How the jerboas got their long ears
“Grandma, do you know how the jerboas got their long ears?”
‘Emmy was sitting on my laps, asking me about all her questions in her curious little head, I was always very glad to answer them, seeing she smiling and nodding like she understood every word of them.
And because her dear mom passed away just after her birth and her father married a new lady then, therefore, Emmy now lives with me in my little wooden house.’
-Grandma Floss, 203 Hallam Street, London, England, 1825
“Long long time ago, when the animals were all new on earth, jerboas weren’t jerboas, they were a kind of rabbit which were tiny and got short and thick ears which helped them for hearing clearer and not letting the air come through their ears into their bodies during winters. Never the less, there was only one question, for being too small and tiny that no one could see them. This meant they couldn’t find any food themselves because other animals might step on them and they would die.”
“The rabbits were grumpy and very bad-tempered, but as they were jerboas’ closet relatives, they agreed to help them to find food. The great relationship didn’t last long; of course, the rabbit shooed them away from their houses one day and said that they could never, ever come back again.
All the jerboas were very disappointed and rather angry with their grumpy relatives.
They tried to get some food after that but it was almost impossible, lots of jerboas died because they were stepped by unknown magnificent animals others were injured by some spooky leaves. At last, the leader whose name was Max-the-Jerboa decided that they couldn’t keep doing this anymore, they have to think of something else, and so the jerboas won’t be decreasing fast!
On the very next day, he called all the jerboas to him and asked, “Thee can see, that our precious population of jerboas are decreasing, so we really need a courageous, fearless male jerboa to help us with this dreadful, desperate situation.” (with a very strong Scottish accent) “Where, where is the male, courageous jerboa, I want to see him!!”
After some while, a shaking hand poked through the silent crowd, his name was Jamie, a two-year-old jerboa. “oh my!”, said Max, “isn’t he our little Jamie!”
“Jamie’s my best friend in the village, I can’t believe he was a jerboa before!” Emmy cried loudly in my left ear. “But anyways, please continue the story, Grandma, I’m sorry for interrupting you and your fantastic story!”
So I did.
“Max-the-Leader told Jamie secretly in his cave what to do. Jamie was shaking hardly after every sentence Max had said. The plan was indeed tremendously dangerous and treacherous, but Jamie agreed because of not losing his friends, family and life.
Jamie started his long voyage to save the jerboas.
One freezing afternoon, as Jamie was trying to cross a terribly cold river in Finland, he reached out a foot into it, and shrieked loudly, “Ouch!!!” Then he stared intently in the river and saw a monster’s reflection, it was an eel-shaped dragon! The monster reached out its tongue and swallowed Jamie at once. Jamie sledded down, down, down, into the monster’s disgusting lungs, and into the liver, and the kidneys. Then, suddenly, he stopped and landed near by a humongous green rabbit.
“I’m never going to get out of here, no good, I have a enormous rabbit to face.” Jamie shivered as he thought.
“hi! Little jerboa! He patted Jamie on his shoulders with one strong hand. “Seems like you’re trapped in here! I see…”
Jamie didn’t dare to answer because he was totally petrified by the enormous rabbit standing in front of him like a stone.
“You are not talking, I understand, you are scared, of me.” Said the rabbit quietly.
“h-e-l-l-o,” Jamie’s words popped out of his mouth.
The rabbit smiled warmly and continued, “so, you want to get out of here, right?”
“Y-e-s.” Jamie replied.
“I have a way of getting out of here, I ‘ve helped a great many animals.” The rabbit muttered.
Jamie was filled with hope once again, his eyes began shining with light, “really? You really can help me?”
“Yes!” declared the rabbit, and then he looked thoughtfully, and said, “I know all about you and you situation, I’m originally a raboa, because my mum was a rabbit and my dad was a jerboa, that’s why I’ve got a jerboa’s body and a rabbit’s long ears. I only can help you if you let me do something on your ears. I do this for my mum to continue our rabbit’s special feature.
Jamie thought for a moment, and said, “Sure!” “but what?”
The rabbit smiled and quickly took out some very sparkly pink sparkles and spared them on Jamie’s two short ears.
Suddenly, they became longer and a lot thinner. Jamie was both amazed and surprised by the affect but felt asleep sooner or later.
Jamie was awake early, “Jamie, it’s time to get up!” his mum said sweetly downstairs.
“wait, wait!” He mumbled softly to himself, “Was it only a dream or what?” He scratched his ear, and just then, he realized that his ears were longer and thinner and that his body was a bit wet.
At that moment, he knew what he had to do, he ran fast downstairs and bumped into his mum, whose ears were long and thin and was holding a basket full of delicious food. He thought again, this time, with excitement and happiness “It was true! The raboa saved my life! And he sent me back!”
“This, Emmy, was how the jerboas got their long ears!” I finally finished the story and was desperate to get some water.
I then told Emmy to go to sleep and that she could ask me more questions tomorrow, I’m ready for them!
