Animal friendship story
At dusk, just as the sun set, the little mole Poki emerged from his burrow and came to the river not far from his door.
The river traversed the entire forest, and many animals lived along its banks. In the afterglow of the sunset, a breeze carrying moisture blew gently, refreshing and invigorating. Poki couldn’t help but take a deep breath—how comfortable it felt!
He then followed the winding path along the river, trotting happily all the way to the largest banyan tree in the forest. Uncle Capybara had set up a newsstand here, selling the “Great Forest Evening News” published by the Forest Newspaper, along with some snacks and daily necessities.
By this time, a group of animals had already gathered in front of the newsstand. Were they there to buy newspapers? No, they were there to listen to Uncle Capybara read the news from the “Great Forest Evening News.”
Little mole Poki sat a bit further away. He didn’t interact much with other animals and felt too shy to stay with the crowd. But sitting farther away was fine—his hearing was quite good!
Although Poki’s movements were minimal, Uncle Capybara still noticed him—this little creature always came after sunset but never missed a single day.
After a slight pause, Uncle Capybara shook the newspaper in his hand, raised his voice, and continued reading the news:
“After more than a month of pursuit, the Forest Guardians finally dismantled the rampant theft gang, led by the field mouse Blackbeard…”
“Rabbit Paul set a new record, achieving an eight-generation family. His son goes to school every day with his seventh-generation grandson…”
Uncle Capybara read the news with a broadcaster’s flair, his voice rising and falling. The listeners responded with exclamations, laughter, and sometimes applause when they heard something joyful.
This scene had been playing out for many days. As night fell, Uncle Capybara finished reading the newspaper. The animals didn’t leave immediately; they continued chatting in front of the newsstand, sharing snacks, some bought from Uncle Capybara and some brought from home.
“Listening to the day’s interesting news in the evening is such a delightful pastime!” exclaimed Mr. Crocodile.
“Hey, everyone, you used to buy newspapers to read yourself. Why do you only listen to Uncle Capybara reading the news now? Uncle Capybara can’t sell his newspapers anymore!” The starling living in the banyan tree raised an untimely—but good—topic.
“Well, my mouth is wide, and every time I read the newspaper, my mouth tears a big hole in it,” Mr. Crocodile said, somewhat embarrassed.
“I have a cleanliness habit. I always like to wash what I’m holding in water. The newspaper just washes away,” said the raccoon.
“For me, reading a newspaper is like a jumping exercise. I have to jump from here to there, and I can’t keep up with the text,” said the frog.
“I don’t want to move my body, hands, or even my eyeballs. Only my ears can listen,” said the sloth lazily, hanging in the banyan tree as always.
…
Everyone explained their reasons, which were strange and amusing, eliciting bursts of laughter.
Finally, Uncle Capybara beckoned to Poki in the distance: “Hey, little mole, come here. Why do you like listening to me read the news?”
Poki cautiously walked to Uncle Capybara’s side and whispered, “My reason is simple. I have poor eyesight and am sensitive to light, so I can’t read the newspaper clearly.”
“Haha, you little guy, no need to be so shy. You can sit closer in the future,” Uncle Capybara said kindly.
In the following days, Poki continued to arrive on time. He started sitting among the animals, listening to the news, laughing, chatting, and sometimes bringing freshly picked berries to share.
Life was simple and joyful. One evening, Poki came to the newsstand as usual to listen to Uncle Capybara read the news. Uncle Capybara’s expression seemed a bit grave. At the end, he said in a low voice, “Friends, today’s biggest news is that the ‘Great Forest Evening News’ will stop publishing tomorrow. Today is the last issue.”
Suddenly, the cheerful atmosphere froze, becoming particularly heavy. Why was this happening?
It was actually predictable. Newspaper sales were not good. Printing newspapers required cutting down many trees, which was a significant destruction for the animals living in the forest. Although they gave various reasons for not buying newspapers, a large part of the reason was to prevent the forest from losing more trees.
There was no lively chat, and the atmosphere became gloomy. One by one, the animals left. Poki returned home in low spirits and didn’t go out for several days.
One evening, after dinner, Poki sat by the river in front of his door, deep in thought. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice from the banyan tree: “Welcome to ‘Capybara News.'”
It was indeed Uncle Capybara. Poki jumped up and ran to the banyan tree. Everyone was there, but the newsstand was not open, and Uncle Capybara was not present. A large speaker had been set up on the newsstand, and Uncle Capybara was broadcasting the forest news.
After the ‘Great Forest Evening News’ stopped publishing, the forest newspaper established a new forest radio station. Through surveys, they found that animals loved listening to Uncle Capybara read the news, so they created a program called ‘Capybara News.’ They believed the show would bring significant advertising revenue to the radio station.
The animals sat around the newsstand as usual, quietly listening to Uncle Capybara deliver the news, smiles returning to their faces…
Late at night, the animals left one by one, returning home. Poki strolled along the riverbank, enjoying the cool breeze and fresh air. The forest radio station was playing its final program, a lullaby by crickets, the soft music drifting through the forest…
Good night, beautiful night! Good night, friends, until we meet again tomorrow night!
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
