27 D-1 Sir Syed Road, Gulberg 3
“Because,” he said, “I learned that being a crocodile doesn’t mean you have to be like every other crocodile. It means using what you have – your balance, your bravery, your heart – to help a friend. And sometimes, that’s even better than swimming.”
Cocoa was different from all his brothers and sisters. While they loved to splash, dive, and chase bubbles in the cool, brown water, Cocoa preferred to sit on a warm, dry rock. He would tuck his little green feet under his tail and watch the dragonflies dance.
One day, Papa Crocodile pulled Cocoa aside. “Son,” he said gently, “you have to learn to swim. Your tail is made for the water. Your scales are made for the water. Your heart is a crocodile heart.”
The other little crocodiles began to whisper. “He’s strange.” “Maybe he’s not a real crocodile.” “Does he even like being green?”
“Come in, Cocoa!” shouted his brother, Carlos, doing a cannonball into the river. “The water is perfect!”
To his surprise, the water wasn’t scary. It was cool and soft. It held him up. His tail floated behind him like a gentle rudder. He paddled once with his feet – and he moved forward.
The Firefly perched on Cocoa’s snout. And Cocoa – the crocodile who didn’t like water – began to cross the river. He stepped carefully from pad to pad. Water lilies brushed his legs. Small fish stared up in wonder. They had never seen a crocodile walk across the water like a heron.
“Because,” he said, “I learned that being a crocodile doesn’t mean you have to be like every other crocodile. It means using what you have – your balance, your bravery, your heart – to help a friend. And sometimes, that’s even better than swimming.”
Cocoa was different from all his brothers and sisters. While they loved to splash, dive, and chase bubbles in the cool, brown water, Cocoa preferred to sit on a warm, dry rock. He would tuck his little green feet under his tail and watch the dragonflies dance.
One day, Papa Crocodile pulled Cocoa aside. “Son,” he said gently, “you have to learn to swim. Your tail is made for the water. Your scales are made for the water. Your heart is a crocodile heart.”
The other little crocodiles began to whisper. “He’s strange.” “Maybe he’s not a real crocodile.” “Does he even like being green?”
“Come in, Cocoa!” shouted his brother, Carlos, doing a cannonball into the river. “The water is perfect!”
To his surprise, the water wasn’t scary. It was cool and soft. It held him up. His tail floated behind him like a gentle rudder. He paddled once with his feet – and he moved forward.
The Firefly perched on Cocoa’s snout. And Cocoa – the crocodile who didn’t like water – began to cross the river. He stepped carefully from pad to pad. Water lilies brushed his legs. Small fish stared up in wonder. They had never seen a crocodile walk across the water like a heron.