Сказки / Fairy Tales. Уровень 1

Zebra, what’s wrong with you? When you were on the High Veldt, you looked different. And now you haven’t any form.’

‘Yes,’ said the Zebra, ‘but this isn’t the High Veldt. Can’t you see?’

‘I can now,’ said the Leopard. ‘But I couldn’t see yesterday. What happened?’

‘Come,’ said the Zebra, ‘and we will show you.’

The Zebra and the Giraffe got up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy[14 - the sunlight fell all stripy – свет пробивался полосами], and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy[15 - the shadows fell all blotchy – тень ложилась пятнами].

‘Now watch,’ said the Zebra and the Giraffe. ‘One – two – three! And where’s your breakfast?’

Leopard stared, and Ethiopian stared, but all they could see were stripy shadows and blotched shadows in the forest. Not a sign of Zebra and Giraffe! They just walked off and hid themselves in the shadowy forest.

‘Hi! Hi!’ said the Ethiopian.

‘Ho! Ho!’ said the Leopard. ‘Be a good student yourself!’

‘Well, if you tease each other, we won’t catch dinner,’ said the Ethiopian. ‘I want to take the Baboon’s advice. I must change. I have nothing to change except my skin. So I will change that.’

‘What to?’ said the Leopard, tremendously excited.

‘To a nice blackish-brownish colour, with a little purple in it. It will help me a lot. I will be able to hide myself in hollows and behind trees.

So he changed his skin then and there, and the Leopard was more excited than ever.

‘But what about me?’ said the Leopard.

‘Take the Baboon’s advice too. Just change. Change your skin. Do you want to get spots on your skin?’

‘What’s the use of that?’ said the Leopard.

‘Think of Giraffe,’ said the Ethiopian. ‘Or if you prefer stripes, think of Zebra. They like their spots and stripes.’

‘Umm, I don’t want to look like Zebra – never! I’ll take spots, then,’ said the Leopard; ‘but don’t make them too vulgar-big.

‘I’ll make your spots with the tips of my fingers,’ said the Ethiopian.

Then the Ethiopian put his five fingers close together and pressed them all over the Leopard. Wherever the five fingers touched they left five little black marks, all close together. You can see them on any Leopard’s skin.