The Lazy Baby Elephant
故事全文
There was once a cute and playful baby elephant who lived in the forest. However, the baby elephant had the bad habit of being very lazy. He only got out of bed at noon each day, and no matter how his parents tried, they could not get him to kick this bad habit.
One day, when Mama Elephant woke the baby elephant to do some house chores, he quickly said,“Mama, I’m going out to play with my friends!”And the baby elephant ran out of the house immediately. He went to a pig farm in the neighboring village to play with some piglets. The piggy told the baby elephant,“We are the luckiest animals on the planet. We do nothing but sleep and eat all day. Come and play with us more often!”The baby elephant thought,“If I didn’t have such a long trunk, I could enjoy a relaxed and carefree life with the piggy.”
And so, he ran off to find Doctor Zebra to cut off his trunk. Doctor Zebra told the baby elephant,“Why don’t you spend a few days living with the piggy? After that, if you truly wish, you can cut off your trunk. The baby elephant thought the doctor’s words made sense. So, he covered himself in mud, and snuck into the pigsty. At first, the baby elephant was really satisfied with life in the pig farm. He did nothing but eat and sleep all day. He did not have to work nor was he required to take a bath. Slowly, he became as smelly as his piglet friends.
One week later, the owner of the pig farm came to the sty. He pointed at one of the piglets, and told his wife,“This piglet is plump and strong. Kill him and sell his meat in the market. We are sure to make a lot of money this time.”The baby elephant was terrified. He escaped after the owner left, and ran straight home. Mama Elephant told the baby elephant,“Where have you been? Your dad and I have been worried sick!”The baby elephant sobbed and told them what happened. Finally, the baby elephant said,“Dad, Mom, I will be a hardworking elephant from today onward, and never be lazy again!”
