002 - New things

 It was late at night at the zoo. Everyone was gone, when the elephant trumpeted his rich trombone once. Both the porcupine and the snake fell off their perches, because they’d fallen asleep long before the last stragglers had left.

“I need to talk to you all about something!” I shout out.

The elephant trumped twice and suddenly all the animals at the zoo were facing him.

“It’s about the hyenas,”

And the hyenas began laughing.

“Exactly,” he rumbled, “they’re good at laughing alright, but they’re upsetting the porcupine babies.”

All the animals nodded.

“We’re here to help one another, nourish ourselves in whichever way we can, and I love it when we’re together, but this behavior needs to be substituted for something else. Any ideas?”

“Hoooo? Said the owl.

“The hyenas,” grunted the alligator

“What?” screeched the macaws

“Wake the baby porcupines!”

“Ooooo,” cooed the doves in the tallest trees.

And the hyenas were laughing again.

“I’ve never experienced this before,” said Mrs. Porcupine, huge dark circles under her eyes. “I’ve tried everything, putting them to sleep earlier, later, inside the cave, outside, under the umbrella … nothing’s working.” she cradled three of the prickly babies, and everyone winced.

“We all want to Laugh out Loud,”grumbled the lion,”but I’m in the cage next to them, and It’s driving me nuts.”

“Perhaps we could encourage the hyenas to take up needle point?” suggested the crane.

“Needlepoint?” cackled the hyena, falling over one another with laughter.

“Painting?”

“Singing?

“Wait!,” said …… “until harvest time, how about the hyenas rock the baby porcupines to sleep every night?”

“Yes! What a great idea,” roared all the animals together.

And peace and joy was restored at the zoo