Once upon a time there was an old and senile rhino. He always forgot
where he
put everything
even when he promised to remember. One day he forgot where his
fat, bulgy,
gray horn fell off. He asked almost all the animals in the deep,
green
jungle, “Have
you seen my horn?”
The first animal he asked was a wrinkly, brown elephant. “Have you
seen my
horn?”
The elephant trumpeted, “No, I haven’t. But you can try on my sniffly,
skinny
trunk.”
So, the rhino tried on the sixteen foot trunk.
“It’s too long!” he cried. “I keep tripping over it! Thank
you for trying to help,
but it’s no
use.”
Next, he asked a colourful toucan. “Have you seen my horn?”
The bird squawked, “No, I haven’t. But you can try on my pointy beak.”
So,
the rhino tried
on the pointy beak.
“It’s too sharp!” he cried. “I keep stabbing my foot whenever I take
a step!
Thank you for
trying to help, but it’s no use.”
Next, the rhino met a little, gray mouse. He asked, “Have you seen my horn?”
The mouse squeaked, “No, I haven’t. But you can try on my whiskers.”
So,
the rhino tried
on the tiny, twitching whiskers.
“They keep tickling my face!” he cried. “Thank you for trying to
help, but it’s
no use.”
Next, the rhino met a lumpy crocodile in the mucky swamp. He asked,
“Have
you seen my
horn?”
The crocodile snapped, “No, I haven’t. But you can try on my
wide, skinny
mouth with lots
of pointy teeth.” So, the rhino tried on the dangerous looking
mouth.
“It’s too scary!” he cried. “It will scare off all my friends!
Thank you for trying
to help, but
it’s no use.”
Then the crocodile said casually, “Would you like to join me for dinner?”
“No, thank you!” said the rhino quickly and he lumbered away.
Finally, the rhino met a travelling magician. He asked, “Have you
seen my
horn?”
“No,” said the magician. “But you can try on my nose.” So,
the rhino tried on
the human nose.
“It’s too small!” he cried. “It falls into the hole where my horn used to be!”
The magician said calmly, “Look in my trunk of costumes. There might
be
something that
fits you in there.” So, the rhino looked in the trunk and found a
horn.
He bellowed, “That looks just like my horn!” He tried it on.
“It fits just like my
horn!
Thank you. How can I possibly reward you?”
The magician mumbled, “Well?...............You can be in my magic act.
Come
back on Saturday
at twelve o’clock, noon.”
But the old and senile rhino didn’t remember. He went to the bakery instead.
He asked, “Have you seen my magician?”
................But
that’s another story!