Hippo and Bird - Children’s Story

Originally a bedtime story, written as I was reading Aesop's fables.

We often resist what God has meant us for, which leads to our own hurt. Whereas, if we follow God’s created purpose that will often lead others to grow into theirs as well.

Written By Rev. Philip Stonhouse

The hippo, gently drifting through the water, looked up at the sky. He saw birds swooshing in and out dazzling the sky with streaks of colour as their song danced upon his eardrums. He wondered what it would be like to fly. To be that free. To feel the wind on your legs as they walk upon the air.

At that very same moment, there was a colourful bird pitching on a nearby branch looking down at the hippo. She saw him float so gingerly and comfortably hugged by the water around him. She wondered what it would be like to really swim. To dive down and explore. To feel the water in between her feathers as she flew through the water.

Her imagination and the songs of her friends were interrupted by this deep rumbling bellow. It so shocked her that she almost fell out of the tree. It was the hippo.

Flying down without thinking, the bird approaches the hippo, “What was that?”

“I was just trying to join the song of the birds, but my voice doesn’t quite fit. What are you doing down here?”

“Well, I was thinking about taking a swim, but you are just so good at it”

“Oh no, don’t think of that, if only I could fly, I would leave this swamp behind”.

The bird was shocked this was no swamp, “With all of that crystal water, the plants and fish, how could you leave such a place behind. I would rather live in there with you”

They argued for much of the day until both were exhausted and needed to get some food and some sleep.

As they both went to sleep they decided they would ask the other for help.

Early the next morning the hippo arose and went to the pond, just in time for the colourful bird to hand on his back.

“Hello little birdy, I’ll carry you, if you carry me”

“That sounds like a fluttering proposition. What would you have of me?'“

“Could you try to carry me into the sky, so I can feel the wind at my feet?”

“Sure, you can’t be too much heavier than a nut”, but try as she might this little bird could not pull him an inch off the ground. “I don’t think I can do it. I am not as strong as I thought”

“And I am not as light as I thought. If you would like to swim how about I put you in my mouth and I can take you deep under the water”

“That sounds like a good idea. I can peak through your nose”. So she climbs inside and he closes her in to swim deep below the water. Only she can’t see anything or feel the water and soon the top of his mouth tickles so that he has to spit her out.

“Well, I guess I was wrong about me being able to hold you in my mouth”

“And I was wrong about seeing or feeling the water. Okay, I’ve got an idea. I often try to dive but can only go so far for the shortest time. Maybe, you can hold me down and that means I can experience being underwater. 

So the hippo held the bird in the water. The hippo didn't even notice at first but the bird started to tap on him until finally, she was flailing so much that the hippo noticed. He pulled her out. She was still for a few seconds before she coughed up water.

"I am glad you are alright. I should have warned you not to swallow the water"

She tries to speak, but her voice comes out a little horse, "I didn't realize I couldn't breathe in water like the air. My voice hurts now". She tries to sing, but only ends up coughing "I don't think I can sing after choking on that water"

"But you can still fly"

"I guess so"

"What about me?" the hippo said

The little bird thought for a little while. Once she shook herself off a little bit, "Well, I remember when I first learned to fly I just had to jump out of the tree and my wings caught me"

"I can't climb a tree. Would this ledge work?"

 "Let's try"

So the bird and the hippo walked over to the ledge. The bird showed him how she flapped her wings and used them to catch the breeze.

So the hippo moved to the ledge and jumped. Only it wasn't much of a jump and he ended up flopping over as he hit his bum on the ledge. He tried flapping his legs only they didn't flap that well and he landed hard on one of his legs. 

The bird flew over to him, "are you alright?"

"Ya, but I think I hurt my leg so I can't walk that well"

"But you can still swim"

"I guess so"

The hippo and the bird found their way back to the pond. The hippo floated as the bird sat on his back. 

The bird looked longingly at the water, "I guess I'll never swim like you"

The hippo looked longingly at the sky, "I guess I'll never fly like you"

"But the water is so special, it carries with it all of these plants and fish"

"But the sky is so special, it has those colourful birds and you can ride on it wherever you like"

"But the water it just carries you"

And so they went for half the day until finally, the hippo realized that the water was pretty special and the bird realized that the sky was too. Thanks to one another they were thankful for what they had been given and they told all of the other birds and hippos what they had learned. 

Still to this day if you see birds riding on a hippo, they are likely reminding one another of the joys of the sky and the sea.