The Chipmunk That Ran Away

Once upon a time, there was a nervous little chipmunk. She was always afraid

that something bad happened to her.

One day, she heard a little noise. It was really only an apple that fell to the ground.

But the little Chipmunk was afraid and said “The sky is falling in.” Then she ran

away as fast as she could go.

Soon she met an old brother Chipmunk, who asked, “Where are you running

to, little Chipmunk?”

And the little Chipmunk answered, “The sky is falling in, and I am running

away.”

“The sky is falling in?” said the old brother Chipmunk. And he told the story

to his brother chipmunk, until at last there were a hundred brother Chipmunks

shouting, ”The sky is falling in.”

Soon the larger animals heard what the Chipmunks were saying. The Deer,

Unit 8 - Long, Long Time Ago, There Was ... 127

the Sheep, the Pig, the Camel, the Tiger, and the Elephant began to say, “The sky

is falling in.”

Then the wise Lion heard all the noise and wanted to know what was

happening. He stopped all the animals and asked, “What are you saying?” The

brother Chipmunks said, “Oh we heard it from that little Chipmunk!” And the

Lion said, “Little Chipmunk, what made you say that the sky was falling in?”

And the little Chipmunk said, “I saw it there near the tree.”

“Well,” said the Lion, “Come with me and I will show you how something”.

“Now get on my back.” The Lion took her on his back, and asked the animals to

stay where they were until they returned. Then he showed the little Chipmunk

that the apple had fallen to the ground. This made the noise that had made her

afraid. The little Chipmunk said, “Oh, I see. The sky is not falling in.”

The Lion said, “Let’s go back and tell the other animals.”

So they went back. At last all the animals knew that the sky was not falling in.

(Source: Dit. PSMP, 2006)