22/02/2022 22:53 The Giraffe and the Monkeys | Fables To Grow On | Internet Story Club of America ™

The Giraffe and the Monkeys ©

From the land of Africa comes a most unusual story. A big giraffe
came
upon a family of very happy monkeys that were living in a

valley of
fruit trees. The giraffe, being quite tall, began eating fruit off
the top of
one tree that was as high as a house.

“Please, sir, don’t eat all of our fruit,” said a monkey in the tree.
“We would be
happy to share many different kinds of fruit with you, if

you will share with us.”

“What do you mean by the word share?” asked the giraffe.

“I’ll explain,” said the monkey. “This tree is a pear tree. But the

family next to us
lives in an orange tree. And the family next to them
lives in a plum tree. We
give some of our fruit to them, and they

share some of their fruit with us. That way,

everyone is happy.”
“Oh, that’s not so smart,” said the giraffe. “What if you don’t have

anything to give
to them. Do they still give to you?”
“Of course they do, because friends share with friends,” said the

monkey.
“It may be good for you monkeys,” replied the giraffe, “but not for

me. I am
the tallest animal in the world, and I shall continue to share
with myself.” And off he
went, eating more leaves and fruit.
But something frightening was coming. That evening, a powerful
rainstorm blew
over the valley, and there were flashes of lightning
and claps of thunder everywhere.
The giraffe tried to hide under the

tallest tree. But as he stepped under it, a bolt of

lightning struck the
tree.
A big branch suddenly fell from above and landed on the giraffe’s
head and
neck, knocking him to the ground. He didn’t move for a long

time. And when the

storm finally blew away, he slowly woke up. But
something terrible had happened.
He could not raise his long neck.
When he stood up, his head was hanging to the ground.

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22/02/2022 22:53 The Giraffe and the Monkeys | Fables To Grow On | Internet Story Club of America ™

Several monkeys saw what had happened and came down. “You
are in big trouble,
Mister Giraffe. How are you going to eat fruit and

leaves from the tops of trees?”

“I don’t know,” replied the giraffe. “Please, can’t you and your
friends help me?”
“No, I’m sorry,” said one of the monkeys. “We have rules. We only

can share our

food with those who share with us.”
“But what am I to do?” cried the giraffe.
“I don’t know,” answered the monkey, “but when you get hungry, I
am sure you
will think of something.” And the monkeys went back
into the tree.
It wasn’t long before the giraffe was hungry. But what could he

eat? He only saw

berry bushes along the ground, and the berries were
too small for his mouth. Then he
suddenly thought of something, just
as the monkey said he would. He picked up all
the berries he could
find and carried them to the bottom of the tree where the
monkeys
lived. He then looked up and shouted: “Hey, monkeys, can we be
friends?
I’ve brought something nice to share with you.”
Several monkeys came down and tasted the berries. “Oh, thank
you, Mister
Giraffe, these berries taste good. You have made us very

happy.”
“Gee,” said the giraffe, “I’ve never made anyone happy before—
except myself.”
“Well,” replied one of the monkeys, “now you know how it feels to
make someone
else happy.” And with that, the monkeys quickly ran
up the tree and began throwing
fruit and fresh leaves to the ground.
Before he could count to ten, there was more food on the ground than
the giraffe could eat.

Time passed by, and the giraffe’s neck became well. He could
once
again eat leaves from the tops of trees. But he decided to
stay in the
valley near the monkeys and share many
meals together, because
sharing
is what living is all about.

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22/02/2022 22:53 The Giraffe and the Monkeys | Fables To Grow On | Internet Story Club of America ™

When you share aplenty,

Your rewards are many.

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