children’s story about Tiger: The Elusive Tiger
In the forest, there was a tiger named Bernard. Bernard was different from his friends; he had fewer stripes than they did. He felt this made him less attractive, so he decided to divert others’ attention away from this flaw.
But how could he divert their attention? This puzzled Bernard quite a bit. He learned to speak in such a vague and roundabout way that it made him difficult to understand. This way, others would be so focused on trying to figure out what he was saying that they wouldn’t have time to notice his stripes.
However, Bernard encountered a new problem: his words were so elusive that no one could understand him. What was he to do now? Fortunately, there was a clever little mouse named Maurice who could understand Bernard’s meaning. So, Bernard asked Maurice to be his interpreter. From then on, Maurice and Bernard became inseparable companions.
One day, Bernard and Maurice went to town. On the wide road outside the town, they met a red fox walking towards them. The fox, preoccupied with his thoughts, accidentally bumped into Bernard.
“Sorry,” said the fox apologetically.
“I am extremely pleased to inform you, Mr. Fox,” Bernard said, “that your behavior has been pardoned.”
“Huh?” The fox, confused, couldn’t quite understand what Bernard meant.
“What he means is that we forgive you,” Maurice explained.
“Oh, oh!” exclaimed the fox, both surprised and relieved, completely unaware of Bernard’s stripes. “I’ve never heard such an elusive statement.”
At the corner, Bernard and Maurice met a street musician playing by the roadside.
“Good morning!” The musician paused his performance and greeted Bernard and Maurice warmly.
“Ah!” Bernard responded, “Your music has lit up my life like a thousand fireworks exploding at once.”
The musician, bewildered, had no idea what he was talking about.
Maurice quickly explained, “My friend means that your music is beautiful, and he appreciates it very much.”
“Oh, oh,” said the musician, “You truly are an unforgettable tiger.”
Bernard’s eyes shone with happiness, and his stripes seemed to widen and become more beautiful. He and Maurice continued walking, and before long, two children jumped out from behind a grove of trees.
“Hey!” the children shouted.
“The decibels you have produced have startled me!” Bernard shouted back.
“Your friend talks funny,” one of the children said to Maurice. “I don’t understand what he’s saying.”
Maurice explained, “My friend means you scared him.”
“Oh, I see.” The child smiled at Bernard. “You’re a tiger who sure knows how to talk.”
During this time, the other child remained silent. Bernard began to worry again, fearing the boy was counting his stripes.
“Your silence makes me feel very mysterious,” Bernard told him.
The boy didn’t understand the meaning behind Bernard’s words and stared at him blankly.
“My friend wants to know what you’re thinking,” the perceptive Maurice told the boy.
“You speak in such an interesting way; I’m counting how many amazing words you’ve used,” the boy said.
“Your flattery is gratefully accepted,” Bernard said.
“My friend means to say thank you,” Maurice said.
Then they said goodbye to the two children and continued walking forward. After arriving in town, Maurice went into a store to buy something, while Bernard waited outside. He noticed the townspeople looking at him curiously. He suspected they were discussing his stripes, but that wasn’t the case.
“That’s the tiger who speaks in such an elusive manner,” Bernard heard someone say. Soon, a large crowd gathered around him.
“Say something! Say something!” They clapped and cheered at Bernard.
Bernard was about to speak when he suddenly noticed the store Maurice had entered was on fire. The customers were all running out, but Maurice hadn’t come out with them. Bernard immediately started running toward the store, but before he could get far, people blocked his way.
“The fire will surely harm my friend! This is certain!” Bernard shouted.
“Well said!” The crowd was too busy applauding Bernard to notice that Maurice was in danger.
Bernard tried to push through the crowd again. “We need to obtain liquid to extinguish the flames! This is the most effective method!”
“Brilliantly said!” the crowd exclaimed, but none of them truly understood that Bernard meant they needed to fetch water to put out the fire.
In this critical moment, Bernard knew what he had to do—even if it meant people might notice his stripes.
“Fire!” he called out clearly and simply, “Fire!”
This time, everyone understood him. Maurice was saved.
“Thank you!” Maurice said gratefully to Bernard.
“You’re welcome,” Bernard replied simply.
A store owner approached Bernard and said, “I just noticed your stripes.”
Bernard hung his head, nearly in tears from embarrassment.
“Your stripes are beautiful!” the store owner said. “I was so focused on listening to you talk that I didn’t even notice them.”
Bernard gratefully bowed to him, and then he began to study his reflection in the store’s glass window. He realized that his stripes were unique to him, one-of-a-kind, and truly special! Suddenly, he felt a joy like never before, as if a rose had blossomed in his heart.
“From now on, I’m going to speak in the simplest language,” Bernard told Maurice, “and I like my stripes now.”
“That’s a great idea, so you won’t need a translator anymore?” Maurice asked, a bit worried.
“Yes, I won’t need a translator anymore,” Bernard said with a smile, “but I still need a friend.”
Reflection:
How difficult is it to keep others from noticing our flaws? Bernard the tiger went to great lengths to cover up his less attractive stripes. When his friend was in danger, Bernard had to speak plainly. His sincerity and kindness won him everyone’s praise, and made his stripes more beautiful, helping him regain his confidence and happiness.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
