Donkey's Song By Pete Donald
“Yes, yes I understand, two of every animal, this Saturday, 5 o’clock on the dot.” Noah stopped staring upwards and whilst rubbing the back of his neck he turned to his wife.
“I do wish we didn’t have such long conversations. It gives me such a crick in the neck. Anyway, the news is that the rain is on its way and nothing’s going to stop him. His mind is so made up. But first he wants us to round up a pair of each animal, all of them, from Aardvark to Zebra, but especially Unicorn.”
Unicorns were the supreme creatures. They were the most honoured hunters, with the most fabulous fur and sensational singing voices. But the Unicorns had enemies, enemies that envied their many talents and splendour. News of the impending flood spread throughout the animal kingdom and three such enemies plotted to stop any Unicorns from boarding Noah’s great boat.
Hippopotamus preened its fine fur, a fur ten times softer than Sable, more magnificent than Mink but unfortunately not as nice as Unicorn.
“Will you stop doing that!” cried out Donkey.
Even when annoyed, Donkey’s voice was like velvet, with perfect pitch, so that when Donkey sang the world listened. But when Unicorn sang the world stopped.
“Why are you always preening yourself,” added Donkey.
“How else do you think this fur stays like this? Got to keep it in its best condition. Pass over that Aloe Vera plant, my face is feeling a bit dry,” said Hippopotamus.
Donkey looked up into the sky, “Oh good, now we can get started.”
With the sun at its back a majestic bird of prey swooped down and perched on the branch of a nearby tree. In its claws was a fish, which it quickly made short work of.
“Thank you for joining us Penguin” said Donkey, “hope we didn’t interrupt your dinner.”
“Don’t worry,” sneered the Penguin as it stretched out it’s expansive wing span and readjusted some of the feathers, “there’s plenty more fish in the sea.”
Donkey continued, “Now we know that it should be us who are lauded on this planet as the greatest creatures alive. You, Penguin, should be the most feared predator and Hippopotamus, you the most handsome animal. Whilst I should make all who hear me weep for the beauty in my voice. But oh no, we have to play second fiddle to that, that, be-the-best-at-everything, Unicorn. Well with this down pour imminent I think it’s the perfect opportunity to do something about it.”
“What are you going to do?” asked Hippopotamus.
“Leave that to me,” replied Donkey “you two just make sure you’re onboard the boat with your partners.”
The next day the head Unicorn was out grazing in the fields when Donkey came trotting past, whistling a wonderful tune.
“What’s that fabulous tune?” asked the Unicorn.
“You know, I don’t know,” said Donkey “I just heard it the other day and I can’t get it out of my head.”
The following day Donkey again deliberately found the head Unicorn and strolled passed, this time humming the same melody.
“Just what is that remarkable song?” asked the Unicorn.
“You know, I don’t know,” said Donkey “I just heard it in the market place and I can’t get it out of my head.”
On the third day Donkey again sauntered passed the head Unicorn this time singing la la la to the same song.
“It’s no good I must know more about this song,” said the Unicorn. “You must tell me what it is.”
“All I can say,” started Donkey, “is that I heard it again in the market place, sung by a group of travellers, who I fear have now left our lands and headed into the plains, far far away from the mountains. You know, I think that if you were to go there you might just find them.”
“But I can’t, tomorrow, the flood, the ark. There is no way we would make be back in time.” The head Unicorn sighed, “There is nothing else for it. This will have to be Donkey’s song.”
“Oh,” Donkey thought quickly, “didn’t you hear, the builders have ran out of wood so the flood has been put back until Sunday. It gives Noah more time to get his act together or you could say get his ark together”. Donkey laughed at his own joke.
“That is the greatest news Donkey, I will go now and I will take all my kin, for this song must be sung by all Unicorns. Thank you for your kindness Donkey.” And with that the head Unicorn excitedly trotted off. An evil smirk stretched across Donkey’s face.
The next day was Saturday.
All day Noah searched for the Unicorns, but could not find any of them. As the time drew nearer the rain stated to fall, the deluge had commenced, so with a heavy heart Noah closed the doors of the Ark.
Donkey, Hippopotamus and Penguin all looked at each other with satisfied grins. As the water level rose, so that even the tips of the mountains disappeared from view, the grins broke into sneers and finally vile snorts and cackles filled the air, much to the other animals shock and dismay.
“Our work is done,” said Donkey, “let us sleep and await our lives in the new world.”
After forty days and forty nights Noah knew that he needed to send a bird to look for land and the perfect choice would be Penguin. He went to stir Penguin but was stunned by what he saw. Where once there had been two wonderful wings there were now but two short stumps. Penguin stared in disbelief and tried to flap these excuses for wings. Penguin’s wife looked at her own shrunken wings and started to try to flap her own, but the two of them just looked comical and all the other birds started to laugh.
The noise woke up the Hippopotamus who looked at the Penguins and were about to laugh when they suddenly felt the cold wind whipping at their skin. Skin! Where was their fabulous fur? The answer was all around on the ground as pieces of fur danced in the breeze. The Hippopotamus skin had already begun to harden as it reacted to the elements and they ran to hide in the shadows, the other animals laughing at their predicament.
Donkey had seen all this and had managed to stifle a giggle when the Penguins had lost their wings. But the misfortune that had befallen the Hippopotamus was too much and Donkey started to laugh, and laugh and laugh. All of sudden, Donkey’s delicate crystal-tinkling laugh disappeared and it became a loud BRAY.
Everyone on the Ark stopped and stared at the source of the horrible noise. Donkey opened its mouth again and brayed and brayed and brayed.
And from that time and everyday since when a Donkey opens its mouth, it hopes to hear again its original wonderful voice and one day who knows.
Copyright Pete Donald 2011
http://www.feedbooks.com/userbook/22315/donkey-s-song to download
“I do wish we didn’t have such long conversations. It gives me such a crick in the neck. Anyway, the news is that the rain is on its way and nothing’s going to stop him. His mind is so made up. But first he wants us to round up a pair of each animal, all of them, from Aardvark to Zebra, but especially Unicorn.”
Unicorns were the supreme creatures. They were the most honoured hunters, with the most fabulous fur and sensational singing voices. But the Unicorns had enemies, enemies that envied their many talents and splendour. News of the impending flood spread throughout the animal kingdom and three such enemies plotted to stop any Unicorns from boarding Noah’s great boat.
Hippopotamus preened its fine fur, a fur ten times softer than Sable, more magnificent than Mink but unfortunately not as nice as Unicorn.
“Will you stop doing that!” cried out Donkey.
Even when annoyed, Donkey’s voice was like velvet, with perfect pitch, so that when Donkey sang the world listened. But when Unicorn sang the world stopped.
“Why are you always preening yourself,” added Donkey.
“How else do you think this fur stays like this? Got to keep it in its best condition. Pass over that Aloe Vera plant, my face is feeling a bit dry,” said Hippopotamus.
Donkey looked up into the sky, “Oh good, now we can get started.”
With the sun at its back a majestic bird of prey swooped down and perched on the branch of a nearby tree. In its claws was a fish, which it quickly made short work of.
“Thank you for joining us Penguin” said Donkey, “hope we didn’t interrupt your dinner.”
“Don’t worry,” sneered the Penguin as it stretched out it’s expansive wing span and readjusted some of the feathers, “there’s plenty more fish in the sea.”
Donkey continued, “Now we know that it should be us who are lauded on this planet as the greatest creatures alive. You, Penguin, should be the most feared predator and Hippopotamus, you the most handsome animal. Whilst I should make all who hear me weep for the beauty in my voice. But oh no, we have to play second fiddle to that, that, be-the-best-at-everything, Unicorn. Well with this down pour imminent I think it’s the perfect opportunity to do something about it.”
“What are you going to do?” asked Hippopotamus.
“Leave that to me,” replied Donkey “you two just make sure you’re onboard the boat with your partners.”
The next day the head Unicorn was out grazing in the fields when Donkey came trotting past, whistling a wonderful tune.
“What’s that fabulous tune?” asked the Unicorn.
“You know, I don’t know,” said Donkey “I just heard it the other day and I can’t get it out of my head.”
The following day Donkey again deliberately found the head Unicorn and strolled passed, this time humming the same melody.
“Just what is that remarkable song?” asked the Unicorn.
“You know, I don’t know,” said Donkey “I just heard it in the market place and I can’t get it out of my head.”
On the third day Donkey again sauntered passed the head Unicorn this time singing la la la to the same song.
“It’s no good I must know more about this song,” said the Unicorn. “You must tell me what it is.”
“All I can say,” started Donkey, “is that I heard it again in the market place, sung by a group of travellers, who I fear have now left our lands and headed into the plains, far far away from the mountains. You know, I think that if you were to go there you might just find them.”
“But I can’t, tomorrow, the flood, the ark. There is no way we would make be back in time.” The head Unicorn sighed, “There is nothing else for it. This will have to be Donkey’s song.”
“Oh,” Donkey thought quickly, “didn’t you hear, the builders have ran out of wood so the flood has been put back until Sunday. It gives Noah more time to get his act together or you could say get his ark together”. Donkey laughed at his own joke.
“That is the greatest news Donkey, I will go now and I will take all my kin, for this song must be sung by all Unicorns. Thank you for your kindness Donkey.” And with that the head Unicorn excitedly trotted off. An evil smirk stretched across Donkey’s face.
The next day was Saturday.
All day Noah searched for the Unicorns, but could not find any of them. As the time drew nearer the rain stated to fall, the deluge had commenced, so with a heavy heart Noah closed the doors of the Ark.
Donkey, Hippopotamus and Penguin all looked at each other with satisfied grins. As the water level rose, so that even the tips of the mountains disappeared from view, the grins broke into sneers and finally vile snorts and cackles filled the air, much to the other animals shock and dismay.
“Our work is done,” said Donkey, “let us sleep and await our lives in the new world.”
After forty days and forty nights Noah knew that he needed to send a bird to look for land and the perfect choice would be Penguin. He went to stir Penguin but was stunned by what he saw. Where once there had been two wonderful wings there were now but two short stumps. Penguin stared in disbelief and tried to flap these excuses for wings. Penguin’s wife looked at her own shrunken wings and started to try to flap her own, but the two of them just looked comical and all the other birds started to laugh.
The noise woke up the Hippopotamus who looked at the Penguins and were about to laugh when they suddenly felt the cold wind whipping at their skin. Skin! Where was their fabulous fur? The answer was all around on the ground as pieces of fur danced in the breeze. The Hippopotamus skin had already begun to harden as it reacted to the elements and they ran to hide in the shadows, the other animals laughing at their predicament.
Donkey had seen all this and had managed to stifle a giggle when the Penguins had lost their wings. But the misfortune that had befallen the Hippopotamus was too much and Donkey started to laugh, and laugh and laugh. All of sudden, Donkey’s delicate crystal-tinkling laugh disappeared and it became a loud BRAY.
Everyone on the Ark stopped and stared at the source of the horrible noise. Donkey opened its mouth again and brayed and brayed and brayed.
And from that time and everyday since when a Donkey opens its mouth, it hopes to hear again its original wonderful voice and one day who knows.
Copyright Pete Donald 2011
http://www.feedbooks.com/userbook/22315/donkey-s-song to download