Hippo Aru is acting a bit strange.
“Hippo Aru is acting strange!” said Crocodile Doji.
Hippo Aru usually liked to squeeze in with the crocodiles for a bath, but these past few days, he’s been staying far away, keeping to himself in the middle of the river, with just his little eyes peeking above the water, glancing here and there.
“Hippo Aru is acting strange!” said Baboon Old Papa.
Hippo Aru used to be very enthusiastic, greeting everyone with a big open mouth, but these past few days, there hasn’t been a sound from his cheerful voice. When friends run into him and greet him, he doesn’t respond.
“Hippo Aru is acting strange!” said Lion Weige.
Aru finally came back to join his friends, but everyone noticed he was wearing a big mask, covering his entire mouth. He wore the mask while running, while sleeping, and even while eating — well, for a hippo, that’s a bit tricky, but still doable, though it took some effort.
What exactly was going on with Hippo Aru? Everyone started to speculate.
“He must have pimples on his mouth and looks terrible.”
“I bet he’s got a cold and a runny nose!”
“Maybe he’s just trying to be cool. It’s normal for young ones to act a little different!”
…
But no one felt comfortable asking him, and Aru didn’t volunteer to say, even though it was just a thin piece of cloth.
The day after Aru put on his mask, it rained all night. When everyone woke up, some of the animals had caught a cold, with runny noses and non-stop coughing. Within two or three days, the cold spread like wildfire, and the sound of coughing could be heard everywhere.
Suddenly, the truth seemed obvious!
It must have been Hippo Aru who spread the illness. He was wearing a mask because he had a cold, so he must have passed it to everyone.
This really made them mad! Everyone blamed Aru.
“I didn’t catch a cold!” Aru firmly denied.
“Then why are you wearing a mask?” Lion Weige reached out and pulled the mask off Aru’s face.
At that moment, Hippo Aru’s whole big face was revealed. He looked surprised, his mouth half-open, and it was clear that one of his front teeth was missing, making him look — quite funny.
But Aru didn’t have a runny nose, and no one had ever heard him cough, so it was clear he wasn’t the source of the cold.
Everyone pretended not to notice Aru’s missing tooth. They gently put the mask back on him and solemnly said, “Sorry!”
But why did everyone catch a cold, yet Hippo Aru didn’t?
This time, the answer was easy for everyone to figure out. After that, whenever the animals gathered, they all wore masks just like Hippo Aru.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
