The Grumpyotamus Story by Tim Collings - Children's Stories Net


 
 
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  The Grumpyotamus Story
 
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This is the story of the Grumpyotamus who lives deep in the far dark corners of the forest. No one ever sees the Grumpyotamus, only the other animals who also live in the forest.
 
I can tell you that the Grumpyotamus was so grumpy that he didn't even speak to the other animals.
In fact the Grumpyotamus just shuffled around all day long staring at the ground; moaning and groaning under his breath, kicking at twigs and stones that lay in his path.
 
The other animals thought it sad that the Grumpyotamus was so grumpy.
They never really knew why he was grumpy; they just thought that that was the way he was.
Oh how they all wished they could help him to be not, or less grumpy.
 
As the story goes, we are led to believe that one day all the other animals in the forest decided to hatch a plan to try and help the Grumpyotamus to be not so grumpy.
The animals got together to discuss the situation,
Gathered all together it was drawn to their attention, by several birds that lived in the forest, that whilst flying around they had spotted other Grumpyotamuses living in other dark corners of the forest.
This really got the animals thinking.
What if they could get all the Grumpyotamuses to meet, maybe they would like that, they could all be grumpy together.
But what if they didn't, what if they were so grumpy that you could never ever get them to agree to meet in the first place, or get them to do anything at all for that matter.
It would have to be a cunning plan to get all of them together.
Would it be worth a try, you will have to read on and find out.
 
The Plan
 
So the story goes, with it being late in the night, all the animals were thinking of different ideas when suddenly there was a suggestion.
"Enticement," said one of the animals, do you know what enticement means?
There was lots of mumbling and murmuring coming from the other animals.
The out spoken animal explained.
To entice is to tempt, you know, like offering something that the Grumpyotamus would like.
At that point it all went quiet.
That would have to be food would it not, most animals are tempted by food!
So that was to be the cunning plan of all the animals, to try and entice all the Grumpyotamuses together by offering them their favourite food.
Of course the plan would need a lot more thought.
To start with, all the animals would have to find out what the favourite food of the Grumpyotamuses would be, would they all like the same, they hoped so, that would make it easier.
 
The enticement.
 
Now that a favourite food was to be used to entice the Grumpyotamuses, all that the animals had to establish was, which food would do the trick.
Did they even know what they would like to eat?
The answer to that was a big fat no.
Have you ever seen a Grumpyotamus eat they asked themselves, well they do rummage around in the undergrowth looking for things which you would think they might eat.
This was mentioned by several different animals, which was a good starting point.
What do the Grumpyotamuses find in the under growth, it would be up to the other animals to find out.
Talking amongst themselves it had been rumoured that they had been seen tucking into large patches of wild mushrooms that grow within the forest.
This would indicate that the Grumpyotamuses may have a huge liking for mushrooms and possibly could be the food that would tempt them.
All the animals would have to do is to leave a couple of wild mushrooms near to each Grumpyotamus and lay in wait and see how they would respond.
 
Lots of wild mushrooms were picked and taken to each area where they were said to be, including the Grumpyotamus that all the animals first thought to try and make less grumpy.
 
Well, I can tell you, as soon as the Grumpyotamus got a sniff of the wild mushrooms he was there like a shot from a gun.
The animals had never seen him move so fast, reports were coming in from other corners of the forest that the other Grumpyotamuses had acted in the same way.
It was a break through.
Grumpyotamuses just loved wild mushrooms and would do anything to eat them!
The animals had established that wild mushrooms would entice them.
So what next for all the animals? How will they get them to meet? You will have to keep reading.
 
The Trail
 
All the animals once again grouped together to finalise their plan.
All that remained was to think of a way to bring all the Grumpyotamuses together in one place, with of course the hope that they would like each other and become friends, then resulting in them being less grumpy perhaps.
It was a risk that had to be taken.
 
A simple suggestion was put forward.
Why not just lay a trail of wild mushrooms leading from each Grumpyotamuses domain to a central point?
This way they would eat each wild mushroom, one after the other and unsuspectingly follow the trail.
 
This really was turning out to be quite some cunning plan, wouldn't you agree?
 
Fairly central in the forest was a place called Woody Hollow.
It was a large grassy clearing which would be perfect for the Grumpyotamuses to meet.
It was agreed that this would be an ideal location.
So with all the wild mushrooms collected the animals began to lay the trails.
Starting from the middle they made their way to each Grumpyotamus laying the wild mushrooms about one pace apart from each other.
It took quite some time and a lot of mushrooms but it had to be worth it.
It was all getting very exciting.
With all the trails in place it was now time to sit back and wait for the Grumpyotamuses to hopefully take the bait.
As there was some distance between each trail the birds had suggested that they could circle around and keep a watchful eye on the progress, they had what you might call a bird's eye view!
It had become tense, were the Grumpyotamuses going to follow the trails, what really would happen if they all ended up at Woody Hollow?
 
The Coming Together
 
I can quite honestly say at this point, that the cunning plan was going to plan.
All the Grumpyotamuses, about a dozen of them, had found the wild mushrooms and taken the bait.
More reports were coming in that they were going mad for them, scurrying along with their noses to the ground making loud gobbling snorting noises as they gobbled the wild mushrooms up.
It seemed like they could not eat them fast enough.
Gobble snort, gobble snort, went the Grumpyotamuses as they approached ever nearer to Woody Hollow.
 
All the other animals were watching from a distance, so as not to make them suspect anything was going on, for they might scare them and ruin the plan.
 
Mind you, by the way the Grumpyotamuses were eating the wild mushrooms I don't think there was much chance of that.
 
The Grumpyotamuses were almost at the Hollow, but what none of the other animals had noticed was that the skies had turned black and the wind had got up.
There was going to be a storm.
Thunder could be heard rumbling in the distance, it was getting closer by the minute.
 
With that, the first Grumpyotamus came out into the Hollow, he looked around, where have all the mushrooms gone he must have been thinking.
Then two, three, four or more Grumpyotamuses appeared, they all stood still staring at each other, silent and surprised.
Soon they were all out in the open, they all looked very confused, for they were one minute scurrying along eating all the wild mushrooms, then the next they were all confronted with each other.
 
All the other animals watched on in anticipation.
I wonder if one of them will make a move and try to communicate.
 
The Grumpyotamuses started to approach each other, mumbling and grumbling, they seemed to be talking.
Was the cunning plan going to work?
 
Suddenly there was very loud clap of thunder, bursting the sky wide open, allowing the rain to come lashing down sending all the animals, including the Grumpyotamuses into chaos.
At that point there was a huge flash of lightening which caught a large branch of one of the many tall trees which stood on the edge of the Hollow.
'Crack!' it went, causing the branch to plummet into the Hollow below.
Two of the Grumpyotamuses ducked for cover under a large rock but the branch landed across it, trapping them beneath.
As the rain continued to lash down the other Grumpyotamuses had seen what had happened and went to their aid.
Some of the other animals were aware of what had happened, they also went to help.
 
Scrambling about in the muddy ground they could see that the Grumpyotamuses were unharmed, just trapped.
All the animals needed to do was to heave the branch out of harm's way.
The Grumpyotamuses all used their strength.
Getting their shoulders behind the branch they started to push; the branch was moving, "Keep pushing Grumpyotamuses, keep pushing," all the other animals were shouting.
They pushed the branch just enough for the two trapped Grumpyotamuses to scurry out.
They were safe, a bit shook up but no harm done.
 
It was a joyous moment to behold, as all the Grumpyotamuses came together and cheered, all the other animals cheered as well.
As the rain started to ease off, the other animals then explained to the Grumpyotamuses what they had been up to and how they had felt so sad that they were so grumpy.
But after talking to them it was quite obvious that the Grumpyotamuses were not as grumpy as they seemed.
They were so pleased that the other animals had worked so hard to try and get them all to meet; they thanked them over and over.
 
So the cunning plan had worked, the Grumpyotamus that the other animals so wanted to make not so Grumpy had found some friends just like himself.
 
So I can be sure to safely say that all the Grumpyotamuses are now living together, grumpily happy ever after.
 
The End
 


 
 
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