Zola was a little zebra, and as the big, orange sun began to dip below the horizon, painting the sky sleepy colours, she felt a little bit glum. She looked down at her legs, covered in black and white stripes. Then she looked at her tummy, covered in black and white stripes. Even her tail had stripes! "Just stripes," she sighed softly to herself.
All the other zebras in her family had stripes too. Sometimes Zola wished she had something different. Maybe bright feathers like Peri the Parrot, who landed on a nearby acacia tree just then. Peri's feathers glowed red, blue, and green in the fading light. "Oh, Peri," Zola said quietly, "your colours are so beautiful. I wish I wasn't just plain black and white."
Peri the Parrot puffed out his colourful chest. "Your stripes aren't plain, Zola!" he chirped. "They are very striking! They make you look so smart and neat. My colours are nice for flying high, but your stripes are perfect for you, living here on the grassy plains."
Zola listened, but she still wasn't sure. She ambled slowly towards the quiet river where Tio the Tortoise was settling down for the night. Tio was very old and very wise; he had seen countless sunsets. "What's wrong, little one?" Tio asked in his slow, gentle voice, noticing Zola's droopy ears.
"I just wish I looked different, Tio," Zola whispered. "My stripes feel so… ordinary." Tio blinked slowly and smiled a wise tortoise smile. "Ah, Zola," he said kindly. "Every creature is special in their own way. Your stripes are like a beautiful pattern painted just for you. Did you know no two zebras have exactly the same stripes? Yours are unique, like your own special fingerprint."
Tio continued, "And those lovely stripes help you blend into the tall grass, especially when the shadows grow long like now. They help keep you safe and cozy." Just as he spoke, a tiny field mouse nearby gave a little squeak, startled by a rustling leaf falling from a tree. Zola instinctively stood very still next to a patch of tall, shadowy grass.
In the dim twilight, her stripes made her almost invisible against the flickering shadows. The little mouse, feeling safer near the camouflaged zebra, calmed down and scurried quietly under a bush. Zola felt a warm, happy feeling inside. Her stripes had helped the little mouse feel brave!
Zola looked at her reflection in the still water of the river. She saw the wavy black and white lines covering her body. They didn't look plain anymore. They looked beautiful, special, and even kind. "Thank you, Tio," she said softly. She felt cozy and ready for sleep, happy to be Zola, the zebra with the wonderful, unique stripes.