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Crocodile Tears
by
Sue Inman
One day, Mrs Mumbles set off to feed the ducks at the park. But when she arrived at her favourite bench, she was surprised to find that somebody was already sitting there.
It was a gigantic crocodile, and this gigantic crocodile was crying great big huge enormous crocodile tears. It was very sad.
"Oh, you poor dear thing," said Mrs Mumbles. "Here, have a sweetie to make you feel better."
The gigantic crocodile gobbled up the sweet, but when he had finished, he started to cry again. This made Mrs Mumbles feel so sad that she sat down on the bench next to the gigantic crocodile and began to cry too.
After a little while, a clown came along. "Why are you crying?" said the clown to Mrs Mumbles, and Mrs Mumbles replied, "I'm crying because this crocodile is crying and I can't make him stop. "
"I expect I can," said the clown. "Watch this."
Then the clown did a very funny trick. The gigantic crocodile watched the trick, but when it was over, he started to cry again.
This made the clown so sad that he sat down on the bench next to Mrs Mumbles, and he started to cry too !
Soon a man with a fiddle happened to pass that way.
"Why are you crying?" said the fiddler to the clown, and the clown replied, "I'm crying because this gigantic crocodile is crying and Mrs Mumbles can't make him stop, and neither can I."
"Oh," said the fiddler. "I expect I can cheer him up!" And he took out his fiddle and played a very jolly little tune on it.
The gigantic crocodile listened politely to the jolly little tune, but when it was over he started crying again. This made the fiddler so sad that he sat down on the bench next to the clown and started to cry too .
Just then a little girl called Lucy arrived with her mum.
"Why are you crying?" Lucy asked the fiddler.
"I'm crying because this crocodile is crying," replied the fiddler. "And I can't make him stop."
"And neither. can I," said the clown.
"And neither can I," said Mrs Mumbles.
"Boo hoo hoo!" cried the crocodile.
"Quack quack!" said the ducks, who were getting hungry by now.
So Lucy said, "Why are you crying, Mr Crocodile ?"
"I'm crying because there's something up there," he said. "In that tree."
"What is it?" asked Mrs Mumbles and the clown and the fiddler and Lucy and her mother.
"W -e- l -l," said the crocodile. "It's big and hairy and scary ..."
"0 -o -o -o -h!" said Mrs Mumbles and the clown and the fiddler and Lucy and her mother, trembling with fear.
" And I think it's going to jump down on us -any -minute -N -0 -W! " cried the crocodile .
Just then a great big huge enormous spider jumped out of the tree.
"Aaaaagh!" cried Mrs Mumbles.
"Aaaaagh!" cried the clown.
"Aaaaagh!" cried the fiddler.
"Aaaaagh!" cried Lucy and her mother.
"Quack!" cried the ducks.
Then they all leapt up from the bench and ran out of the park; and the crocodile ran after them.
Mrs Mumbles took them all home to her house where she gave them lemonade and biscuits to make them feel better after their terrible fright. They spent a jolly afternoon dancing to the fiddler's music and laughing with the clown. At tea time they all went home, and that might seem like the end of the story.
But it isn't....
The next day, Mrs Mumbles set off as usual to feed the ducks at the park. When she got there she found somebody was already sitting on her favourite bench, under her favourite tree. ..
It was a gigantic gorilla.
And the gigantic gorilla was crying great big huge enormous gorilla tears.....
