The Giraffe

Once upon a time there was a giraffe with a short neck.

All giraffes had short necks at this time and it wasn't abnormal at all. The Giraffe lived in a jungle with all the other animals but few of the other animals were fond of the Giraffe as he was very nosy and rude and arrogant. If there was the slightest thing happening in the jungle, the Giraffe would now about it and be at the scene in an instant. That could have been a good and useful thing but the Giraffe was rather spiteful and could have found something sarcastic to say at the birth of a baby hippo. He always had a supply of snide remarks at hand especially.

For example, if the Crocodile's food managed to slip away at the last moment a conversation would between Giraffe and Crocodile would occur that would go a little like this:

"Stupid fish got away again!" The Crocodile would exclaim in his growly voice. "I'm starving."

"I'll bet you are." The Giraffe's scornful voice would say from the safety of the river bank. "Not much of a crocodile are you?"

The Crocodile, already in a bad enough mood, would then ask, "What do you mean, Giraffe?"

"Well," the Giraffe would explain with a disparaging sigh. "Look at you. You can't even catch a fish can you? I thought crocodiles were supposed to be fast, strong and scary."

The Crocodile would then rumbling sound in his throat, decide the Giraffe wasn't worth it and start back toward the bank where it would wait for more prey. "Shut it, Giraffe."

"Don't be getting snappy with me now." The Giraffe would retort with a maddening laugh as as he disappeared into the jungle again. The Crocodile would then be irritated for the rest of his hunt and be unable to concentrate on what he was doing. Consequently he would catch no food and get even grumpier. And it would be all Giraffe's fault for being such a churlish busybody.

One particular day, the Giraffe was on his way through the jungle, looking for something nice to eat. With it's short neck, the Giraffe could only reach low down foliage which was popular with other animals too and many of the Giraffe's favourite plant's branches had been stripped bare.

The Giraffe was just complaining to himself about how all the other animals where greedy pigs when he reached a clearing. However, this clearing wasn't as empty as many of the other clearings he had passed on his search; this one was could hardly be called a 'clearing' at all.

It was packed with what appeared to be half of the jungle's animals. There was Zebra and Monkey and Hippo and Wolf and Bear and Parrot and even Crocodile, plus many others. All of them were talking loudly over each other. They sounded panicky and Giraffe saw the perfect opportunity to be a bit spiteful and play with whatever was making them all so scared.

"Why have you all got your tails in a knot?" he asked as he joined their huddle. "Has someone got caught in Spider's web again?"

"Oh, go away, Giraffe!" Bear barked testily. "We don't want you here right now if all you're going to be is a nuisance."

The Giraffe didn't care what Bear or anyone else wanted and moved in closer. "I'm not being a nuisance. All I asked was what was making you all so worried."

None of the other animals listened to him, knowing any worry that may colour his words was fake.
The Giraffe was not only arrogant and rude, he was selfish too.

The discussion that had been in progress before Giraffe arrived started up again.

"I don't trust that thing," said Hippo anxiously.

"Neither do I." Monkey agreed. "I want it out of our jungle."

Wolf had his hackles raised and seemed to be trying not to snarl. "It looks Human ," he hissed in his scratchy voice.

By this time, Giraffe was losing his patience. He wanted to know what the fuss was all about.

"Let me see, let me see," he cried over the disorder Wolf's words had brought about. Giraffe shoved his way through the crowd that seemed to be circling something.

When Giraffe got to the front he initially took several hasty steps back, wishing he had never come across this clearing.

In the middle of the throng of nervous animals was a trap. It looked a little like a trap you might use to catch a bear, perhaps being the cause of Bear's extra fear, but less spikey. In the middle of the trap wall a pile of food. Giraffe could feel his mouth watering and tried not to drool - the food was what he had been searching for all day. He could only imagine how delicious it must be.

However, even Giraffe could tell what kind of trap this was. It was a Human trap, the worst kind. Many would rather be eaten alive by the summer mosquitoes than be caught by a Human.
Giraffe could feel the other animals watching him and knew he must look scared. He tried to toughen up - after all, he did have a reputation at risk here.

"Well," said the Giraffe. "Well, well, well. This appears to be a Human trap, I'd say."

"We had already established that," snarled Crocodile. "What we want to know is how to get rid of it."

"And Lion's lying low sick, so we can't ask him," added Zebra.

Giraffe thought for a moment or two. Nearly all his bravado had been swept away now. The fear of the others was infectious. Giraffe took two precocious paces closer to the trap and inspected it. Something was off about it but Giraffe couldn't think what.

"You know..." he announced after a minute, his bigheadedness swiftly returning. "I think this trap has already been set off."

"How can it have been?" asked Parrot. "If it had, the Humans would have already come."

Giraffe felt affronted by Parrot's lack of faith. "Maybe a small animal like one of Mouse's many relatives set it off but escaped. It looks like they're trying to catch someone big, so it's possible."

"That's ridiculous." Hippo said, shaking his head. "That trap could snap shut any second, Giraffe. Humans are using tricks these days to make it look like the trap has already sprung when it hasn't. Surely you know that."

Giraffe was feeling annoyed. He didn't see any of them daring to come near the trap and yet they were still doubting him. Stupid, blind animals. "I'm telling you," Giraffe insisted, "this trap has already been set off."

"No, it hasn't!" Monkey cried in a half exasperated voice but it was too late: Giraffe had already stuck his head in the trap to get food.

For a second it looked like Giraffe had been right but then there was an awful sound, almost like a door slamming and the next thing the Giraffe knew, his head was stuck in the trap he had just declared safe.

There was one moment of silence before Giraffe began to panic.

"Oh, no, help! I'm stuck!" He wriggled and tugged but nothing happened.

None of the animals came to his aid. Crocodile looked like he was trying not to laugh.

"Help, you blundering idiots!" snapped Giraffe. "The Humans are going to be here any minute and then I'll have no chance!"

A feeling of nervousness began to arise again at the mention of humans but still no one tried to help Giraffe.

"Why should we help you," said Hippo slowly, "when if the situation were flipped, you wouldn't help us?"

Giraffe made a nettled noise. "What are you talking about? Of course I'd help you."

Zebra laughed derisively. "Don't lie, Giraffe. You would think yourself far too high and mighty."

Giraffe struggled helplessly. His voice had lost all trace of sarcasm in the face of his fear. "This is stupid! You know I'd help you. Now get me out of here."

"No." said Bear coldly.

Giraffe was so shocked by the blunt denial that for a moment he stopped battling with the trap and stared. "What?"

"No, we won't help you." stated Bear. "Why should we? Like Hippo and Zebra said, you'd never do it for us. You wouldn't give two hoots! And besides, you're always being snarky and rude and a downright pain! It's just typical of you, isn't it? We told you not to touch it and what did you do? You went and stuck your head right in, just like al-" Bear cut off abruptly, his ears twitching.

There was an electric silence. Even Giraffe ceased his attempts at escape. No one seemed to be breathing.

Far off in the jungle, a twig cracked.

Humans.

The reaction was instantaneous: immediate uproar. The animals scattered, squawking and hissing and growling, vanishing into the dark shadows of the jungle in a matter of seconds.

"NO!" Giraffe yelled after them. "No, come back! Please!"

There was no reply and Giraffe became more desperate. His head already ached from being stuck in the trap, his neck ached from being stretched by his wriggling, his legs ached from being stuck in this awkward position and he could hear the Humans getting closer.

Well, at least I got some food. Giraffe thought grimly through his despair.

The Giraffe began to whimper somewhat and would have felt pathetic had he not been consumed with growing fear. The Humans were dangerously close. They were very noisy and Giraffe could hear them as well as if they were in the clearing now.

In a last ditch attempt to evade death, Giraffe tried Plan B. It was hard to concentrate with the advancing Humans but Giraffe tried his best. He stopped moving, dug his hooves into the ground, concentrated all his energy into his legs and tugged.

Giraffe's neck felt odd, like it was lengthening somehow and it was very, very painful but he kept pulling.

His head slipped out of the trap maybe an inch.

Well it worked!

But now the Humans were far, far too close. Giraffe could almost see them through the trees.

Giraffe's now near stifling terror lent him strength. With the the next tug, his head slipped out maybe three inches. Giraffe's neck still felt like it was a jumper arm being stretched.

Now Giraffe really could see the Humans, crazily close.

With one final agonizing pull, Giraffe's head was out of the trap. He staggered upright and panicked again. The ground was so far away, too far away. His neck felt.. wrong. What had happened to him?
Giraffe realised he had no time to contemplate this scary event as the Humans suddenly burst through the trees.

They stopped short at what they saw and stared up at Giraffe, their eyes wide and wondering. No one had ever seen a Giraffe like this Giraffe before - this Giraffe's neck was insanely, freakishly long. It's head was so high up that it was almost impossible to see properly. The Humans could not believe their eyes.

Their surprised pause cost them as Giraffe took his chance to run and had already begun to canter away through the trees, unable to believe his luck, his only desire to get as far away from the clearing as possible.

And from that day on, the Giraffe's neck was long and his spirit humbled.