200 feet above the ocean.

Seeing Giggles waiting, Elsie went outside, and hugged Giggles around the neck. The little donkey raised her head and gave one of her laughing, fluttering sounds. 

Giggles knew she was valued, and she had a new friend. 

But independent as always, Giggles still roamed with freedom.

She wore a trail through the wilderness to her beloved elk friends, Brambles and Huckleberry, along with the rest of the herd.

When adventure called, the little grey donkey still explored the unknown mountains, valleys and beaches of the Mystical Coast.

The other creatures of the wilderness became familiar with the sounds of her surefooted little donkey hooves trotting along the trails.

They knew the sound of her happy, soft donkey laughter, blending with the winds in the fir trees and the waves whispering on the sandy beaches of the Mystical coast.