The Rhino and the Bear
Once there was a bear whose name was Johnny. Johnny was very unusual, most jungle animals thought. He was a cold-hearted, peppermint colored bear who loved lollipops. I think he likes them because they are like him, and sometimes he thinks he is a sweet, peppermint lollipop.
There was also a kind-hearted Rhino whose name was William, and he liked lollipops too. Johnny and William both lived in the same, dense green forest, and one day they got in a competition for who could climb up a huge 300 foot tree the fastest. Johnny thought he would win, so he mocked William about the competition. “You are never going to win, with those short, stubby legs!” Johnny roared loudly, but William did not say a word.
Now the prize of the contest was a peppermint lollipop, and Johnny and William were both anxious to win. The whole forest had come to watch, and they were all curious about who would win. Johnny’s friends were cheering, “Johnny, Johnny,” and William’s friends were cheering, “William, William.” And boy, what a racket it was.
Then, the gun sounded. A silvery bullet rang into the foggy air. And in seconds, Johnny and William shot up the tree. For Johnny, it was very easy to climb up the tree, but for William, it was very hard, because he is a rhino, and rhinos are not meant to climb. How he climbed was very different from Johnny’s method, because he stuck his horn into the wood of the tree, then put his feet out into the air, then the tree again, and at the same time he pulled his horn out of the wood, and once he got further up the tree, he stuck his horn back the wood.
Johnny was winning, because he was 3 feet higher up than William. Inch by inch, William tried harder than he ever could. To him, every second seemed like an hour, and then after thirty minutes he made it to the top of the tree though he was a rhino! Everyone cheered for William, and he was awarded the peppermint lollipop! And guess what the loser’s prize was: a plush lollipop!
Johnny was very disappointed, but since William had such a kind heart, he gave the real peppermint lollipop to Johnny, even though he had been so mean to him in the past. Johnny gave William the plush lollipop, but William was still happy, even with the plush lollipop, because the true happiness does not come from lollipops, or any other things, it comes from your family and friends. Well, hope you liked this story, because this is the end of it.
THE END