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Excerpts from
The Allegaurus
The Chameleon and the Turtle
The Chameleon walked right into the Turtle. 'Oof,' the Chameleon announced. ‘Who put this rock here?’ 'Oof indeed,' said the Turtle. ‘Speaking as a rock, we do tend to appear out of nowhere.’
(Look where you are going)
The Chameleon and the Elephant
The Chameleon turned right into the Elephant. ‘Oof,’ the Chameleon declared. ‘Who planted this tree here?’ ‘Oof indeed,’ said the Elephant. ‘On behalf of all trees, we are devilishly difficult to spot.’
(Look before you change direction)
The Chameleon and the Kangaroo
The Chameleon stopped suddenly. ‘Owwee,’ the Chameleon cried. ‘Who dropped a brick on my tail?’ ‘Pardon me,’ called the Kangaroo jumping past. ‘Standing for all curiously flying bricks, it is hard to stop mid-air.’
(Look before you suddenly stop)
The Rabbit and the Bear (1)
The Rabbit went out for a hop and a skip, though it was far too cold for a jump, it being winter. Now the Rabbit wore little, as most furring animals do, other than its natural coat, and a tight Cloche hat. As the Rabbit went out, it was hit by the chilling breeze that blew through its fur and shivered down to its tiny paws, but it trudged on.
The Bear, who sat eating a stick of fresh winter berries, saw the Rabbit hop and skip by. ‘Why are you dressed in nothing other than your natural coat, but wear a tight bell-hat?’ Noted the Bear, who was less informed than the Rabbit on the names of fashion trends. ‘Well,’ said the Rabbit, ‘it is to keep me warm.’ ‘Is it working?’ Asked the Bear, tilting its head and grinning with purple-berry dyed lips. ‘No,’ replied the Rabbit, ‘It seems that it isn’t helping me much, though I know most body heat to be lost through the head.’
The Bear rolled over a little, being in a playful mood, yet spoke ever so wisely. ‘I don’t believe most body heat to be lost through the head, unless you are the Turtle wearing thick winter socks,’ the Bear pointed out. ‘Though indeed with your long ears it is certainly wise to wear a hat, I should imagine covering your whole body up, especially your tiny bare paws, would be better.’
(Body heat isn't lost through the head; unless you are the Turtle)
The Rabbit and the Bear (2)
The Rabbit went out for a hop, skip and jump, it being early autumn and the leaves so fun to jump in. Now the Rabbit wore nothing, as indeed it wasn’t so cold yet, but nothing was quite unordinary considering it usually went out wearing its natural coat.
The Bear, who was climbing a tree and reaching for a bee hive, saw the Rabbit jumping by below. ‘Why are you not dressed in anything, not even your natural coat?’ Asked the Bear, losing balance and tumbling down the tree trunk with an ‘oomph’. ‘Well,’ said the Rabbit, ‘it is because winter is coming. I shaved my fur to make it grow twice as thick before the cold winter arrives.’
The Bear, though still lying with legs in the air, spoke surprisingly prudently. ‘I don’t believe that shaved fur grows twice as thick, unless you’re a fir tree. I think when they coppice a tree more than one often grows back in its place, making a kind of stool that is very comfortable to sit in.’ The Bear said nodding and looking up to the tree branches over it. ‘I should think it would be best to shave if you don’t want your hair, and not if you do.’
(Shaving doesn’t cause hair to grow thicker; unless you are a fir tree)
The Horse and the plum tree
It was known for whatever reason that the Horse was often rather hungry, and partial to most vegetables and fruit. But then, who isn't partial, especially to fruit. There was a plum orchard that had had a bitter frost causing a poor harvest, leaving only one plum tree to fruit. And since all the animals were eagerly awaiting the plum pies that could be made there of, they were all being rather suspicious of each other.
So one day, while the Horse was out acanter, it saw the plum tree and decided to sit beneath it for a moment or two. But as the sun glared down, the Horse stayed in the shade of the plum tree and dozed off.
When the Horse awoke, all the animals were around it bothering and balling. 'You thought you'd just snack on a few plums didn't you?' They called. 'You've your eyes on our plum pies!' And the animals drove the Horse from their orchard.
(Avoid actions that might be misread)
The Wolf and the Carrion
The Wolf was sitting for tea when the Carrion came scavenging. 'I warn you,' warned the Carrion. 'I have sharp claws.' 'I see,' smiled the Wolf with its full mouth of teeth, 'If only I had something equally sharp.'
(Show your strengths)
The Cat and the Crow
The Cat was sitting for tea when the Crow came scavenging. 'I warn you,' warned the Crow. 'I have a sharp beak.' 'I see,' said the Cat showing it's soft paws, 'I suppose you can come closer, for I don't seem to have claws.'
(Hide your strengths until it is opportune)
The Finch and the Squirrel
The Finch, who loved to dine on the buds of the apple tree, one day found the Squirrel doing just that and leaving none behind.
'Why are you eating these buds?' Asked the Finch. 'Do you, as the Squirrel, not prefer nuts and seeds?'
The Squirrel looked up with its hair all dishevelled. 'Yup yup, nuts and seeds. But I buried them all and can't find them.'
The Finch thought for a moment. If it could help the Squirrel find its nuts and seeds, it would leave the buds well enough alone. 'Where do you think you buried them?' Asked the Finch.
'Maybe around here,' said the Squirrel running to one patch of soil and digging. 'No. Oh, maybe over here,' it said running to another patch of soil and digging. 'No.'
From then on the Squirrel just kept running from one patch of soil to the next until it was entirely exhausted and stopped. 'Well maybe next year you could...' The Finch began, but before it could finish the Squirrel jumped up and shot up the apple tree to finish its meal, and what's more, gave up on ever looking for its nuts or seeds again and returned to the apple tree every year, for it couldn't bury and lose that. Or so you'd think.
(Don't try to fix a fool)
But this is not to say that a story quite similar might not go quite differently in the end.
The Finch, who loved to dine on the buds of the apple tree, one day found the Squirrel doing just that and leaving none behind.
'Why are you eating these buds?' Asked the Finch. 'Do you, as the Squirrel, not prefer nuts and seeds?'
The Squirrel looked up with its hair all dishevelled. 'Yup yup, nuts and seeds. But I buried them all and can't find them.'
The Finch thought for a moment. Surely the Squirrel would recall by itself where it buried its nuts and seeds, and then would leave the buds well enough alone. So the Finch flew off to return later.
The Squirrel however, kept running around digging for its nuts from one patch of soil to the next, and with the buds in its mouth it seemed inexhaustible. If you had passed at that very moment all you would have heard would have been; 'maybe over here,' scuttle rustle. 'No. Oh, maybe over there,' scuttle rustle.
So when finally the Finch returned, it found one, at last, decisively exhausted Squirrel, one hundred holes in the ground, one huge mound of earth, and no apple tree. 'Where has the apple tree gone?' Asked the Finch. 'I don't know,' replied the Squirrel, 'maybe its over here,' and ran off to dig another hole.
(Try to fix a fool)
I suppose the solution is then to trick a fool into leaving your buds well enough alone, though heavens know how to do that.
The Loud Starling
Three baby Starlings sat in their nest chirping for their food. Every time mother Starling returned from her foraging, one baby Starling chirped louder and more enthusiastically than the others.
‘Because your chirping, mother Starling thinks you are so desperately hungry that she feeds only you. Won't you chirp a little quieter so that we might also get some food?’ Pleaded the other baby Starlings.
‘Why should I not chirp as loud as I can to get as much food as I may?’ Retorted the loud Starling, and it continued its chirping.
Finally it came to the three baby Starlings leaving the nest in their first flight. Out the nest hopped the first baby Starling, and fluttered away. Out the nest hopped the second baby Starling, and also fluttered away. Out the nest hopped the third, loud, and now quite fat baby Starling, and fell straight to the ground.
(Don't succumb to gluttony)
