در گِل

CHAPTER TEN

In the Mud

Oh no! The loop is around the mother’s neck. But she is very strong. She doesn’t fall. She starts turning her neck left and right.

Bill is holding the rope, but he can’t stand anymore. He falls into the mud. The mother starts turning her body.

‘Help me, Jack, I can’t swim’ cries Bill.

‘Don’t be sad’ I cry. ‘Nobody can swim in the mud! It’s normal’ But Bill is sad. He is sitting in the mud. He is dirty.

‘I’m very dirty’ he cries.

‘Don’t be sad’ I repeat. ‘You can’t be clean in the mud! You must be dirty! It’s normal.’

At that moment Spotty’s mum stops turning her neck. She starts walking to Bill.

‘Bill’ I cry: ‘the mother is going to you! I don’t think she wants to make friends with you. Drop the rope and get out!’

Bill looks at Spotty’s mum. He is afraid. He drops the rope and wants to run, but he can’t. Now I am afraid for Bill. ‘Go under the mud’ I cry. Bill does so. Now the mother can’t see him. She walks out of the mud. Spotty runs to her.

They go to an acacia. The mother puts her long neck in the tree. She turns her head left and right. The acacia has got a lot of thorns, but they never hurt giraffes.

Now the loop is around many thorns. It gets big, and then very big. Soon Spotty’s mum takes her head out of it. She is free!

‘Hooray’ I cry. At that moment I can see Bill’s head above the mud. He is looking at me. ‘Hooray, Hooray’ I repeat. ‘You are here! You are OK!’

‘I’m not OK,’ says Bill. ‘I haven’t got my shorts anymore. They are there,’ and he looks down at the mud.

‘Oh, mummy, you are free’ cries Spotty. He is very happy.

‘Yes, I am. Let’s run away from here. It’s that strange animal again.’ They start running.

‘Is it a crocodile’ asks Spotty.

‘It can be because it goes under the mud,’ says Mother. ‘But crocodiles haven’t got long thin tongues. And they don’t catch animals with their tongues.’

‘I know, I know’ cries Spotty. ‘This is a very old crocodile. It has got no teeth. That’s why it catches animals with its tongue.’

‘I think you are right, my clever boy,’ smiles Mother.