Friends at Last
A long time ago, two very different types of animals: Mules and Giraffes, settled in the small village of Mingletown...
Mingletown is a wonderful place, with cobblestone roads and buildings, and a beautiful park, called Mingle Park, located in the center of the village.
At one time the Mules and Giraffes lived in harmony, enjoying picnics together in the large grassy areas of Mingle Park. But that was a long time ago, when being different didn't seem to matter…
You see, the Mules had incredibly strong backs for doing really hard work, while the Giraffes had long thin necks for reaching way up high, higher than the Mules could see.
All the Mules, men and women, dressed in rugged dungaree overalls and high leather work shoes with thick rubber soles. To protect their heads while they built the roads and buildings from the beautifully rounded cobblestones, they wore bright yellow hard-hats. They also wrapped colorful bandannas around their necks that they would pull up over their faces when the work site would get really dusty.
The Giraffes were much more formal-- The men dressed in collared shirts, bow ties and expensive blazers woven from the finest materials. And to protect their heads from the hot sun way up high, they wore handsome derbies. The women wore fancy dresses, shiny jewelry, and floppy straw sun hats. The Giraffes designed the cobblestone roads and buildings and supervised the Mules who built them.
Because they looked so different and performed different jobs in Mingletown, the Mules and Giraffes no longer lived in harmony, and there hadn't been any picnics in Mingle Park for a very long time.
Then one day, a Mule named Sherman and a young Giraffe named Andy, were standing in line at the Mingle Market when the cash register jammed...
"Terrible thing when the only cash register breaks", remarked Sherman, calmly shaking his head from side to side.
"Sure is", Andy agreed quickly. "It's a good thing I'm in no hurry today or else I might have had to leave and come back later."
"Why would a young Giraffe like you be in such a hurry?" asked Sherman.
"Well you see", explained Andy, "I'm helping my Uncle for the summer. He designs cobblestone roads and buildings and the Mingle Middle School must be ready for the start of classes next September!"
With a wide, comforting smile Sherman said, "I've been building cobblestone roads and buildings for a while and I haven't seen any projects run on schedule. So don't hurry too much. Try and enjoy your work, you'll do a better job."
Sherman's advice made a lot of sense to Andy. He had been trying so hard to please his Uncle that he had lost sight of what was really important-- to do a good job!
The register was quickly repaired and Sherman and Andy left the market together. They continued walking and talking until they found themselves in the grassy area of Mingle Park. There they sat on a green park bench and ate some oats Sherman had in a small burlap pouch. Andy enjoyed Sherman's company, and Sherman, Andy's.
They became good friends, enjoying oats and conversation together quite often on one of the green park benches, in the grassy area of Mingle Park. All the other animals in Mingletown thought this was very odd, but Sherman and Andy didn't seem to care...
Because Andy enjoyed Sherman's company so much the young Giraffe wanted to spend even more time with his new friend..."But how could a Mule enjoy eating way up high in the tree tops?” he wondered.
Andy would not let anything get in the way of his newly discovered friendship and so he decided to become a Mule himself…
He would not wear his expensive blazer or his collared shirt and bow tie. He would dress like his friend Sherman, in rugged dungaree overalls and high leather work shoes with thick rubber soles. He even chose a colorful bandanna to wear around his long, thin neck. He had become a Mule, at least he thought...
Not long after the really hard work began Andy realized his back was not incredibly strong like Sherman's, and that his long, thin neck would always get in the way...
Andy was frustrated, but never stopped trying. He managed to survive all the terrible bumps and bruises with a lot of encouragement from his new friend Sherman.
But soon it became too much. And when Sherman saw that Andy was really hurting himself, he convinced him to stop. All the animals of Mingletown were relieved that Andy would once again start acting like a young Giraffe.
Then Sherman and Andy walked and talked until they found themselves in the grassy area of Mingle Park. Once there, they sat on the green park bench, and just as they started eating some oats from Sherman's small burlap pouch, they noticed a few Mules and Giraffes had once again gathered in the large grassy area of Mingle Park.
It seemed not all the animals of Mingletown thought Sherman and Andy's friendship was so odd after all...
The Beginning!