Once,
on the African plains, there lived a moody rhino who was very easily angered.
One day, a giant turtle entered the rhino's territory unaware. The rhino
quickly ran over to the turtle, with the intention of getting rid of it. The
turtle was frightened and withdrew into its shell.
When
the rhino demanded that the turtle get out of his territory, there was no
discernible movement. The rhino was incredibly annoyed; he thought the turtle
was fooling him. So he started banging the shell to make the turtle come out.
No success, and his blows got increasingly violent. He whacked it with his
horn, sending the poor turtle flying in all directions. From a distance, it
looked a bit like a solitary game of football, with the turtle as the ball.
Quite
an amusing spectacle, it was, and a load of monkeys soon gathered close by to
enjoy it. They laughed non-stop at the angry rhino and his struggle with the
turtle.
The
rhino was so furious that he didn't even notice that they were there. On he
went, until he had to stop for a second to get his breath.
Now
that he wasn't bashing the shell, he could hear the laughing and joking of the
monkeys, who were making fun of him in every way you can imagine.
Neither
the rhino, nor the turtle - who had appeared from his shell -, enjoyed the fact
that a gang of monkeys was mocking them.
So,
they exchanged a knowing look, nodded, and the turtle went back inside his
shell. This time the rhino very quietly retreated a few steps, looked at the
turtle, looked at the monkeys, took a run up, and shot the giant turtle, with
such a good aim, that it seemed like he was using the monkeys as skittles.
The
'strike' against the monkeys turned that place into something of a casualty
ward for baboons. There they all lay, covered in cuts and bruises, and not even
a smirk crossed their lips. Meanwhile, off went the rhino and the turtle,
smiling like old friends... and while the monkeys were putting on their
sticking plasters, their chief realised it was about time they found a better
way to amuse themselves than making fun of others.
