Story The skin of the crocodile: adaptation of the African legend.
In Africa, hundreds of years ago, crocodiles had soft, gold-colored skin.
Legend has it that one of those crocodiles, which lived in Namibia, during the day used to remain hidden in the lake where it was born, enjoying the coolness that the water provided.
Like other crocodiles, he loved to frolic in the muddy bottom, as the sun in Africa was too intense for him to come to the surface. The nights, on the other hand, were cold and the crocodile took the opportunity to rest on dry land.
The moonlight reflected on her beautiful, golden skin and illuminated everything. Nocturnal animals, such as bats, owls and some felines, came every night to contemplate such beauty. They had never seen such a spectacular animal!
The crocodile was very proud. He caused so much admiration among the other animals that he decided that during the day he would also come out of the lake to strut a little.
If his skin was like a lantern in the dark, during the day it would shine almost as bright as the sun itself.
And so it was that every morning, the vain crocodile began to emerge from the muddy waters and be seen before the astonished eyes of the animals that formed a circle around him to admire him.
– What wonderful skin! – some commented.
– No animal shines like this crocodile! Look how it dazzles! – others said, making a fuss and putting their paws as a visor over their eyelids so that the crocodile’s glare would not blind them.
But something terrible happened… The heat of the sun was so intense in Africa that, as the days passed, it dried the incredible skin of the crocodile and it stopped shining. Its shine faded and the golden color transformed into dry armor covered with hard, dark scales. The crocodile had lost all its beauty! Among the animals, only criticism was heard.
– But how ugly the crocodile has become! His beautiful skin is now a rough, gray shell!
The animals stopped milling around him because he had become an ugly and threatening-looking being. The crocodile felt humiliated and rejected by everyone. Aware of his transformation, he decided that they would never make fun of his new skin again. That is why since then, he comes to the surface less and if he sees someone approaching, he quickly dives into the water and only peeks his eyes out.
Charging…