Nicknaming animals
Once upon a time, there was a little black bear named Xiaopangdun (Chubby).
Xiaopangdun loved giving others nicknames.
He called the little monkey “Skinny Fur,” the hedgehog “Spiky Ball,” the little squirrel “Big Tail Whirlwind”… So everyone also didn’t call the little black bear by his name; they only called him by his nickname, “Chubby.”
One day, Xiaopangdun was playing by the river and met a bird with a big mouth fishing. They quickly became good friends, but after playing for a while, neither knew the other’s name. Xiaopangdun called this bird “Big Mouth,” and the bird called Xiaopangdun “Chubby.”
After playing for a while, Xiaopangdun had to go back. He said, “I have asthma, and it will flare up if I get too tired. When it happens, I can’t speak and feel terrible!”
Big Mouth said, “Don’t worry. If you have an attack, come to me. I know a kind of herb that can cure it, and it’s very effective!”
Maybe he caught a chill on the way home, because as soon as Xiaopangdun got home, he had an asthma attack. He lay on the bed gasping for breath and had a fever, feeling awful. Xiaopangdun suddenly remembered Big Mouth’s words and said, “Quick, quick, go get Big, Big, Big Mouth!”
Papa Bear and Mama Bear were very worried and quickly went out to find Big Mouth. Papa Bear brought back Big Mouth Frog.
The frog opened its big mouth and said, “I can’t cure asthma; I can only cure athlete’s foot!”
Xiaopangdun shook his head and said, “No, no, no!”
Mama Bear brought back Big Mouth Hippo.
The hippo opened its big mouth and said, “Is it a toothache? I’m a great dentist!”
Xiaopangdun was scared and said, “No, no, no!”
Big Mouth Crocodile, Toad, and Hornbill were all brought in, but Xiaopangdun said they were all wrong.
At this moment, Neighbor Goose Mama came in. She also had a big mouth, but Goose Mama knew she wasn’t the one Xiaopangdun was looking for. Goose Mama said, “Could it be the pelican that often stays by the river?”
Papa Bear quickly ran out, and soon Papa Bear brought back the pelican, who had a bunch of herbs in its big mouth.
“Yes, yes, yes, Big—no, Pelican!”
Xiaopangdun was overjoyed. After taking the herbs brought by the pelican, his asthma quickly improved, and he could go out again. Xiaopangdun found the pelican by the river and said, “Sorry, I won’t give others nicknames anymore. I’ll call you Mr. Pelican!”
The pelican politely replied, “Thank you, Little Black Bear.”
Short stories are shared for free on our ” Sitestorys “. Thank you for reading!
