Children's Corner: Cranky Crocodile

My name is Shaun Abrahams, and I live in Cape Town, South Africa with my beautiful wife Tania and our two little girls. We received Jesus Christ as our Savior in 1990 and have been serving Him in the Community Baptist Church. We have lots of animals in this country and my little girl Amy loves to hear stories about them. Baby Eden is too little to understand yet. I hope you'll enjoy this fable about the meanest critter in the country.

Cranky Crocodile was the meanest animal in all the bush. The other animals had learned to stay away from his snapping jaws. Cranky was even more mean this day, because the cruel sun fried his leathery back. It was the sort of day when you just had to hit the water. As mean as Cranky was, he enjoyed a refreshing splash in the water hole. He gobbled down a huge breakfast, gathered his swimsuit, and towel, and off he went. Waddle, waddle, waddle, he crawled along. It took so long. He wished he were already splashing in the water.

"Hey, Cranky!" shouted Molly Monkey swinging from a branch over Cranky's head. "Pass up my banana, please. I dropped it," Molly explained.

"Silly monkey, you should sit still when you eat your food," the crocodile grumbled as he waddles off. Cranky had not gone far when he saw Ziggy Zebra. The baby zebra frantically raced all around. "Oh, Crocodile, Sir, please help me. I got lost from the rest of the herd, and I can't find my mother." But Cranky Crocodile had no intention of wasting his day, so he said crossly, "What a foolish thing you are. Go find your mother yourself."

The crocodile could smell the water. Not long now, he thought. Then he heard a long, low groan. It was Elly the Elephant, in agony. He had stepped on a huge thorn that stuck into the soft part of his foot. Each step buried the thorn deeper and deeper. "Oh Cranky Crocodile, am I ever glad to see you," the elephant sighed deeply. "You have such fine sharp teeth. Please pull this terrible thorn out of my foot."

"I don't have time for such things," complained the crocodile. "You should look where you are walking, you big lump of meat." And he waddled off furiously.

"Ah, the water hole," Cranky shouted as he crawled into his swim suit. He did look funny with his tail sticking out the back. Down to the bank, then splash! He leaped into the water. He was just turning over on his back to let the cool water cover him completely when suddenly from Cranky's tummy came a rumbling sound. It didn't bother him too much at first, then the pain started. Awful, terrible pain. Cranky Crocodile had a cramp in his stomach. Right in the middle of the water hole, the mean old croc doubled up in pain. He had eaten his huge breakfast much too fast. "Help, help!" he cried, taking a whole mouthful of water into his lungs. Fearing for his life, he screamed, "Somebody, help me, please!" The animals rushed to the water hole to see what all the commotion was about. Molly Monkey, Ziggy Zebra and Elly Elephant were there, too.

What do you think? Should they save the mean old crocodile? After the way he had treated them so badly? Molly Monkey could not help; she was too small. Ziggy Zebra was only a baby, and not a very good swimmer. Only Elly Elephant could help the crocodile. Even with that dreadful thorn in his foot, the elephant steadied himself along the bank and thrust his trunk over the water hole. "Grab on, Cranky, grab on, and you will be saved." Cranky crocodile stretched out his tail and curled it around the elephant's trunk. He knew this was the only way to safety. The strong elephant pulled the crocodile to the bank of the water hole. Lying there, the crocodile felt shame and regret. He had been so unkind to Molly and Ziggy and Elly. How could he have been so mean? Yet they had come to see what was the matter with him, and Elly the strong elephant had pulled him to safety.

That crocodile's life was changed forever. He gave Molly Monkey a whole bunch of bananas. He helped Ziggy Zebra find his mother. He pulled that nasty thorn out of the elephant's foot.

Just as the crocodile had a problem, boys, girls, and older people, also, have a serious problem. Let's think about it.

Cranky's Problem: