Snorfle and Suzi D.
by
Robin Hall
Snorfle had lived with the Cherries: Red, Merry, Cary and Jerry for 3 weeks now and anyone could see they were a happy loving family. Everyday after school and work, the Cherry's family time began.
After a quiet dinner, Cary and Jerry Cherry would tell about school, read stories they had written, show off the pictures they drew and get help with their homework.
Red Cherry would talk briefly about his security business and Mary would explain her latest real estate ad campaign to see if her family had any good ideas she could use, which they often did. Snorfle would show his family where he had hidden all his toys and the TV remote control that day.
Then they would all sing songs, play board games, work on a shop project, watch a little TV and go to bed. One day Suzi Delores Freidl Hernandez, Cary’s special friend and the Cherry’s neighbor, came over for a few hours while her parents went to see a lawyer. They were getting a divorce.
Now Suzi had been suffering the most through this breakup. Her parents sometimes forgot she was around and that she loved them both, even though they no longer loved each other.
Well, coming into such a loving house was a shock for Suzi and she went to the den and cried. Snorfle went into the den, but Suzi was still shy and wouldn't play.
Then Snorfle heard a voice. Suzi hadn't spoken and he ran to see if the Cherries had called him, but they were in the garage working on picnic chairs. Snorfle ran to the living room and the twins room to see if the TV was on. Nope.
Then the voice came again, "Snorfle, this is Winston. I TALKED to you in your dreams. You are getting old enough to use your telepigathy now. I SPOKE to your mother. father, sister, and brother and they all send their love."
Snorfle was very excited. It was his first long distance contact with telepigathy.
He was very proud of himself for he was no longer a piglet. Snorfle was a full fledged pig.
Snorfle ASKED Winston what to do about Suzi. Winston SAID, "Bring a few things to her to see if she would like to play." And he did. "We’ll TALK more tomorrow and congratulations on becoming a pig."
First Snorfle pushed his favorite tennis ball into the den. Suzi ignored him. Snorfle pushed a golf ball in next. Nothing from Suzi. Snorfle thought, "This calls for drastic measures." So he went to the kitchen for some water, came back and bubbled Suzi's knee with it. Suzi smiled. Suzi giggled. Then she burst out laughing.
The Cherries ran to see what was up. It was wonderful to see Suzi laughing again and Merry took some instant photos to show Suzi’s parents then made some raspberry tea. Suzi joined the Cherries for family time and had the best evening she could remember in a long time.
When her folks came back from the lawyers, they saw how happy Suzi was with such a loving family. They both vowed to remember Suzi' s feelings and to show her how much she was loved.
And while Suzi‘s parents did get a divorce, they never forgot how happy Suzi was in the photos and realized they couldn't take their anger out on their daughter or forget her feelings for both of them.
Mrs. Hernandez’ heart was opened a bit, too, and Snorfle let out a telepigathy shout of joy which was heard by his sister Snee in Cassadega. At that moment Snee began her wait for the Hernandez family just as Snorfle had waited for the Cherries.
And since a pig open house was coming up soon, it wouldn't be long before Suzi would find a pig named Snee at the Birdsong farm in Cassadega not far from the Cherry’s house at 1440 Highridge Rd. in good old Lake Swenson.
The End
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
Snorfle Turns Blue
Snorfle Turns Blue
by
Robin Hall
Snorfle was a good pig. He was smart, curious and beautiful too. He listened to his parents like all good pigs did unless they discovered their parents were wrong, which was more often than previously suspected.
He also knew that he had his own path to travel in the world and that path led him to Cary, Jerry, Mary and Red Cherry at 1440 Highridge Rd. which was about a mile from downtown Lake Swenson and closer to Music Valley in the State of Grace than even a smart and sweet natured young pig could know, for now.
The Cherries were a fine family. They worked hard, spent lots of time together and everyone knew that they were special and loved. They knew this because they told each other in many ways everyday. Some days Red would make things in his shop for the whole family. Some days he would bring Mary a rose from the flower store or Colonel Smith’s rose bushes, with Colonel Smith’s complete approval of course.
Mary would cook nice healthy things for everyone to show her love. The twins would write stories, read them at family time and gladly did chores to show their love. Everyone hugged each other in the morning and at night and no one ever forgot to say the words that are magic if they are real: I love you. Some families forget the magic words. Make sure your family remembers and is telling the truth. I LOVE YOU, regardless. Unconditional love. Well, we can do our best in this.
Snorfle was very happy with his human family but he missed his own family sometimes. When the Cherries got the Internet, Snorfle got online too, late at night of course when the others were asleep. Typing was tricky for a young Vietnamese Potbellied Pig and a bit slow but Snorfle learned quickly. His online name was porgy123 from the musical he had seen one time on TV.
Now the Internet was interesting, but as Snorfle’s telepigathy improved he spent more time on pignet which was similar,more interesting and both free and freeing.
Young pigs from all over the world would send instant, if somewhat startling, messages to other pigs day or night. Sometimes it was unsettling to be awakened from a nice dream when Flin, Bnu, Tle or any of the others would want to talk and forget the 12 hour time difference. Part of all young pig's chores is to learn to filter out instant messages so they can get some sleep.
Anyway, Snorfle was learning about the world of pigs. There were cousins, aunts, uncles, friends and just bundles of wonderful pigs everywhere except in THE ARTIC or ANTARTIC. No pig in his or her right mind would go to these places of course. The stories about THE ARTIC and huge white snow bears were enough to scare even the oldest pig.
Most of the time Snorfle would just pop-up online, the online of pignet, though it really was telepigathy. He would say hi to his friends and go about his day. However on April first Snorfle stayed on pignet longer. There were some new pigs from Botswana telling about the rainy season and everyone was fascinated. Snorfle was getting cold in Siberia-space as all pigs did who stayed online too long. He ignored the warnings from pig school about spending too much time on pignet.
His teachers had gone into great detail about what could happen if you spent more than a few hours in Siberia space. You might just freeze because it was cold there and pigs need to be playing in the sun to be healthy. Too much time online was not healthy.
Snorfle forgot the warnings. He went online just after the Cherries left for school and work at 7:30 in the morning and by noon he had talked till he was blue in the face. By 2 PM he talked till he was blue in the shoulders and feet. By 4 he had talked till he was blue in the tail too. Snorfle was frozen solid, blue from head to tail and he couldn't’t even move.
When the Cherries got home at 4:30 they were very alarmed and rushed to their friend to see what happened. Snorfle could hear them OK he just couldn't’t wag his tail or anything. Even his eyelids were frozen. Well, Mary called Dr. Swann instantly.
“Calm down,” Dr. Swann said. “We have been waiting for your call. Snorfle’s cousin Snee told me this was likely. Er, what? Uh well. Never mind, I just knew. It happens to lots of young pigs. They get on pignet and lose their way? Well, just put Snorfle in the bathtub and fill it with warm water. He will be fine in about 2 hours.” Mary Cherry did just that but wondered what all the other stuff about Snorfle’s cousin and some pignet was.
In about an hour Snorfle’s nose was finally pink. His tail warmed up and turned beige like the rest of him and by dinner time at 6:30 Snorfle was finally back to normal. The Cherries all cheered and had a nice dinner of soy burger chili with fava beans, skim milk, salad plus lime and okra Jell-O for desert. Snorfle had pig chow, some fava beans under the table but he just didn't’t want the ice in his bowl for some reason.
That evening after the wonderful meal, the twins read The Bells by Edgar Allen Poe; Red told about the new saw he saw in Woodworker magazine; Mary played her viola and they all sang songs, then went to bed early.
Snorfle was glad to get unfrozen and he rushed to his pig nest. He tossed and turned till he got comfortable and warm then he went to sleep. Everything was white. He dreamed of snow, snow flakes, snowballs, snow bears, snow bushes, snow geese, snow leopards, snowmobiles, snow plows, snow pudding and snow shoes. Snorfle shivered.
Then he dreamed that his friend Winston told him to remember his school lesson: pignet was for information and fun but real life was where pigs belonged most of the time. With that, Snorfle finally relaxed and slept soundly and warmly the rest of the night. He had finally learned his lesson, but who was Sno?
by
Robin Hall
Snorfle was a good pig. He was smart, curious and beautiful too. He listened to his parents like all good pigs did unless they discovered their parents were wrong, which was more often than previously suspected.
He also knew that he had his own path to travel in the world and that path led him to Cary, Jerry, Mary and Red Cherry at 1440 Highridge Rd. which was about a mile from downtown Lake Swenson and closer to Music Valley in the State of Grace than even a smart and sweet natured young pig could know, for now.
The Cherries were a fine family. They worked hard, spent lots of time together and everyone knew that they were special and loved. They knew this because they told each other in many ways everyday. Some days Red would make things in his shop for the whole family. Some days he would bring Mary a rose from the flower store or Colonel Smith’s rose bushes, with Colonel Smith’s complete approval of course.
Mary would cook nice healthy things for everyone to show her love. The twins would write stories, read them at family time and gladly did chores to show their love. Everyone hugged each other in the morning and at night and no one ever forgot to say the words that are magic if they are real: I love you. Some families forget the magic words. Make sure your family remembers and is telling the truth. I LOVE YOU, regardless. Unconditional love. Well, we can do our best in this.
Snorfle was very happy with his human family but he missed his own family sometimes. When the Cherries got the Internet, Snorfle got online too, late at night of course when the others were asleep. Typing was tricky for a young Vietnamese Potbellied Pig and a bit slow but Snorfle learned quickly. His online name was porgy123 from the musical he had seen one time on TV.
Now the Internet was interesting, but as Snorfle’s telepigathy improved he spent more time on pignet which was similar,more interesting and both free and freeing.
Young pigs from all over the world would send instant, if somewhat startling, messages to other pigs day or night. Sometimes it was unsettling to be awakened from a nice dream when Flin, Bnu, Tle or any of the others would want to talk and forget the 12 hour time difference. Part of all young pig's chores is to learn to filter out instant messages so they can get some sleep.
Anyway, Snorfle was learning about the world of pigs. There were cousins, aunts, uncles, friends and just bundles of wonderful pigs everywhere except in THE ARTIC or ANTARTIC. No pig in his or her right mind would go to these places of course. The stories about THE ARTIC and huge white snow bears were enough to scare even the oldest pig.
Most of the time Snorfle would just pop-up online, the online of pignet, though it really was telepigathy. He would say hi to his friends and go about his day. However on April first Snorfle stayed on pignet longer. There were some new pigs from Botswana telling about the rainy season and everyone was fascinated. Snorfle was getting cold in Siberia-space as all pigs did who stayed online too long. He ignored the warnings from pig school about spending too much time on pignet.
His teachers had gone into great detail about what could happen if you spent more than a few hours in Siberia space. You might just freeze because it was cold there and pigs need to be playing in the sun to be healthy. Too much time online was not healthy.
Snorfle forgot the warnings. He went online just after the Cherries left for school and work at 7:30 in the morning and by noon he had talked till he was blue in the face. By 2 PM he talked till he was blue in the shoulders and feet. By 4 he had talked till he was blue in the tail too. Snorfle was frozen solid, blue from head to tail and he couldn't’t even move.
When the Cherries got home at 4:30 they were very alarmed and rushed to their friend to see what happened. Snorfle could hear them OK he just couldn't’t wag his tail or anything. Even his eyelids were frozen. Well, Mary called Dr. Swann instantly.
“Calm down,” Dr. Swann said. “We have been waiting for your call. Snorfle’s cousin Snee told me this was likely. Er, what? Uh well. Never mind, I just knew. It happens to lots of young pigs. They get on pignet and lose their way? Well, just put Snorfle in the bathtub and fill it with warm water. He will be fine in about 2 hours.” Mary Cherry did just that but wondered what all the other stuff about Snorfle’s cousin and some pignet was.
In about an hour Snorfle’s nose was finally pink. His tail warmed up and turned beige like the rest of him and by dinner time at 6:30 Snorfle was finally back to normal. The Cherries all cheered and had a nice dinner of soy burger chili with fava beans, skim milk, salad plus lime and okra Jell-O for desert. Snorfle had pig chow, some fava beans under the table but he just didn't’t want the ice in his bowl for some reason.
That evening after the wonderful meal, the twins read The Bells by Edgar Allen Poe; Red told about the new saw he saw in Woodworker magazine; Mary played her viola and they all sang songs, then went to bed early.
Snorfle was glad to get unfrozen and he rushed to his pig nest. He tossed and turned till he got comfortable and warm then he went to sleep. Everything was white. He dreamed of snow, snow flakes, snowballs, snow bears, snow bushes, snow geese, snow leopards, snowmobiles, snow plows, snow pudding and snow shoes. Snorfle shivered.
Then he dreamed that his friend Winston told him to remember his school lesson: pignet was for information and fun but real life was where pigs belonged most of the time. With that, Snorfle finally relaxed and slept soundly and warmly the rest of the night. He had finally learned his lesson, but who was Sno?
Friday, April 20, 2007
Snorfle, New Pig on the Block
Snorfle, New Pig on the Block
by
Robin Hall
One day Cary Cherry decided to take Snorfle for a walk around the neighborhood. He put Snorfle in his new harness, hooked on the leash and set off down the street.
Snorfle was very excited. Everything was new. He loved the short grass. It tickled his nose, and it smelled wonderful. Plus it had lots of bugs. Pigs love to root in the grass for dirt and bugs, and each lawn had different grass and different bugs.
Cary and Snorfle first stopped next door to meet Suzi, Cary's special friend. Suzi's full name was Suzi Dolores Friedle Hernandez. Her great grandfather was Spanish, her grandma and grandpa were German and her mother was Jamaican. Cary thought Suzi was beautiful.
Today, Suzi was shy and ran into the house when she saw Snorfle. But Snorfle knew they would become good friends later.
The next house was owned by Colonel Elmo P. Smith who had a Pekineses named Thor. The Colonel was watering his lawn when Cary and Snorfle came by. "Good afternoon Cary, who's your new friend?" asked the Colonel. Cary said, "Colonel Smith, this is Snorfle. Snorfle, meet Colonel Smith."
The Colonel sat on the sidewalk and watched while Snorfle rooted on the wet lawn. The grass was so rich Snorfle sneezed twice then headed for the flower bed. Cary and the Colonel laughed and laughed when Snorfle got yellow pollen on his nose from the flowers and tried to rub it off in the gravel. The gravel was kind of rough, but that felt good too.
Then Colonel Smith let his dog Thor out of the house. Thor yipped at Snorfle. Snorfle butted Thor and around they went.
Next, the Colonel turned on the sprayer. Snorfle had a drink. The Colonel turned on more spray and Snorfle tried to butt the water while Thor yipped his approval. Snorfle got soaked running into the water, but it was a warm day and it felt good to be wet.
"Cary, time for dinner," shouted his mother, Merry Cherry. So Cary said goodbye to Thor and the Colonel. The Colonel said goodbye to Cary and Snorfle and home they went.
Cary's father, Red Cherry, was waiting with a towel for Snorfle. Then Red, Jerry, Cary and Merry Cherry, plus Snorfle all had dinner.
The Cherries had snow pea quiche, a salad, skim milk and ice cream for desert. Snorfle had pig chow plus some snow peas which Cary, Red, Merry and Jerry all gave him under the table.
Then the Cherries sang some songs, played Clue and they all watched Star Trek (Snorfle especially liked Whorf). Then they all went to bed.
Red dreamed about his new easy chair, Merry dreamed about Red. Cary dreamed about Suzi, Jerry dreamed about breakfast and Snorfle dreamed that a pig named Winston called to him with telepigathy to welcome him to the neighborhood and his new home at 1440 High Ridge Rd. in beautiful Lake Swenson not that far from Music Valley in the State of Grace.
The End
by
Robin Hall
One day Cary Cherry decided to take Snorfle for a walk around the neighborhood. He put Snorfle in his new harness, hooked on the leash and set off down the street.
Snorfle was very excited. Everything was new. He loved the short grass. It tickled his nose, and it smelled wonderful. Plus it had lots of bugs. Pigs love to root in the grass for dirt and bugs, and each lawn had different grass and different bugs.
Cary and Snorfle first stopped next door to meet Suzi, Cary's special friend. Suzi's full name was Suzi Dolores Friedle Hernandez. Her great grandfather was Spanish, her grandma and grandpa were German and her mother was Jamaican. Cary thought Suzi was beautiful.
Today, Suzi was shy and ran into the house when she saw Snorfle. But Snorfle knew they would become good friends later.
The next house was owned by Colonel Elmo P. Smith who had a Pekineses named Thor. The Colonel was watering his lawn when Cary and Snorfle came by. "Good afternoon Cary, who's your new friend?" asked the Colonel. Cary said, "Colonel Smith, this is Snorfle. Snorfle, meet Colonel Smith."
The Colonel sat on the sidewalk and watched while Snorfle rooted on the wet lawn. The grass was so rich Snorfle sneezed twice then headed for the flower bed. Cary and the Colonel laughed and laughed when Snorfle got yellow pollen on his nose from the flowers and tried to rub it off in the gravel. The gravel was kind of rough, but that felt good too.
Then Colonel Smith let his dog Thor out of the house. Thor yipped at Snorfle. Snorfle butted Thor and around they went.
Next, the Colonel turned on the sprayer. Snorfle had a drink. The Colonel turned on more spray and Snorfle tried to butt the water while Thor yipped his approval. Snorfle got soaked running into the water, but it was a warm day and it felt good to be wet.
"Cary, time for dinner," shouted his mother, Merry Cherry. So Cary said goodbye to Thor and the Colonel. The Colonel said goodbye to Cary and Snorfle and home they went.
Cary's father, Red Cherry, was waiting with a towel for Snorfle. Then Red, Jerry, Cary and Merry Cherry, plus Snorfle all had dinner.
The Cherries had snow pea quiche, a salad, skim milk and ice cream for desert. Snorfle had pig chow plus some snow peas which Cary, Red, Merry and Jerry all gave him under the table.
Then the Cherries sang some songs, played Clue and they all watched Star Trek (Snorfle especially liked Whorf). Then they all went to bed.
Red dreamed about his new easy chair, Merry dreamed about Red. Cary dreamed about Suzi, Jerry dreamed about breakfast and Snorfle dreamed that a pig named Winston called to him with telepigathy to welcome him to the neighborhood and his new home at 1440 High Ridge Rd. in beautiful Lake Swenson not that far from Music Valley in the State of Grace.
The End
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Alfred Gnu’s Sister Lulu Gnu's Tutu
Alfred Gnu’s Sister Lulu Gnu's Tutu
by
Robin Hall
One day the BBC was playing the Nutcracker Suite. Alfred had heard the ballet last year but now he got to watch it on a tiny little TV screen that was left by some American tourists. Now this TV watching seemed strange to Alfred. Why in the world would anyone pay good money to come to deepest, darkest Africa for a vacation and bring a TV?
Well, Alfred noticed Americans were somewhat strange and not all that well liked by many but Alfred liked most tourists plus the exotic foods the Americans left at the picnic grounds was excellent and don't forget the TV.
There were Baked Beans which made him a bit windy but tasted great and there were Twinkies, perhaps the most famous food in the world. Alfred had learned to read, again thanks to the BBC, and perused the Twinkies package.
There was no real food there however. It was all chemicals except some flour which was listed about half way down, but youngsters everywhere didn't let anything like nutrition get in the way of fun foods and neither did Alfred.
After his snack Alfred moved under the shade of a nearby tree and was dozing noisily and windily. The Nutcracker suite was a good rendition, if somewhat crackly due to the transmission problems in Africa, but it made him dream and dream and dream...
All of a sudden his sister Lulu gnu was pirouetting around wearing a tutu. Now gnus don’t normally wear clothing, let alone tutus and Alfred giggled in his sleep.
If you know anything about gnus, and Alfred did, you know that gnus do seem silly and a tutu wouldn't be all that out of place. If they are threatened for instance, they look ferocious then begin bouncing up and down like in a ballet and there was Lulu gnu pirouetting in her pink tutu in the First Act. Well, this was a fine dream and it went on and on.
All the grisly bewildered beasts, or gnus, in his area joined in the show. Most of them were his cousins: Dowabi, Darwin, Waynie, SuSu his sister Lulu and several others too.
Then the lions joined in and several wore tights. There were two lions with tutus and a hilarious giraffe frolicked with 3 zebras and a springbok. Tutus and tights were everywhere. It rained nuts and raisins and sugarplums and Twinkies and beans and...
"Hey Ma, I found my TV," shouted a portly lad of 12 and Alfred awoke still giggling just like he did from lots of funny dreams. He looked around and wandered off in search of more interesting tourists, exotic foods and good dreams of which he had many.
by
Robin Hall
One day the BBC was playing the Nutcracker Suite. Alfred had heard the ballet last year but now he got to watch it on a tiny little TV screen that was left by some American tourists. Now this TV watching seemed strange to Alfred. Why in the world would anyone pay good money to come to deepest, darkest Africa for a vacation and bring a TV?
Well, Alfred noticed Americans were somewhat strange and not all that well liked by many but Alfred liked most tourists plus the exotic foods the Americans left at the picnic grounds was excellent and don't forget the TV.
There were Baked Beans which made him a bit windy but tasted great and there were Twinkies, perhaps the most famous food in the world. Alfred had learned to read, again thanks to the BBC, and perused the Twinkies package.
There was no real food there however. It was all chemicals except some flour which was listed about half way down, but youngsters everywhere didn't let anything like nutrition get in the way of fun foods and neither did Alfred.
After his snack Alfred moved under the shade of a nearby tree and was dozing noisily and windily. The Nutcracker suite was a good rendition, if somewhat crackly due to the transmission problems in Africa, but it made him dream and dream and dream...
All of a sudden his sister Lulu gnu was pirouetting around wearing a tutu. Now gnus don’t normally wear clothing, let alone tutus and Alfred giggled in his sleep.
If you know anything about gnus, and Alfred did, you know that gnus do seem silly and a tutu wouldn't be all that out of place. If they are threatened for instance, they look ferocious then begin bouncing up and down like in a ballet and there was Lulu gnu pirouetting in her pink tutu in the First Act. Well, this was a fine dream and it went on and on.
All the grisly bewildered beasts, or gnus, in his area joined in the show. Most of them were his cousins: Dowabi, Darwin, Waynie, SuSu his sister Lulu and several others too.
Then the lions joined in and several wore tights. There were two lions with tutus and a hilarious giraffe frolicked with 3 zebras and a springbok. Tutus and tights were everywhere. It rained nuts and raisins and sugarplums and Twinkies and beans and...
"Hey Ma, I found my TV," shouted a portly lad of 12 and Alfred awoke still giggling just like he did from lots of funny dreams. He looked around and wandered off in search of more interesting tourists, exotic foods and good dreams of which he had many.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Alfred and Lulu: Gnu Talking
Alfred and Lulu: Gnu Talking
by
Robin Hall
Alfred Gnu was worried about his sister Lulu Gnu. She had been behaving strangely for some time now. Most gnus would spend their days eating, following the herd, snoozing, snoring and to be quite frank most were a bit windy. Lulu ate, followed the herd, snoozed, snored and was windy too but there were other signs that worried Alfred.
Take flowers for instance. Lulu would spend entire days gazing at a single flower. She would move around to see it from other angles, turn her head sideways and almost upside down just watching that flower. She would lie down and watch the flower from ground level too.
Why if her new friends Umar and Hattie were nearby on the lookout, Lulu would get up before dawn just to see some of the flowers open with the sun. By the day's end some were completely gone. Others would change over a few days. Still others seemed to keep on blooming and blooming. Lulu's world was filled with beauty and splendor which she could not share with anyone.
She knew just where all the prettiest flowers on the plains were, when they bloomed, which opened with the sun, how long they lasted and which ones were tasty treats for other animals. Sometimes she would watch from a distance while ants, spiders and other creatures came to the flowers for various reasons. She wondered what those reasons were and studied the tiny animals closely till she figured out what each did with their own flowers.
This was the other thing Alfred worried about, bugs. They were everywhere yet Lulu loved watching them all to see what they were about. "Hmmm," thought Alfred. "Something strange is going on here."
Now everyone knows that gnus can't talk but very few people know about gnu talk. Its like body language humans have such as being antsy, smiling, frowning, winking, and all but just for gnus.
Most gnus noticed the basics of gnu talk like when the herd was getting ready to rampage, prancing when they were scared and the funny bounce step just before they hiccuped. Alfred of course knew much more and he saw all the signs right there with his sister.
Lulu was smart, just like Alfred. But how could that be? Alfred knew that he was a gnu. Lulu did too. He didn't know how he knew but he did know. Lulu did too. She had that bright curious look in her eyes. She was always on the lookout for new beautiful flowers. She had made friends with Alfred's friends Umar and Hattie too.
One day Alfred got up early, had some left over Twinkies he had saved for breakfast then he followed Lulu on one of her flower walks. Now this was the very strangest thing yet. Lulu had taken to wandering into the bushes, stopping briefly at a flower, then moving on to another and another all day. Weird. A flower walk.
After a week of this, Alfred was bursting to ask Lulu what she knew but neither could talk, so what could they do? What would you do if you couldn't talk? You could sign. You would have to learn lots of signs that others knew, practice them and get to know them.
Alfred had seen tourists who did that. Every country seemed to have a different sign language just like they had different spoken languages. Alfred had even learned a bit and knew of a school nearby where they taught signing but there were no gnu-talk schools to go to.
Then it hit him!! "We can make up our own signs, gnu talk deluxe, even dance to communicate." Alfred had seen some wonderful dancing in his 3 years and knew he was on to something.
He began the very next day. Every time Lulu would go near a red flower, Alfred shuffled his front feet. When she stared at a blue flower, Alfred twitched his nose. When she went on her flower walks Alfred wiggled his mouth. Everything Lulu did regularly, Alfred made up a sign or dance for.
Lulu watched Alfred and thought he was teasing her. Then it hit her too. He was gnu talking to her. The next day Lulu followed Alfred all over and made up some of her own signs and dances. Why even their friends Umar and Hattie joined in making up signs. It was wonderful watching the four of them make up their own language.
Every day, one would be the teacher and make up signs for things they couldn't talk about yet. Umar liked to nap a lot so he got to name that. He would yawn and paw the ground. Hattie the chimp loved climbing trees. Her sign for that was to jump up and hoot.
Alfred, Lulu and Umar the lion had a bit of trouble with that one but they all practiced a lot and got very good at all the signs. What a troupe they were. Dancing, prancing, hooting, pawing the ground and all while out on their daily flower walks with the group of them gnu talking, lion talking and chimp talking.
Say, wouldn't it be neat if people could learn the same signs and be able to talk to each other all over the world? Cooperation is what our little troupe had. Maybe they know something that we don't. Who ever said animals were dumb? Not me and I bet not you either.
by
Robin Hall
Alfred Gnu was worried about his sister Lulu Gnu. She had been behaving strangely for some time now. Most gnus would spend their days eating, following the herd, snoozing, snoring and to be quite frank most were a bit windy. Lulu ate, followed the herd, snoozed, snored and was windy too but there were other signs that worried Alfred.
Take flowers for instance. Lulu would spend entire days gazing at a single flower. She would move around to see it from other angles, turn her head sideways and almost upside down just watching that flower. She would lie down and watch the flower from ground level too.
Why if her new friends Umar and Hattie were nearby on the lookout, Lulu would get up before dawn just to see some of the flowers open with the sun. By the day's end some were completely gone. Others would change over a few days. Still others seemed to keep on blooming and blooming. Lulu's world was filled with beauty and splendor which she could not share with anyone.
She knew just where all the prettiest flowers on the plains were, when they bloomed, which opened with the sun, how long they lasted and which ones were tasty treats for other animals. Sometimes she would watch from a distance while ants, spiders and other creatures came to the flowers for various reasons. She wondered what those reasons were and studied the tiny animals closely till she figured out what each did with their own flowers.
This was the other thing Alfred worried about, bugs. They were everywhere yet Lulu loved watching them all to see what they were about. "Hmmm," thought Alfred. "Something strange is going on here."
Now everyone knows that gnus can't talk but very few people know about gnu talk. Its like body language humans have such as being antsy, smiling, frowning, winking, and all but just for gnus.
Most gnus noticed the basics of gnu talk like when the herd was getting ready to rampage, prancing when they were scared and the funny bounce step just before they hiccuped. Alfred of course knew much more and he saw all the signs right there with his sister.
Lulu was smart, just like Alfred. But how could that be? Alfred knew that he was a gnu. Lulu did too. He didn't know how he knew but he did know. Lulu did too. She had that bright curious look in her eyes. She was always on the lookout for new beautiful flowers. She had made friends with Alfred's friends Umar and Hattie too.
One day Alfred got up early, had some left over Twinkies he had saved for breakfast then he followed Lulu on one of her flower walks. Now this was the very strangest thing yet. Lulu had taken to wandering into the bushes, stopping briefly at a flower, then moving on to another and another all day. Weird. A flower walk.
After a week of this, Alfred was bursting to ask Lulu what she knew but neither could talk, so what could they do? What would you do if you couldn't talk? You could sign. You would have to learn lots of signs that others knew, practice them and get to know them.
Alfred had seen tourists who did that. Every country seemed to have a different sign language just like they had different spoken languages. Alfred had even learned a bit and knew of a school nearby where they taught signing but there were no gnu-talk schools to go to.
Then it hit him!! "We can make up our own signs, gnu talk deluxe, even dance to communicate." Alfred had seen some wonderful dancing in his 3 years and knew he was on to something.
He began the very next day. Every time Lulu would go near a red flower, Alfred shuffled his front feet. When she stared at a blue flower, Alfred twitched his nose. When she went on her flower walks Alfred wiggled his mouth. Everything Lulu did regularly, Alfred made up a sign or dance for.
Lulu watched Alfred and thought he was teasing her. Then it hit her too. He was gnu talking to her. The next day Lulu followed Alfred all over and made up some of her own signs and dances. Why even their friends Umar and Hattie joined in making up signs. It was wonderful watching the four of them make up their own language.
Every day, one would be the teacher and make up signs for things they couldn't talk about yet. Umar liked to nap a lot so he got to name that. He would yawn and paw the ground. Hattie the chimp loved climbing trees. Her sign for that was to jump up and hoot.
Alfred, Lulu and Umar the lion had a bit of trouble with that one but they all practiced a lot and got very good at all the signs. What a troupe they were. Dancing, prancing, hooting, pawing the ground and all while out on their daily flower walks with the group of them gnu talking, lion talking and chimp talking.
Say, wouldn't it be neat if people could learn the same signs and be able to talk to each other all over the world? Cooperation is what our little troupe had. Maybe they know something that we don't. Who ever said animals were dumb? Not me and I bet not you either.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Alfred Gnu's Gnu Zoo
Alfred Gnu's Gnu Zoo
by
Robin Hall
The BBC is known all over the world for its fair-minded, if somewhat dull, broadcasting of news, weather, some sports like soccer which they mistakenly called football and a few features about animals, especially dogs. The British are very fond of dogs.
Yesterday's featured story was about some improvements at the London zoo, one of the world's best known. What does this have to do with Alfred Gnu? Well, as you know, Alfred is still a pretty new gnu. Not as new as he was a few months ago when he was born or when he knew he knew but still, pretty new.
Alfred's goal was to learn all sorts of things by watching people and other animals because he couldn't go to gnu schools since there weren't any. There were radios though and many were tuned to the BBC since they had very powerful broadcasting towers all over, even in darkest Africa which wasn't really dark at all.
So Alfred would sneak up near tourist's or guide's tents and listen to the news. He had figured out several languages by now because of all the tourists. He knew Japanese, German, American English and 8 African languages. British English still gave him the occasional headache however but Alfred was very persistent and finally picked it right up along with South African and Australian English. Swahili was easier than English, even the American brand.
So yesterday's feature was on the fine zoo in London. Now this started Alfred thinking, which is a very good way to figure things out as he well knew. On the one hand, zoos seemed like animal jails. None of the animals were free to roam around, check out the tourists, eat new grass on the other side of streams or visit new places.
Alfred had seen people catch some of the animals for the zoos and haul them off. This didn't seem like fun to him either. People would usually shoot a funny gun at an animal and later it would just fall over. Then they would put the animal into a cage and away it went far from home, family and friends. This also seemed sad to Alfred.
On the other hand, Alfred knew, again from the BBC, that each year there were fewer and fewer animals and some kinds had completely disappeared from the face of the earth. This was also bad news for a thoughtful gnu and you too I bet.
Well, on the whole, Alfred thought zoos were probably not that bad an idea, at least till people stopped taking all the land away from animals who were there first. Zoos gave people a chance to see interesting animals from all over the world. They also gave the animals a chance to study up on humans though most of the animals in the zoos weren't the studying kind like Alfred Gnu.
All this thinking made Alfred hungry. After all he was still a pretty new gnu. Each day he grew and grew. Actually, Alfred was always hungry so he stopped by the local tourist picnic tables to see what they had left that day on their way to see the sleepy lions on duty over by the shade trees. Today's treats consisted of tuna fish which Alfred had the good taste to ignore, some bread which he liked a lot, part of a Baby Ruth candy bar which he also liked a lot, some milk, plus some grass to wash it all down with.
Then Alfred thought some more. "If zoos can protect animals, why can't I have a zoo? I could have a gnu zoo right here for all the baby gnus and show the bigger gnus how to stand watch too." Well, as I am sure you can imagine, this was harder than it seemed.
First, Alfred couldn't just talk to the gnus. Other than a few gnu words like: "Let's eat;" "There's some more grass over there;" and "Look out for the lions!" gnus couldn't get the hang of most communication like Alfred did, so he had to show the herd over and over again, which of course also made him very hungry.
When lions or hyenas were around, Alfred finally got the herd to circle up with the bigger gnus on the outside facing inward. Yes, inward. More than one gnu was taken before the herd got the hang of it and faced outward toward danger. The lions and hyenas didn't readily get the hang of it and many of them passed on the horns of this dilemma.
Alfred taught the herd, again with great difficulty, to travel by day and stand watch at night for all those other mean animals. Alfred's herd grew and grew and in its way was like a zoo protecting the herd. They were also pretty free to roam which was much better than a zoo too. But Alfred had taught them a very valuable lesson that many great leaders around the world have found out. "The price of liberty is eternal vigilance."
Some day you too might get to go to Africa. If you see a big herd, look for Alfred. He's the one with the two spots on his side who looks extra smart just like YOU!
by
Robin Hall
The BBC is known all over the world for its fair-minded, if somewhat dull, broadcasting of news, weather, some sports like soccer which they mistakenly called football and a few features about animals, especially dogs. The British are very fond of dogs.
Yesterday's featured story was about some improvements at the London zoo, one of the world's best known. What does this have to do with Alfred Gnu? Well, as you know, Alfred is still a pretty new gnu. Not as new as he was a few months ago when he was born or when he knew he knew but still, pretty new.
Alfred's goal was to learn all sorts of things by watching people and other animals because he couldn't go to gnu schools since there weren't any. There were radios though and many were tuned to the BBC since they had very powerful broadcasting towers all over, even in darkest Africa which wasn't really dark at all.
So Alfred would sneak up near tourist's or guide's tents and listen to the news. He had figured out several languages by now because of all the tourists. He knew Japanese, German, American English and 8 African languages. British English still gave him the occasional headache however but Alfred was very persistent and finally picked it right up along with South African and Australian English. Swahili was easier than English, even the American brand.
So yesterday's feature was on the fine zoo in London. Now this started Alfred thinking, which is a very good way to figure things out as he well knew. On the one hand, zoos seemed like animal jails. None of the animals were free to roam around, check out the tourists, eat new grass on the other side of streams or visit new places.
Alfred had seen people catch some of the animals for the zoos and haul them off. This didn't seem like fun to him either. People would usually shoot a funny gun at an animal and later it would just fall over. Then they would put the animal into a cage and away it went far from home, family and friends. This also seemed sad to Alfred.
On the other hand, Alfred knew, again from the BBC, that each year there were fewer and fewer animals and some kinds had completely disappeared from the face of the earth. This was also bad news for a thoughtful gnu and you too I bet.
Well, on the whole, Alfred thought zoos were probably not that bad an idea, at least till people stopped taking all the land away from animals who were there first. Zoos gave people a chance to see interesting animals from all over the world. They also gave the animals a chance to study up on humans though most of the animals in the zoos weren't the studying kind like Alfred Gnu.
All this thinking made Alfred hungry. After all he was still a pretty new gnu. Each day he grew and grew. Actually, Alfred was always hungry so he stopped by the local tourist picnic tables to see what they had left that day on their way to see the sleepy lions on duty over by the shade trees. Today's treats consisted of tuna fish which Alfred had the good taste to ignore, some bread which he liked a lot, part of a Baby Ruth candy bar which he also liked a lot, some milk, plus some grass to wash it all down with.
Then Alfred thought some more. "If zoos can protect animals, why can't I have a zoo? I could have a gnu zoo right here for all the baby gnus and show the bigger gnus how to stand watch too." Well, as I am sure you can imagine, this was harder than it seemed.
First, Alfred couldn't just talk to the gnus. Other than a few gnu words like: "Let's eat;" "There's some more grass over there;" and "Look out for the lions!" gnus couldn't get the hang of most communication like Alfred did, so he had to show the herd over and over again, which of course also made him very hungry.
When lions or hyenas were around, Alfred finally got the herd to circle up with the bigger gnus on the outside facing inward. Yes, inward. More than one gnu was taken before the herd got the hang of it and faced outward toward danger. The lions and hyenas didn't readily get the hang of it and many of them passed on the horns of this dilemma.
Alfred taught the herd, again with great difficulty, to travel by day and stand watch at night for all those other mean animals. Alfred's herd grew and grew and in its way was like a zoo protecting the herd. They were also pretty free to roam which was much better than a zoo too. But Alfred had taught them a very valuable lesson that many great leaders around the world have found out. "The price of liberty is eternal vigilance."
Some day you too might get to go to Africa. If you see a big herd, look for Alfred. He's the one with the two spots on his side who looks extra smart just like YOU!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Alfred Gnu: Three is Company Too
Alfred Gnu: Three is Company Too
by
Robin Hall
Most people in the world have sayings, slogans, old wives or old husbands tales and the like such as: “A waist is a terrible thing to mind.”; “A pig in your day keeps the doctors away.”; “He had more dollars than sense.” and “Two’s a company, three’s a crowd.” Sometimes there is even a shred of truth to these homilies. Sometimes not.
Take the last one for instance. For that matter, consider Umar and Hattie as well. Umar and Hattie had been friends for a long while. About 34 years in human time we might say. Actually it was more like 7 years in lion and chimpanzee time and gets pretty hard to figure out really.
One day Umar, a young lion, was wandering around looking for food when he spotted Hattie, a young chimp caught in the roots of a tree where she had fallen. Now of course most lions would think, “LUNCH!” and so did Umar but when he approached Hattie, an odd thing happened as it sometimes does. Hattie’s cries softened Umar’s heart and made him think about the world differently. He became conscious. At the same time, Hattie was so terrified the same thing happened to her from the impending stress of being eaten. She also became conscious.
The two looked at each other, got very calm and thought for a while, which is a good thing when you have revelations like these two did. Whew, thinking is hard work! Umar looked at Hattie, walked slowly over to the tree and pulled the root that had trapped her. Hattie ran up the tree and looked down at Umar. Then she climbed back down and the two went to look for water. This thinking was hard and hot work and the unlikely pair were quite thirsty. And so it went.
Each day found new adventures for Umar and Hattie, new challenges. Umar learned to eat some of the fruits Hattie liked and also learned to hunt only the very old and sick animals out in the wild which was good for the herd as well. They would rest during the hot part of the day, look for water in the evening and travel at night. It was a good match really. Each had different skills, watering holes etc. that they knew about and they were never without the necessities of life.
Most evenings Umar would roar loudly to scare other lions away and just because it was fun. Hattie would climb tall trees to check to see if this strategy was working and find which direction they needed to go to avoid other big animals and to find food and water.
If they did see another big cat, Hattie would fluff up Umar’s mane to make him look as big as possible and jump on his back to add to the spectacle. It was a sight few lions were prepared to challenge.
Life was good for our very strange couple. Then one day...
Well, Alfred was not at all fond of lions as you might imagine. First of all, lions liked gnus, for dinner especially. Now not many lions hung around Alfred’s herd anymore since Alfred had showed the others how to protect themselves in a circle with several of the bigger gnus always on watch and facing inward. Actually no lions stayed around long. There were no stragglers and the gnu babies were well protected. Hyenas also found other herds to graze on.
Umar and Hattie were almost as interested in learning new things as Alfred and when they spotted his herd where all the animals watched out for each other, they were most curious and decided to hang around for a while. They noticed one particular gnu with two spots on his side who would take off during the day and check out tourist haunts.
They also noticed that there was lots of interesting leftover food at these tourist haunts. “Hmmm,” they thought. “Let’s go in for a look see.” Well, they had no sooner gotten near one of these tourist haunts when they heard shots which were uncomfortably close. Umar and Hattie took off running with Hattie holding on to Umar’s mane for dear life. It was quite a sight.
The pair then noticed Alfred hiding out in the bushes and decided to watch him. Of course Alfred was MUCH more experienced in these matters and waited till the tourists and mean old guides with their guns left. Then Alfred moved in for the feast of sandwiches, milk, candy and whatever else the tourists left.
Umar and Hattie approached cautiously. The tourists had left a bonanza that day and Alfred had eaten his fill when he saw the imposing pair coming in. Alfred took off, dancing and prancing like some of the other silly gnus did. Actually the behavior was aimed at confusing their predators and getting their adrenaline up in case they needed to run but not many folks knew this.
Alfred was bouncing around and watching Umar and Hattie very closely. He had seen the pair for about a week now and knew something was unusual here. First off, lions and chimpanzees were enemies but these two were friends. Second, Umar didn’t look stupid like some lions did and Hattie WAS riding on his back.
Alfred’s curiosity got the best of him and he approached slowly and cautiously. Umar roared and Hattie jumped up and down but that was it. Then they all got down to the leftover food and sat around enjoying the sun when they were full. It was a great day.
The next morning, Umar and Hattie walked over to Alfred’s herd. Well, the herd circled up like they were supposed to and what was a lion doing out so early anyway and what in the world was that chimpanzee up to they might have wondered if they had the brains. Alfred wandered out slowly and trotted after the pair when they moved away for some new leftover treats from the tourists. The three had another great day foraging together.
That night when Alfred rejoined the herd, Umar and Hattie went off for a while then came back and sang to the herd as best they could. I suppose a lion’s roar and a chimp’s screamings were not exactly melodic but they did keep other predator’s away and the herd got used to their new protectors after a while.
Most days Alfred and his new friends would have adventures, listen to the BBC from the bushes near tourist haunts when they were there and eat leftovers when they left. It was great.
Sometimes Umar and Hattie would be gone for days but would always rejoin their new friend Alfred Gnu. You see, three’s a company too just like four or five can be if we want. We can have lots of friends of all sorts and still be ourselves too. Keep an eye open. New friends just might be looking for YOU.
by
Robin Hall
Most people in the world have sayings, slogans, old wives or old husbands tales and the like such as: “A waist is a terrible thing to mind.”; “A pig in your day keeps the doctors away.”; “He had more dollars than sense.” and “Two’s a company, three’s a crowd.” Sometimes there is even a shred of truth to these homilies. Sometimes not.
Take the last one for instance. For that matter, consider Umar and Hattie as well. Umar and Hattie had been friends for a long while. About 34 years in human time we might say. Actually it was more like 7 years in lion and chimpanzee time and gets pretty hard to figure out really.
One day Umar, a young lion, was wandering around looking for food when he spotted Hattie, a young chimp caught in the roots of a tree where she had fallen. Now of course most lions would think, “LUNCH!” and so did Umar but when he approached Hattie, an odd thing happened as it sometimes does. Hattie’s cries softened Umar’s heart and made him think about the world differently. He became conscious. At the same time, Hattie was so terrified the same thing happened to her from the impending stress of being eaten. She also became conscious.
The two looked at each other, got very calm and thought for a while, which is a good thing when you have revelations like these two did. Whew, thinking is hard work! Umar looked at Hattie, walked slowly over to the tree and pulled the root that had trapped her. Hattie ran up the tree and looked down at Umar. Then she climbed back down and the two went to look for water. This thinking was hard and hot work and the unlikely pair were quite thirsty. And so it went.
Each day found new adventures for Umar and Hattie, new challenges. Umar learned to eat some of the fruits Hattie liked and also learned to hunt only the very old and sick animals out in the wild which was good for the herd as well. They would rest during the hot part of the day, look for water in the evening and travel at night. It was a good match really. Each had different skills, watering holes etc. that they knew about and they were never without the necessities of life.
Most evenings Umar would roar loudly to scare other lions away and just because it was fun. Hattie would climb tall trees to check to see if this strategy was working and find which direction they needed to go to avoid other big animals and to find food and water.
If they did see another big cat, Hattie would fluff up Umar’s mane to make him look as big as possible and jump on his back to add to the spectacle. It was a sight few lions were prepared to challenge.
Life was good for our very strange couple. Then one day...
Well, Alfred was not at all fond of lions as you might imagine. First of all, lions liked gnus, for dinner especially. Now not many lions hung around Alfred’s herd anymore since Alfred had showed the others how to protect themselves in a circle with several of the bigger gnus always on watch and facing inward. Actually no lions stayed around long. There were no stragglers and the gnu babies were well protected. Hyenas also found other herds to graze on.
Umar and Hattie were almost as interested in learning new things as Alfred and when they spotted his herd where all the animals watched out for each other, they were most curious and decided to hang around for a while. They noticed one particular gnu with two spots on his side who would take off during the day and check out tourist haunts.
They also noticed that there was lots of interesting leftover food at these tourist haunts. “Hmmm,” they thought. “Let’s go in for a look see.” Well, they had no sooner gotten near one of these tourist haunts when they heard shots which were uncomfortably close. Umar and Hattie took off running with Hattie holding on to Umar’s mane for dear life. It was quite a sight.
The pair then noticed Alfred hiding out in the bushes and decided to watch him. Of course Alfred was MUCH more experienced in these matters and waited till the tourists and mean old guides with their guns left. Then Alfred moved in for the feast of sandwiches, milk, candy and whatever else the tourists left.
Umar and Hattie approached cautiously. The tourists had left a bonanza that day and Alfred had eaten his fill when he saw the imposing pair coming in. Alfred took off, dancing and prancing like some of the other silly gnus did. Actually the behavior was aimed at confusing their predators and getting their adrenaline up in case they needed to run but not many folks knew this.
Alfred was bouncing around and watching Umar and Hattie very closely. He had seen the pair for about a week now and knew something was unusual here. First off, lions and chimpanzees were enemies but these two were friends. Second, Umar didn’t look stupid like some lions did and Hattie WAS riding on his back.
Alfred’s curiosity got the best of him and he approached slowly and cautiously. Umar roared and Hattie jumped up and down but that was it. Then they all got down to the leftover food and sat around enjoying the sun when they were full. It was a great day.
The next morning, Umar and Hattie walked over to Alfred’s herd. Well, the herd circled up like they were supposed to and what was a lion doing out so early anyway and what in the world was that chimpanzee up to they might have wondered if they had the brains. Alfred wandered out slowly and trotted after the pair when they moved away for some new leftover treats from the tourists. The three had another great day foraging together.
That night when Alfred rejoined the herd, Umar and Hattie went off for a while then came back and sang to the herd as best they could. I suppose a lion’s roar and a chimp’s screamings were not exactly melodic but they did keep other predator’s away and the herd got used to their new protectors after a while.
Most days Alfred and his new friends would have adventures, listen to the BBC from the bushes near tourist haunts when they were there and eat leftovers when they left. It was great.
Sometimes Umar and Hattie would be gone for days but would always rejoin their new friend Alfred Gnu. You see, three’s a company too just like four or five can be if we want. We can have lots of friends of all sorts and still be ourselves too. Keep an eye open. New friends just might be looking for YOU.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Alfred Rides Again
Alfred Rides Again
by
Robin Hall
One day Alfred was inspecting bits of lunch left by some Japanese tourists who were visiting his part of the world in a Range Rover. The tourists were wandering here and there with Leicas around their necks shooting pictures of all the tame wild life. A huge herd of bewildered beasts was having one of their regular migrations. Japanese people loved migrations as much as any tourists do.
Actually it wasn’t a migration at all. The head bewildered beast was pondering some grass on the other side of a small stream and wandered over to see if it was tasty. He had forgotten how upset the others became when they couldn’t see him.
First one, then another began running after him. Of course, seeing a herd of bewildered beasts come charging over a stream was enough to frighten any animal and the head bewildered beast took off running too. Hence, the “migration” that our tourists were witnessing. It happened all the time.
Anyway, one of the little girls had climbed a tree near the Rover and was out on a limb right over the table set up for lunch that Alfred was still inspecting. Oopps, she fell right onto his back. Alfred, who had never seen TV westerns, thought the world was coming to an end and took off. While her parents were still taking pictures of the out of control wandering, the migration, the little girl was holding on for dear life and more.
After a bit, Alfred began to think clearly again. Then he stopped slowly, the girl got off, sat down and began to cry. She was exhausted and so was Alfred. What to do?? If anyone found out how smart Alfred was he might end up in one of those zoos he heard about on the BBC or worse, on Opra.
The little girl said, in very nice Japanese, “My name is Shoji.” She patted Alfred and he thought some more. He could see she was quite frightened and there was no way to get her on his back again. She winked at Alfred. Alfred winked back. The jig was up.
He knew he had to get her back to her parents safely so he started off in that direction. Shoji followed. When they got near and she saw her parents, Shoji politely thanked Alfred and ran off shouting that she had ridden a gnu for a long distance and then he had showed her the way back.
Alfred had hidden behind some trees and wasn’t visible. Like many parents they completely ignored the truth and the group went on to visit some ferocious sleeping lions the guide had seen earlier.
An interesting thing happened to the little girl though. She knew she was right. She knew she had ridden a gnu and the gnu had showed her back to safety. She knew that some animals are conscious. Shoji never told another person until years later when she had a daughter.
Shoji took her daughter to Africa for her sixth birthday present. She went to the same spot she had met Alfred. The two searched and searched, without luck.
Then late one day off in the distance, Shoji saw a gnu with two spots on its side just like Alfred’s. She and her daughter walked and walked. They got closer and closer. Alfred remembered that day as well as Shoji and happily took her daughter on the ride of her life and brought her back safely after a wonderful time.
It was quite a day and every one cried. They promised never to tell any of the boys because they couldn’t keep secrets. So the story of the smart gnu grew and grew in the family and is told even today, but only to the girls.
by
Robin Hall
One day Alfred was inspecting bits of lunch left by some Japanese tourists who were visiting his part of the world in a Range Rover. The tourists were wandering here and there with Leicas around their necks shooting pictures of all the tame wild life. A huge herd of bewildered beasts was having one of their regular migrations. Japanese people loved migrations as much as any tourists do.
Actually it wasn’t a migration at all. The head bewildered beast was pondering some grass on the other side of a small stream and wandered over to see if it was tasty. He had forgotten how upset the others became when they couldn’t see him.
First one, then another began running after him. Of course, seeing a herd of bewildered beasts come charging over a stream was enough to frighten any animal and the head bewildered beast took off running too. Hence, the “migration” that our tourists were witnessing. It happened all the time.
Anyway, one of the little girls had climbed a tree near the Rover and was out on a limb right over the table set up for lunch that Alfred was still inspecting. Oopps, she fell right onto his back. Alfred, who had never seen TV westerns, thought the world was coming to an end and took off. While her parents were still taking pictures of the out of control wandering, the migration, the little girl was holding on for dear life and more.
After a bit, Alfred began to think clearly again. Then he stopped slowly, the girl got off, sat down and began to cry. She was exhausted and so was Alfred. What to do?? If anyone found out how smart Alfred was he might end up in one of those zoos he heard about on the BBC or worse, on Opra.
The little girl said, in very nice Japanese, “My name is Shoji.” She patted Alfred and he thought some more. He could see she was quite frightened and there was no way to get her on his back again. She winked at Alfred. Alfred winked back. The jig was up.
He knew he had to get her back to her parents safely so he started off in that direction. Shoji followed. When they got near and she saw her parents, Shoji politely thanked Alfred and ran off shouting that she had ridden a gnu for a long distance and then he had showed her the way back.
Alfred had hidden behind some trees and wasn’t visible. Like many parents they completely ignored the truth and the group went on to visit some ferocious sleeping lions the guide had seen earlier.
An interesting thing happened to the little girl though. She knew she was right. She knew she had ridden a gnu and the gnu had showed her back to safety. She knew that some animals are conscious. Shoji never told another person until years later when she had a daughter.
Shoji took her daughter to Africa for her sixth birthday present. She went to the same spot she had met Alfred. The two searched and searched, without luck.
Then late one day off in the distance, Shoji saw a gnu with two spots on its side just like Alfred’s. She and her daughter walked and walked. They got closer and closer. Alfred remembered that day as well as Shoji and happily took her daughter on the ride of her life and brought her back safely after a wonderful time.
It was quite a day and every one cried. They promised never to tell any of the boys because they couldn’t keep secrets. So the story of the smart gnu grew and grew in the family and is told even today, but only to the girls.
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