Daylight Isabella Chebet’s Student Story: The Giraffe and the Fox

Giraffe and Fox by Isabella Chebet is a creative retelling of a traditional village story by our Daylight 8th Grader Isabelle Chebet! It is one of many in “Under the Mukusu Tree” a collection of stories written by our 8th grade students at Daylight!

Giraffe and Fox by Isabella Chebet

giraffe-and-fox

Long, long ago there lived a giraffe and a fox. They were good friends. Whenever they got time, they would sit under a tree near the stream and pass the day happily talking on different topics, telling jokes and really enjoying each other’s company.

One day, when Fox was roaming around, he saw some beautiful, ripe grapes growing on a farm on the other side of the stream. Unfortunately for him, the stream was wide and deep, so it was not possible for him to cross.

The following day, Fox met Giraffe and told him about the sweet grapes he had seen on the other side of the stream. Giraffe agreed to take Fox across.

After crossing the stream, Giraffe and Fox trotted into the farm and started eating grapes. Fox gobbled down many grapes very quickly and then patting his full stomach, declared that he was so satisfied he must sing.

“I always sing after having my lunch,” Fox announced. “It is my habit.” Giraffe was surprised and pleaded with Fox. “Please, please, my friend. Don’t sing just now. Let me finish eating first. When we get back to the other side of the stream, far away from this farm and its owner, then you can sing.”

Fox paid no attention to his friend’s advice. Right away, choosing his favorite song, Fox began to sing. Well, it wasn’t long before the owner of the farm heard the music and came rushing over toward them with a BIG STICK. Fox was the first to see who was coming and ran quickly out of the farm, through a hole in the fence. But poor Giraffe was slower to find a way out and when the owner of the farm arrived, he found only Giraffe at the scene of the crime. He beat poor Giraffe until he broke his stick.

When Giraffe was finally able to limp away from the farm, he went to where Fox was waiting for him at the edge of the stream for a lift back to the other side.

Giraffe agreed to carry Fox on his back again, but this time when Giraffe reached the middle of the stream, he had his own announcement to make. “I have a habit too, Fox, and mine is to always take a bath after having my lunch.”

“Oh, no”, Fox cried out. “I am very afraid of water. Please good friend,” he begged, “before you bathe please carry me safely to the other side of the stream.”

But just as Fox had done in the farm garden, Giraffe paid no attention to what Fox had asked. Right away, he bent his knees and started rolling all around in the water. Poor Fox could not swim, so he sank into the stream and was never seen again.

Read more stories in “Under the Mukusu Tree” !

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