Tara, The Jungle Amazon: Part 4
by M.C.
The Massive Woman vs. The Elephant: Who is Stronger?


Tara, Brenda and Joan (Brenda's mother) left the bank quickly and walked out
to the parking lot. They got into Joan's brand new car and, although it took a
bit of adjustment, Tara finally manage to squeeze her muscular, six foot-six
inch, 350 pound frame into the front seat. Joan turned on the ignition and off
they went. For a few moments nobody spoke, then Brenda burst out,"boy Tara,
you sure showed those bank robbers a thing or two! Did you see the look on
that getaway driver's face when he realized you were stopping his car? You
were totally awesome! How strong are you? And how on earth did you get to be
this way?"

"I don't know how strong I am Brenda, because I've never tested my strength to
it's limit. And as to how I got this way, it seems to have something to do
with my unique genetic make-up; particularly the unusual structure of my
cells."

"What do you mean by that?" the inquisitive girl asked her superstrong friend.

"When my husband Mike and I were sailing across the Pacific Ocean on our way
to California, the scientists on the research vessel were also curious as to
how I came to be this way. It's not just me though - it's every female in my
genetic line. One of the scientists on the ship, a Dr. Margaret Jones,
discovered that my cells contain nearly twice the normal amount of something
called mitochondria; it's what supplies the cells with their energy. Although
she had no explaination as to how or why this unusual event came about (see
the beginning of part one of this series for an explaination) it seems to be
the reason why all of the females in my genetic line possess such great size
and strength." When Tara noticed that the 15 year-old girl was yawning, she
smiled and said,"so Brenda, tell me more about this zoo place we're going to?"

Joan pulled her car up to the entrance of the Los Angeles Zoo. "Brenda, would
it be O.K. with you if I just dropped the two of you off here and came by to
pick you up in a few hours? There are still plenty of things I'd like to get
done today; like getting this insurance thing straightened out to pay for our
new car (her previous car having been crushed by the truck). And since you and
your new friend here seem to be hitting it off so well, maybe the two of you
would like the chance to be together by yourselves." (Even though she had
saved the life of both Joan and her daughter, Tara sensed that Brenda's mother
felt very uncomfortable being around her; probably because of her great
physical strength).

"No problemo mom. I think I'll be pretty safe in Tara's hands; unless the
bears escape."

"What are bears?" the large woman asked as Brenda's mother drove off. Her
question was met with a giggle."I'll show you when we get inside Tara."
Together, the massive woman and her 15 year-old companion entered the zoo.

For Tara, who grew up in a pristine, primeval environment where all kinds of
animals - even prehistoric ones - roamed freely, her first impression of a zoo
was a combination of the bizarre and the comical. Here, in one location, was a
vast amount of different animal species collected from all over the world;
most of which she was completely unfamilar. As she and Brenda made their way
through the zoo's various sections - each displaying animals from a different
contenient - Tara couldn't help but wonder how the animals themselves must
feel, being either caged up or enclosed in a small area. "Shouldn't they be
free to roam around?" she asked Brenda.

"You mean the lions and tigers? They'd eat us. What do you do when wild
animals threaten the people of your village Tara?"

"I smash them with my club," she casually replied. "Then we cook and eat the
meat and use their hide for clothes and rugs."

"Uugh! That's gross."

Tara was puzzled. "How is that different from what you do here Brenda? You
raise animals to kill for food don't you? Wear coats made of animal furs,
shoes and purses made from alligator skin, rugs from the hides of those bears
we just saw."

The 15 year-old girl pondered this for a few moments, then looked at her
watch. "Come Tara," she said, happy to get out of the spot she was in," it's
almost time for the elephant show!"

"Elephant show? What's an elephant?"

They arrived at the large amphitheater just as the show was about to begin and
took the only available seats in the front row. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys
and girls," the announcer barked out," it's time for the elephant show." He
then introduced the elephant's trainer followed by a five ton Indian elephant
named Simba. For the next twenty minutes Tara, Brenda and the rest of the
crowd watched as the largest of land mammals (well the African elephant is
actually larger but, because of their more docile temperment, the Indian
sub-species is usually the one trained to perform in shows) went through a
series of stunts; like rolling over on his back, standing up on his hind legs
and lifting his trainer up in his trunk. After the large pachyderm hauled
several huge logs around, the announcer turned towards the audience and, in
jest, asked," is there anyone here who would like to try their hand at a
tug-of-war against Simba?"

"Yes! My friend would," Brenda called out, catching everyone - especially Tara
- by surprise. The crowd suddenly became very quiet.

"What-what did you say young lady?" the announcer asked, not quite sure he had
heard her correctly.

"I said my friend here (she pointed to the huge woman sitting next to her)
will try her hand at a tug-of-war against your elephant."

"Miss, Simba here weighs nearly five tons and, as you just saw, can drag logs
weighing several thousand pounds. What chance can your friend, big and strong
though she may be, possibly have against a fully grown Indian elephant in a
tug-of-war?"

"We won't know until she tries, will we?"

By now the crowd, thinking this was all part of the act, began to get involved
too."Yes, let her try," they all began to chant,"let the woman try!"

Tara looked over at Brenda,"why did you suggest this?"

"Because you said that you never tested your strength to the limit, remember?
Well, what better way to test it than against an elephant?" She paused as she
looked up at her friend. "You're...you're not mad at me are you Tara?"

Tara eased Brenda's apprehension with a warm smile."No little one, I'm not
angry with you. It's just that you caught me off guard, that's all."

"Are you going to do it?"

The mighty woman reached over and playfully tweeked her little friend's nose.
"Why not?" she grinned,"after all, as I indeed said, I've never tested my
strength to it's limit; and I suppose this is as good a time as any."

Faced with a thousand people chanting "let her try," the announcer looked over
at Simba's trainer who shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head."Very well
then ladies and gentlemen, if it's a tug-of-war you want, then it's a
tug-of-war you shall get; provided," he looked over at Tara,"the woman
agrees."

Tara rose to her full height - all six feet-six inches and 350 pounds of her.
Though she would have prefered not to make a spectacle of herself, the mighty
Amazon was genuinely curious to see if she could actually beat the huge mammal
in a test of strength. In her own village Tara was not shy about showing off
her power, in fact she delighted in it; it's what she did. But here, in this
strange world, surrounded by people she did not know and customs she did not
understand, Tara felt somewhat apprehensive about what was about to take
place. She didn't know what kind of reactions to expect from the spectators.
Nevertheless, the die was cast; and Tara was not one to back away from a
challenge.

The huge woman walked out to the center of the arena and began to remove the
long- sleaved shirt she was wearing. As she did so, murmurs could be heard
throughout the audience as they saw just how incredibly muscular Tara was. She
handed her shirt and purse to Brenda, then tied her long, beautiful blond hair
back into a ponytail. "Wish me luck," she winked down at her friend.

"Go get him Tara," Brenda responded with a smile.

The mighty jungle Amazon approached the huge elephant and patted him on the
trunk. "Good luck Simba,"she laughed,"and may the best one win." She then
walked behind him and grabbed the heavy, thick hemp rope that was strapped
around a harness attached to Simba's neck - it was what he used to drag the
large logs with. Tara wrapped the rope around each of her hands and tugged on
it a few times."How does one determine the winner of this contest?" she asked.

"The first one to drag the other across this line is the winner," the
announcer replied as he drew a line in the sand halfway between the woman and
the elephant; about 20 feet from each of them.

"O.K. then," Tara said and smiled at the crowd which had now become very
quiet, "I'm ready whenever Simba is." While most of the people in the audience
still thought this was all part of the act, many were beginning to think
otherwise. Preposterous as it may look, the powerfully built woman really did
seem to be getting ready for a *real* tug-of-war against the five ton
elephant. The trainer raised his arm up in front of Simba's face and Tara
tightened her grip on the rope. A surreal moment of silence pervaded the
entire arena as the huge elephant and the mighty Amazon prepared for their
titanic test of strength. The trainer then dropped his arm, and the battle was
on.

End of part 4.