The Rhinoceros Who Worked for the Zoo

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8543116121986858859.post-25220553694932592882008-01-19T23:44:00.001-08:002008-01-19T23:52:39.795-08:00The Rhinoceros Who Worked for the Zoo<div style="text-align: center;">The Rhinoceros Who Worked for the Zoo<o:p> </o:p></div> by Andre HardenOnce there was a rhinoceros who ate long grass and slept in the open air. He was free to do whatever he liked, but he did not like the bland taste of grass, and he did not like the flies that bothered him, and he did not like when the sun got too hot. This is no life for me, thought Rhino. And he went to the city to live like a man. <o:p></o:p> But no one wanted to rent an apartment to an unemployed rhinoceros. "This roof ain't free," said the landlord. "I'll have a room when you have a job."<o:p></o:p> Rhino was sitting on the curb, wondering about what sort of job he might get when a group of frightened people ran by. "A lion! A lion is loose in the street!" they shouted. And they were right, a lion had smashed his cage and escaped from the zoo. Rhino smiled. He knew what kind of job was right for him. <o:p></o:p> On Monday morning Rhino went to the zoo and asked for a job. "We might have an opening for a good Rhino," said the Zoo Keeper. "I'm not here to be your 'pet',” said Rhino. "I want a job smashing bars." "Why would we want you to smash our bars?" asked the Zoo Keeper. "Because your cages are not strong enough,” said Rhino. “If I can smash the bars of your cages, you should rebuild them until they are too strong for me to smash. Then you will have strong cages and no more animals will escape." <o:p></o:p> The Zoo Keeper told Rhino he was very smart and hired him on the spot. Rhino went and rented his apartment, bought a fridge-full of groceries and a large fan. He even bought a computer and hooked it up to the internet. <o:p></o:p> The next day he went to the zoo and smashed the bars on the lion cage. "Too weak," he said to the Zoo Keeper. And the Zoo Keeper began to rebuild the cage. Then he smashed the bars on the elephant cage. "Not strong enough," he said to the Zoo Keeper. And the Zoo Keeper began to rebuild the cage. Then he smashed the bars on the monkey cage. "Cake," said Rhino. And the Zoo Keeper began to rebuild the cage.<o:p></o:p> Rhino went home, paid his rent and ate a delightful meal of cabbage, broccoli and carrots. Then he bought a cool hat and sunglasses online.The next day he went to the zoo and smashed the new bars on the lion cage. "Still weak," he said to the Zoo Keeper. And the Zoo Keeper began to rebuild the cage. Then he smashed the new bars on the elephant cage. "Not strong yet," he said to the Zoo Keeper. And the Zoo Keeper began to rebuild the cage. Then he smashed the new bars on the monkey cage. "Cheesecake," said Rhino. And the Zoo Keeper began to rebuild the cage.<o:p></o:p> Rhino went home, paid his rent and ate a wonderful meal of spinach, cauliflower and leeks. Then he bought a cool shirt and a bling online.<o:p></o:p> The next day he went to the zoo and saw bright new bars on all the cages. Rhino tried to smash the lion cage but could not. "It's not weak anymore," he said to the Zoo Keeper. And the Zoo Keeper rejoiced. Rhino tried to smash the elephant cage but could not. "It's strong now," he said to the Zoo Keeper. And the Zoo Keeper rejoiced. Rhino tried to smash the monkey cage but could not. "Cakewalk's over," he said to the Zoo Keeper. And the Zoo Keeper locked the cage. He took down the old monkey sign and underneath was a new sign that said Rhinoceros. <o:p></o:p> Rhino was outraged. He tried and tried to smash the bars, but they were too strong for him to smash. After a while Rhino's clothes got old and fell away. People came from all over to see him. His cage was hot in the sun. Flies flew in and bothered him. And the Zoo Keeper fed him bland grass. Rhino longed for his days of freedom with the sun and flies on the plains of <st1:place st="on">Africa</st1:place>. <o:p></o:p> One day Rhino asked, "Why won't you let me go back?" The Zoo Keeper asked his own question. "Have you never heard it said that he who builds a trap may fall into it?" And the rhinoceros never spoke again. copyright 2006 by Andre Harden <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8543116121986858859-2522055369493259288?l=andreharden.blogspot.com'/></div>Andrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626782654130983699noreply@blogger.com2