The tallest in the forest was the giraffe — a neck so long her head nearly brushed the clouds! But she felt a little shy about it. Everyone else was short; why was only she so different? So she'd lower her neck and try to look small.
One day the lion king saw her and burst out laughing. "What kind of neck is that! A ladder?" Everyone nearby giggled along. The giraffe's neck drooped, and a tear trembled in her eye.
Then came a terrible drought. The sun blazed, the earth cracked, the pond dried to dust. Everyone fidgeted with thirst. The lion roared — "I want water! Right now!" But can a roar bring water?
Then the giraffe lifted her long neck high — higher, higher than the tallest tree! Far away, beyond the hills, something shimmered — water! "Everyone, come! There's water that way!"
The giraffe led the way, everyone in a line behind her. A little baby hare grew tired of walking — so she lowered her neck and lifted him onto her back. And soon — a big, glittering pond!
Evening fell. As everyone rested by the brimming pond, the lion came slowly up to the giraffe. Head low, voice soft. "I laughed at your neck… and yet that very neck saved us all today. Please forgive me."
The giraffe smiled sweetly. "I forgave you long ago. Come — from now on, let's be friends." Some are short, some tall; some run fast, and some see far.