The Loneliest Animal | Teen Ink

The Loneliest Animal

December 14, 2015
By martinsonj, Amery, Wisconsin
More by this author
martinsonj, Amery, Wisconsin
0 articles 0 photos 0 comments

The Loneliest Animal
Once upon a time there were two giraffes. They both were the tallest giraffes in their herd.  Both were out on their own, they had no families.  One day they found each other and decided to find a place to make a new herd.  They found this nice field right by water, so they could drink. 
They both went in for a swim because they found their new home. The girl giraffe looked at her new friend in happiness, but he looked at her with fear.  She saw him nudge his head in the direction behind her. She then turned around and saw a huge fourteen foot gator jump at them. 
They both were chased away into the Dark Wood Forest. The male looked at his new friend with a look of relief. They both decided that the Dark Wood Forest was the best place to start a herd.
  After many weeks of living, there giraffes started to show up with the urge to find a new home.  After a year of living there, the forest was filled with other giraffes. At this point in time the first two giraffes just had their first calf.  In his first few years he had trouble fitting in because of his massive height. 
When he was seven he got to the point where his antlers were starting to touch the thick leaves on the top of the trees.  He and his family grew worried that if he got any taller he would not be able to see his family because of the leaves in his way. 
At the age of eight he had been fully covered in leaves he couldn’t see anything.  He could hear the noises of his friends and family enjoying themselves. The giraffe knew he could try to make his way out of the forest but he didn’t want to leave his family. Even though he couldn’t see them he knew they were there. 
His family tried eating the leaves around his head so he could see, but the leaves were too high.  One night everyone in the herd met under him and started to discuss ideas to free his head from this dangerous lonely trap.  They decided they would try and make some sort of tower by stacking themselves on each other, but that quickly failed.  The legs of the giraffes in the herd were too weak and they couldn’t balance on each other’s backs.  Later that night his mom walked over to him and said, “Son you might not be able to see us, but you know were always going to be here.  We can’t imagine how hard it is, not being able to see us.”   She then walked away sobbing and then crawled into her bed made off leaves and slept.
  One month later, the tall giraffe started to feel the wind on his head, he screamed in happiness and tried to get his parent’s attention but they never answered.  He was so excited because he knew this meant he would be able to see something, for the first time in over a year.  That morning he tried to communicate with his parents but they still never answered.  He started to worry and cry but he remembered what is mom told him, they will always be there.
Night after night he felt alone, until one bright day he woke up and found himself staring at the open sky.  He was shocked, he was so happy he started to cry. But he now thought, “I’m farther away from my family.”
One night he woke up to the sound of thunder, but he couldn’t believe his eyes there was an owl and a squirrel sitting there having a conversation.  He cried out “hey you two can you see me.”
They both stopped their conversation and looked at him with concern.  The owl flew over to him and said “Sir, can you see us, because you can’t be real your too tall.”  The squirrel then followed his way over and rubbed his eyes in amazement.  They have never saw a giraffe that big.
“Why yes I can see you.  But how are you guys here, I haven’t seen an animal in over three years.”  Before they could answer the giraffes vision started to fade.  He could only see the the little creatures disappear in dust.  He then blacked out as he started to fall into the thick Dark Wood Forest.
He woke in a quick urge, he was trapped in some kind of wire.  He cried out in fear as he saw to tiny men approach him.  He quickly noticed that he was sitting in his mother’s leave bed, but there was a problem, his herd wasn’t there.  He cried out, “how could they have abounded me, I have believed all this time they were there but they weren’t. Mom how could you lie to me!!”  He then saw one of the men point some kind of gun at him, and shoot it.  He started to feel sleepy and passed out.
The giraffe woke up to the sound of his mother’s voice.  At first he didn’t open his eyes, because he believed it was just another allusion like the squirrel and the owl.  But there was something different he could feel her warm breath touch his neck.
He then opened his eyes expecting to be alone like usual, but he wasn’t.  He opened his eyes and saw his mom and dad staring at him crying.  He got up and hugged his parents, he then noticed his herd was all behind them to. 
“Mom, he screamed what happened, why weren’t you in the forest,” he cried out.
His mom then hugged him and said “I will tell you but first let’s walk.”  He then learned that after his head grew over the leaves, the herd started to starve, and a sickness fell over the other giraffes.  They all wanted to leave except his parents, because they didn’t want to leave there boy.  They convinced the herd to stay and weight it out.
But on one night, zoo workers started to show up, they took the herd over to a giraffe sanctuary.  His mom then told him how she communicated to the people too go back and get him. 
The lonely giraffe then hugged his parents and started to cry. He then realized his parents were always there, and he was never alone.



Similar books


JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This book has 0 comments.