The Hippo And The Hyena
Once upon a time, there were two unlikely friends, a hippo and a hyena. They had
been friends since a very young age, and visited every morning at the lake where the
hippo lived. The hyena would sit on the back of the hippo and the two would slowly drift
among the reeds and rushes of the lake, discussing various topics that interested them.
One day, the hyena suggested that the hippo come to the forest, and meet the rest of
the hyena family.
“Oh, no,” said the hippo. “I have never been that far from the lake. The most I have
ever gone is a short wander around the shoreline, looking for some tender grasses to
eat.”
“All the more reason you should come to the forest,” the hyena replied. “I’m sure my
family would love to meet you, and besides, you need a little adventure in your life. Isn’t
it boring seeing the same old thing everyday?”
The hippo had to think about that before he could answer. “I’m not sure,” he said
finally. “What does it feel like to be bored?”
“Well,” said the hyena, “boredom means you are tired of never having a change of
scenery. It means you never do anything different even though you’d like to.” The hyena
described the beautiful birds and flowers of the forest, and how it felt cool and luscious
to lie in the stippled shadows of a boibango tree while nibbling on a juicy mango. “I just
know you’d love the mangoes,” said the hyena.
The hippo was by nature a cautious animal, so he didn’t want to agree to the journey
without some consideration. “Let me think about it overnight,” he said. “Come back
tomorrow and I’ll give you my answer.” The hyena departed after saying that he would
return at the usual time on the following day.
The hippo didn’t know what the right choice was. On the one hand, he wanted to go.
On the other hand, he was afraid to go. He didn’t know any hippos who had journeyed
far from the lake. He asked the other hippos what he should do.
“You should definitely go!” said his cousin.
“You should definitely not go!” said his mother.
Some of the hippos didn’t even bother to answer because they thought it was such a
stupid question. They rolled their big hippo eyes, and wiggled their little hippo ears and
turned their broad hippo backs on him and pretended he wasn’t there.
The hippo stayed awake all night long trying to decide what to do. When the pink
dawn slipped above the horizon, he was waiting on the shore for the hyena. “I’ve
decided to go,” he said. It was a difficult journey, and the little hippo was very tired when
he finally returned to the lake at sunset. But for the rest of his long life, he cherished the
memory of the taste of mangoes eaten in the cool and stippled shadows beneath a
boibango tree.
Moral: If you want to experience the extraordinary, you must first step out of the ordinary.
