The Just-So Story

Once upon a time the giraffe was just like all the other antelope. It’s neck was neither too long nor too slender. It was just right like all the other bucks of the veld. But then a pride of lions came one day and hunted some antelope devouring some of them completely. Since that day the Giraffe was very afraid of getting eaten by the hungry lions himself. So he said to himself, ‘If I can just stretch my neck a little bit, then I can see over all the other creatures of the veld, and then I will see the vicious lions coming and run away from danger before they can catch and eat me too.’ So it stretched its neck a little longer, and was thus able to see over all the other buck if danger came their way. But still the lions came and hunted. And still they fed on the creatures they captured. Because the giraffe could still not see them coming from afar because the great big elephant and rhino was still in its way. ‘Now if I can only stretch my long neck a little further,’ he said to himself ‘I will be able to see over even the mighty elephant also and see the hungry lions coming when they come to hunt and eat us.’ So he stretched his neck a little further up towards the sky and could now see truly far, seeing all danger coming before it arrived to eat him too. All danger? No, not all of it I’m afraid, for the hungry leopard hunted from the trees, and also caught some buck to eat in this fashion. And the poor giraffe could still not see as high as the tree tops although he had stretched his long neck a good distance already. And so he said to himself, ‘Now, if I could only stretch my neck one last time, I would stretch it high up into the heavens, almost as high as the clouds up above. Then surely I would be able to see all danger ahead forever, and run away long before it can reach me.’ So with great effort, the giraffe stretched his head one last time. He stretched it so high that he could now peer over even the tallest tree tops, and from that day forward he could see all danger coming, the lions, the leopards in the trees and even the hungry hyenas out for the hunt. They could never catch him again, and he was free to roam the plains forever without the fear of ever being eaten at all. You’ll never know how high you can go until you try. Reach for the stars because the sky is the limit.