One evening, a man walked up to the ticket counter of a busy movie theater with a full-grown elephant beside him.
Everyone in line stopped and stared.
The theater manager rushed over and said,
“Sir, I’m sorry, but I can’t let your elephant into the theater.”
The man smiled and gently patted the elephant.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “He’s very well behaved. Honestly, he has better manners than most people during a movie.”
The manager looked at the elephant, and the elephant calmly looked back.
Still unsure, the manager sighed.
“Alright. If you’re certain he won’t cause any trouble, you can both go in. But if he starts making noise or throwing popcorn, you’ll both have to leave.”
The man and the elephant took their seats, and the movie began.
To everyone’s surprise, the elephant sat quietly the entire time.
He didn’t make a sound, didn’t steal any snacks, and seemed completely focused on the movie.
When the film ended, the manager walked over to the man and said,
“I have to admit, your elephant was incredibly well behaved. He even looked like he really enjoyed the movie!”
The man nodded and replied,
“Yes… I was surprised too.”
The manager looked confused.
“Surprised?”
The man shrugged and said,
“Well… he absolutely hated the book.”