Tall the Giraffe and the Little Bird's Nest

On the wide golden savanna, where the grass is tall, the sun is warm and the sky is clear and blue, there lived a young giraffe named Tall. Tall had a very long neck, longer than the necks of all her friends, slender tall legs, and a coat painted with big brown patches like pieces of cake. Her eyes were wide and shiny, and her eyelashes were long and pretty. Tall loved to walk slowly among the acacia trees, eat the soft green leaves from the highest branches, and look down at the whole world from above.

But Tall was not always happy with her long neck. On some days the young zebras played hide-and-seek among the bushes, and Tall tried to hide with them, but her head always stuck out above the bushes. The zebras would laugh and shout, "Found you, Tall! We saw you from far away!" And the little monkey, Hoppy, would jump around her and tease, "Tall, your neck is like a ladder! Can you see the clouds from up there?" Tall would smile, but inside she would think, "I wish I were short like them, so I could hide and play like everyone else."

One beautiful sunny morning, Tall was walking near a big acacia tree whose branches were very high. On the very top branch sat a little nest made of straw and feathers. In the nest lived a mother bird as yellow as the sun, with three baby birds whose feathers were still soft and grey. The baby birds opened their beaks and chirped, "Cheep, cheep, cheep!" while their mother flew back and forth bringing them little seeds. Tall stood listening to the lovely chirping and said, "What a sweet sound! It's like a morning song."

Suddenly a strong wind blew, and the branches shook: whoooosh! The nest tipped a little, and the smallest baby bird, named Chirpy, slipped over the edge and fell, flapping his tiny wings that had not yet learned to fly. Chirpy landed in the tall grass under the tree and cried in a weak voice, "Cheep... cheep... Mama!" His mother flew down quickly, stood beside him and tried to lift him with her beak, but he was too heavy for her. She fluttered around him, sad and frightened, and chirped loudly for help.

The animals heard the sound and came running. The zebras came with their black and white stripes, and Hoppy the monkey came swinging from branch to branch. "What happened?" asked a young zebra. The mother bird said, "My baby Chirpy fell out of the nest, and the nest is up there, so high, and I can't carry him!" The zebras looked up at the top of the tree and stood on the tips of their hooves, but they could not even reach the first branch. "We're too short, we can't!" said one of them. Hoppy tried to carry Chirpy and climb, but the bird was trembling, and the monkey needed his hands to climb.

Tall stood watching, her heart beating fast. She looked at the little bird in the grass, then at the nest on the top branch, and then at her own long neck. Suddenly an idea lit up in her head. "I can help!" she said calmly. All the animals turned to her. "You?" said Hoppy. "How?" Tall said, "My neck is long, and it reaches the top of the tree. I'll carry Chirpy gently and lift him up to his nest." The mother bird's eyes shone. "Really? Would you do that, Tall?" "Of course," said Tall. "That's what friends do."

Tall bent down very slowly, spreading her front legs so her head could come close to the ground. She looked at Chirpy with her wide eyes and said softly, "Don't be afraid, little one. I'll take you back to your mama." Chirpy was a little scared, but when he saw Tall's kind eyes he calmed down. Very carefully, Tall opened her mouth and held him between her soft lips, the way she would hold a tender leaf, without squeezing him at all. Then she raised her head little by little, her long neck rising higher, and higher, and higher, while all the animals held their breath.

Tall's head reached the top branch of the tree, right beside the nest. She gently placed Chirpy between his brother and sister on the soft, warm straw. The other two baby birds chirped with joy, "Cheep, cheep! Chirpy is back!" Their mother flew to the nest, covered her babies with her wings, then looked at Tall and said, "Thank you, Tall, thank you with all my heart! Without you, my little one would have stayed alone in the grass." Under the tree the zebras stamped their hooves on the ground: clip, clop, clop! And Hoppy jumped up and shouted, "Hooray for Tall! Hooray for the long neck!"

Tall lowered her head, her heart full of a joy she had never felt before. Hoppy came up to her, scratched his head shyly and said, "Tall, I'm sorry I used to tease you about your neck. Today your neck was the best thing on the whole savanna!" And a young zebra said, "Yes, we couldn't reach, but you could. Your neck isn't for hiding, your neck is for helping!" Tall laughed and said, "And I used to wish I were short like you. Now I know that each one of us has something special."

From that day on, Tall changed. She came to love her long neck and used it for many lovely things. She looked over the treetops and told her friends where to find the pond with the clearest water. She picked the high fruits and brought them down for the little animals who could not reach them. And when she saw dark clouds far away, she would tell everyone, "Rain is coming, let's go under the trees!" The animals began to say, "If you need something high up, ask Tall."

As for the zebras, they found a new game to play with Tall. They no longer played hide-and-seek; instead they played a game called "What do you see, Tall?" Tall would stand with her neck held high and say, "I see a big elephant drinking from the river! I see a pink bird standing on one leg! I see an orange sun going down behind the hills!" The zebras would laugh and clap, and Hoppy would climb onto Tall's back to see with her. And little Chirpy would chirp from his nest whenever Tall passed under the tree, "Cheep, cheep, good morning, my friend!"

A few days later Chirpy grew bigger and learned to fly. The first time he flew all by himself, he did not go far. He flew straight to Tall's head, stood between her two little horns, and sang her the most beautiful song he knew. "Welcome, Chirpy," said Tall with a smile. "You've become a big bird!" "And you are my big friend," said Chirpy, "and I'll sing for you every morning." From then on, Tall's head became Chirpy's favourite place to rest and sing.

And so Tall learned, and her friends learned too, that each of us has something special that God has given us: a long neck, fast legs, skilful hands, or a beautiful voice. These gifts become more and more beautiful when we use them to help others. So don't be sad if you are different from your friends. Look for the special thing in you, and use it to spread goodness and joy all around you.