One
evening, Opossum was playing in a field with her babies when Big
Bat came swooping down and grabbed all of the little ones and carried
them away. Opossum shouted and begged for Bat to bring her babies
back to her, but he would not. Bat put the little opossums into
a deep hole in the rock and watched over them there.
Opossum walked around and around the forest, crying for her
babies. When Wolf heard her wails, he came to her and asked what
was wrong. "Big Bat has taken my babies from me and he will
not give them back," she told him.
"I will get them for you," Wolf said. "if you
show me where they are."
So
Opossum showed Wolf the deep hole in the rock where Bat watched
over her babies. Wolf bravely walked into the darkness. But a moment
later she heard him cursing, and then he came running back outside
saying, "I am sorry, but I cannot retrieve your babies."
So Opossum kept walking around and around the forest, crying
for her babies. When Rabbit heard her wails, he came to her and
asked what was wrong. "Big Bat has taken my babies from me
and he will not give them back," she told him.
"I will get them for you," Rabbit said. "if you
show me where they are."
So Opossum showed Rabbit the deep hole in the rock where Bat
watched over her babies. Rabbit boldly walked into the darkness.
But a moment later she heard him cursing, and then he came running
back outside saying, "I am sorry, but I cannot retrieve your
babies."
Opossum
was frantic now. Brave Wolf and Bold Rabbit had been unable to retrieve
her babies. She walked around and around the forest, crying hysterically
for her babies. When Highland-Terrapin heard her wails, he came
to her and asked what was wrong. "Big Bat has taken my babies
from me and he will not give them back," she told him.
"I will get them for you," Highland-Terrapin said.
"if you show me where they are."
Opossum
showed Highland-Terrapin the deep hole in the rock where Bat watched
over her babies. Highland-Terrapin carefully walked into the darkness.
A moment later she heard him cursing. Big Bat had thrown hot ashes
down in the path in front of him, burning his large flat feet. But
Highland Terrapin kept going in spite of the pain. He could see
the little opossums huddled together a few paces away. They were
crying for their mother. Highland-Terrapin saw Big Bat hovering
above them, and he scolded Bat for stealing the babies from their
mother. Highland-Terrapin picked up the little opossums and carried
them out of the deep, dark hole. Big Bat dove at him a few times,
but he kept bouncing off the terrapin's hard shell before he could
reach the babies. Finally, Bat gave up and flew away.
Highland-Terrapin cut a hole in the belly of the happy Opossum
mama and placed her babies inside it. "You keep your babies
in there until they stop nursing," he told her. "When
they no longer need milk to drink, you can let them out."
From that day onward, Opossum mamas have carried their little
babies in a pouch until they are old enough to eat on their own.
Tortoise,
turtle, or terrapin?
Before we get on with this, let's be clear that scientists like
veterinarians and such have their own words for us. They call us
all chelonians. But ordinary people use ordinary words. The trouble
is that sometimes you don't all mean the same thing even when you
use the same words.
http://www.totallytortoise.com/tortoise-turtle-terrapin.html
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