How the Crocodile Got Its Skin: A Retelling of an
African Myth
by Rachel Cunning
A long time ago, the crocodile had shiny, golden skin. It
gleamed and sparkled. His skin was soft and smooth because he
lived in the swamp. The muddy, brown water in the swamp kept
the crocodile's skin lovely. The crocodile only came out from the
swamp at night.
The other animals around the swamp noticed the crocodile. His
skin shone even in the moonlight. The flashy parrots admired the
crocodile from tree branches. The antelopes stared with wonder
at the crocodile's skin. They stood in groups in the tall grass. A
whole flock of animals began waiting around each night. They
wanted to see the golden crocodile emerge from the swamp.
"Oooh," the birds cooed at the crocodile.
"Lovely," a gruff old hyena said.
"Beautiful!" snorted a slender gazelle.
All the animals admired the crocodile. Soon, the crocodile
began to think quite a bit of himself. The crocodile began staring
at his golden skin. The crocodile enjoyed hearing what the other
animals said. So he started coming out during the day. Little by
little, he spent more and more time out of the muddy swamp and
under the sunlight.
"What's your secret?" a turtle asked.
"That's my secret!" snapped the crocodile. "Your job is to
admire me!"
The turtle darted back into her shell and hid.
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The crocodile swished his long tail and smiled a toothy grin.
The sun burned fiercely overhead. The crocodile's golden skin
burned under it. But the crocodile loved the attention! He lay in
the sunlight and glowed. He was filled with pride for his smooth,
golden skin.
"Aren't I beautiful?" The crocodile asked.
"If you say so," said the antelopes as they continued to graze.
The other animals became bored with the crocodile. Sure, he
had been lovely to look at, but he began to get mean. He
snapped at the other animals.
His skin started to grow bumpy and lose its golden color. The
more time he spent in the sun, the more his skin hardened. The
muddy swamp water had protected his skin from the harsh sun.
But the crocodile had wanted attention. Then more attention. And
then even more attention! Soon, he was lying out all day in the
sun. None of the animals admired his skin. None of the animals
talked to the crocodile.
One day, the crocodile was sunbathing on a log. He looked
over at the water. A scaly, bumpy, grey animal stared back at
him from the water. He fell off the log in shock. It took the
crocodile a few moments to recover. Then he realized that he had
seen his reflection in the water. His skin was no longer smooth! It
was no longer soft! It was no longer golden!
The crocodile heard the parrots flapping their wings in the
trees. He darted under the swamp water. Suddenly, he was very
embarrassed. He was embarrassed about how he looked. He was
embarrassed about how he had acted. He was so embarrassed
that he stopped coming out of the water.
Even today, the crocodile is filled with shame. Even today, the
crocodile will rush away from other animals. He will hide underthe
water. Only his eyes and his nose will stick out above the water.
He is still embarrassed about how he treated his friends. But he
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cannot apologize because he is still waiting for his golden, smooth
skin to return.
As long as he cares more about his bumpy, grey skin, he won't
be able to apologize. The crocodile only cares about his
appearance. And that's how the crocodile lost his shiny golden
skin and why he hides in the swamp.
END OF TEXT
"How the Crocodile Got Its Skin: A Retelling of an African Myth" by Rachel Cunning,
copyright © 2012 by The University of Kansas.
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