Theme: Speaking without knowing; gossip

The case of the giraffe
 

- Have you heard the news, Mr. Lion? It was the Ostrich passing on what all the animals in the zoo were talking about: the disappearance of the giraffe.

The Lion said nothing.

At dawn, the Giraffe was not in her enclosure. She disappeared without telling anyone.

Each animal had a different version of the event; They talked non-stop...

- Surely, Mrs. Giraffe got tired of the monotony of the Zoo! - Said the monkey.

Some thought of kidnapping and imagined the millionaire ransom (which no one has asked for it yet!).

The Hippo, very close to Giraffe, suffered from all this talk. He imagined the thousand dangers that her friend could be in, he even thought that he could be the reason of this “escape”: what if he said something that hurt the sensitive giraffe, and that was the reason she left?

Noticing the suffering of the Hippo, the Lion, very sensible, called him:

─ Listen, my friend, be careful what these animals say. No one is sure of anything, and no one has seen anything. Those who don't have much to do, talk about the lives of other animals, and end up jumping to conclusions, gossiping...

They were interrupted by a little ant that, out of breath, hopped around to be heard:

─ I saw it! I saw it! I saw a circus truck here at the zoo!…

It was a screaming. Everyone was sure: the mystery of the Giraffe's disappearance was solved! It was obvious that she would become a circus artist! How have they not thought of this before? And they went out to spread the news to the entire zoo.

Only the Hippo remained (whining because his friend hadn't even said goodbye to him!…) And the Lion, unworried.

To everyone's surprise, moments later the Giraffe appeared, explaining as she could (because her mouth was sedated) that during the night she had gone to the dentist. Her tooth hurt a lot, and the zoo’s doctor noticed and that's why they took her right away.

And the Hippo had believed in all that mess the animals made!

He understood, then, what the Lion had explained to him. You have to think a lot about what others say and not to be carried away by gossip and lies…

(Story by Leticia Müller.)

Translation:
Larissa Martine - larissa_am@hotmail.com

marcelapradacontato@gmail.com