The Okapi's Forest Friend

The Okapi's Forest Friend - Author : Aysel Banu YAVUZAL

Deep in the green heart of the forest, morning light slipped between the tall trees like golden ribbons. Olive the okapi stood quietly by a mossy stream, sipping cool water. Her chocolate-brown coat was soft as velvet, and creamy white stripes wrapped around her legs like painted ribbons. She looked at her long legs and sighed. "Why can't I be plain like everyone else?" she whispered. 1

Olive walked along the winding forest path, her big rounded ears listening to every sound. She passed a family of monkeys swinging and laughing in the branches. She passed a parrot who called out a cheerful hello. Olive smiled a small smile, but she did not stop. She kept her striped legs close together, hoping no one would notice them. The forest felt very big, and Olive felt very small. 2

Near the edge of the clearing, a group of animals played a noisy game of tag. Olive took one hopeful step forward. But when the others saw her legs, they stared and whispered. "What funny stripes!" said a bushbuck. Olive's large dark eyes grew sad. She turned and walked away, her hooves quiet on the soft earth. "Maybe I don't belong anywhere," she murmured. 3

Olive found a quiet spot under a wide fig tree and lay down. The leaves rustled softly above her. She watched a beetle roll a tiny ball of earth across the ground. "Even the beetle has a job," she thought. "Even the beetle has a friend." A little tear rolled down her long brown nose and plopped onto a leaf. She wished, just once, that someone would say hello. 4

Just then, a rustle came from the ferns. Out stepped the tiniest antelope Olive had ever seen. Her coat was warm reddish-tan, her belly cream, and her legs were as slender as twigs. Two short pointed horns sat on her head. Her dark eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Hello," said the little duiker. "My name is Didi. Why are you crying?" 5

Olive blinked. "You're not laughing at my stripes?" she asked. Didi tilted her head. "Why would I laugh? They look like sunlight and shadow playing together. I think they're wonderful." Olive felt a warm glow spread through her chest. No one had ever called her stripes wonderful before. "I'm Olive," she said softly. "And I think you might be the kindest animal in this whole forest." 6

Didi hopped closer. "I know a secret place," she said, her ears perking up. "Every afternoon, the animals gather in a hidden clearing to share stories. There's a big flat stone, and everyone takes turns. Would you like to come?" Olive hesitated. "What if they stare at me?" Didi smiled. "Stay close to me. Kindness is a good door to walk through." 7

The two new friends set off through the ferns. Didi led the way, her small hooves tapping lightly. Olive followed, stepping carefully over fallen branches. They crossed a stream where dragonflies danced, and squeezed between two mossy rocks. "We're almost there," Didi whispered. "The clearing is just past those tall ferns. Listen — you can hear them already." 8

Olive heard soft voices and gentle laughter drifting through the leaves. Her heart thumped. Didi looked back and gave her a brave little nod. "I'll go first," she said. She trotted into the clearing, and Olive waited behind a fern, peeking through the leaves. She saw a circle of animals — a bushbuck, a monkey, a parrot, and a slow old tortoise — all gathered around a smooth flat stone. 9

"Everyone," Didi announced, "I brought a friend. Her name is Olive." The animals turned. The bushbuck looked at Olive's striped legs and opened his mouth to whisper. But Didi spoke first. "Olive has the most beautiful stripes in the forest. They look like sunlight and shadow." The tortoise nodded slowly. "Stripes are fine," she said. "Come sit by me, dear." 10

Olive stepped out from behind the fern, her long legs trembling just a little. She walked to the flat stone and sat down beside the old tortoise. Nobody laughed. Nobody whispered. The parrot fluffed her feathers and said, "Welcome, Olive! We were just about to begin the stories." Olive's large dark eyes shone. She had never felt so included in her whole life. 11

The tortoise told a slow, wonderful story about a river that learned to sing. The monkey told a funny tale that made everyone giggle. Then Didi nudged Olive gently. "Would you like to tell one?" Olive's heart beat fast, but she nodded. She told a story about a star that felt different from all the other stars — until it learned that its light was needed. Everyone listened, and when she finished, they all clapped their hooves and paws. 12

As the sun dipped lower, the animals shared berries and sweet leaves. Olive realized something important. These animals had not become her friends because she looked like them. They had become her friends because Didi showed kindness, and kindness had opened the way. "Didi," she whispered, "thank you for being brave enough to say hello." Didi smiled. "That's what friends do." 13

From that day on, Olive visited the secret clearing every afternoon. She learned all the animals' names, and they learned hers. But her favorite time was the walk there, side by side with Didi. The tiny duiker and the okapi became the best of friends. Didi would ride on Olive's back sometimes, and Olive would bend her long neck down to hear Didi's quiet jokes.