Pavel the Giraffe Throws a Party!
-A Sequel to "How the Giraffe Got Its Long Neck"-
It had been only a few weeks since the giraffes of the savannah were changed for the better. The additional length to their necks made it easier for the once short creatures to reach the tastiest leaves of the trees.
Being the first long-necked giraffe in existance, Pavel's neck still lingered above the rest of his herd's heads. Until his death, his neck would serve as a reminder to everyone that he was the giraffe who made a difference.
Overcome with joy at his herd's transformation, Pavel wanted to a throw a party for everyone. He gathered the sweetest, most flavor-filled leaves of the tallest trees and tossed them into a large pile that was almost as big as him. The location of the pile was right next to a small spring filled with the sweetest water in the area. Pavel cleared the small area of its tall grasses and formed a nice, flat, socializing area. Everything was ready.
He giddily gallopped to the rest of his herd, excitedly telling them about the party he had planned and set up earlier in the day.
"A party, you say?" One of the older members of the herd spoke, "Well, I'd love to come!"
The rest of the giraffes chimed in and with Pavel leading the way, the party began.
Everyone loved the taste of the leaves Pavel had gathered. They had never been able to reach such sweet leaves, not even with their extended necks. They slurped up the springwater, ate, and had a grand time. When the sun began to set, fireflies made their way out of the grasses and lit up the area, inviting the giraffes to dance around them.
The night went on, the giraffes dancing their hooves off, and all too soon it was over.
Pavel thanked everyone for coming and bid them a good night, glad that they all enjoyed themselves so much.
The next day, Pavel woke up to the sound of three young giraffes galloping towards him. He yawned and stood up, smiling to greet them. They appeared to be about the same age as him.
"Are you having another party tonight, Pavel? That was so much fun! And the food was amazing!" One of the giraffes exclaimed.
Pavel hesitated, "Well, I wasn't planning on it." He considered it, smiled and said, "I guess I could. One more couldn't hurt. It was a lot of fun."
"Great!" They cheered and ran back to their other friends.
Pavel sighed and went to collect more of the sweet upper-tree leaves. If he was going to have a party, the food might as well be as good as before!
So, he spent the day plucking off branch after branch of leaves until he accumulated the same size of a pile as he had before. The sweet water from the spring still flowed in a gentle pattern, so there would still be enough to drink. He trampled down a larger area for socializing, having greatly underestimated the quantity of his herd that would be there. By late afternoon, everything was organized. The giraffes of the herd galloped towards him and immediately started to eat the food provided.
As the night before, everything was going smoothly. The moon came out, luminating the makeshift dance floor as the fireflies waltzed out of the nearby tall grass. The giraffes danced into the night until they could not dance any longer. Then, thoroughly exhausted, they quietly thanked Pavel and headed home.
Once the area had cleared, Pavel sighed and will a small smile he said, "Well, at least everyone had a good time." He quietly cleaned up the pile of twigs and branches that were left behind from his now-deceased pile of sweet leaves. Thoroughly tired himself, Pavel then headed to bed.
In the morning, Pavel awoke to the bright glare of the sun in his eyes. He must have overslept. Normally, he was up by dawn, but the sun was well into the sky then. He stretched and attempted to rid his mouth of that awful morning taste --- unsuccessfully.
He walked to a nearby tree and ate a few sweet leaves from the top for breakfast.
A few members of his herd noticed him and smiled, walking over to him. Pavel swallowed his leaf and smiled at his herd members. "How are you today?" He asked them.
"We're good. We are rather sore though. We danced the night away!"
Pavel laughed, "Yes, yes. Many of you did, including myself."
"You are having another party tonight, right?" They asked, hope gleaming in their eyes.
Pavel's eyes widened, "I...was not planning on it, bu-."
"Oh, come on, Pavel! Lighten up! Everyone has a great time at your parties! Don't you want everyone to have a good time?"
And so that was that. They had convinced him. And for the next five days, they continued to convince him. Day after day, Pavel woke up, gathered sweet leaves, trampled a dance floor, and hosted a party. On the final day that week, he woke up, his eyes crusted over from a lack of sleep, and dragged himself over to the nearby stream. He flicked his tongue out to drink the sweet waters, but there was nothing there. He stared with confusion at the stream. Why was there no water?
He looked around him, trying to bring moisture to his mouth in any way. He squinted his eyes and searched for any other source of water. None.
He slowly walked over to the rest of his herd and saw them in a group, chatting about him.
"The food was not good last night! The leaves had hardly any flavor!"
"By the time I went to get a drink, there was nothing there!"
Pavel looked sadly over at them. He only wanted to please his fellow herd members, but he had failed. They were anything but pleased.
One giraffe in the group noticed Pavel out of the corner of his eye and angrily stomped towards him, "What gives, Pavel? You used to throw the best parties!"
"I'm very sorry, friend. I have just been low on sweet leaves. I had to use leaves from the lower portions of the trees because the tops had been cleared. Also, the water from the spring has stopped flowing, so there is none left," It was then that he noticed his surroundings. Dry, waterless grasses. Bare, stripped trees. Nothing was left. "I have nothing more to give you."
The herd looked around them. They too noticed the state of their temporary home.
One elder of the herd spoke up, "We have been working this poor, young giraffe to the bone. We only wanted to enjoy ourselves, but we never thought of him."
The other members of the herd sadly agreed.
The elder continued, "He has stripped the trees to nothing, and used up all of our water just so that we could have a good time. We never stopped to help him or give him a break."
There was silence.
"I am disgraced with all of us, including myself."
Because of the state of the area, the giraffes were forced to move on to a new area. In half a day, they were able to find a nice, grassy area with a watering hole large enough to quench the thirsts of everyone in the herd. Despite everything being okay again, the members of the herd learned a valuable lesson about hospitality. They learned that it is okay to accept hospitality when it is given to them, but they must never use it to their advantage.
Since then, whenever the giraffes wanted to have a party, everyone helped.
To be potentially continued in a new journal...
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