Hippie the Hippo

Though it was a fine day, it seemed like the end for Hippie, a lone River Hippo lost deep in the heart of Africa.  A lion had carried her away months ago and she could not find the way back to her pod.  It was nearing dusk, so Hippie figured she should get out of the water soon.

  She was just about to  climb out and eat that appetizing grass she had been keeping her eyes on for sooooo long.  She saw something out of the corner of her eye, looked, and spotted three snow-white swans.

“I didn’t think you would be in the water at this hour,” chided the first swan.

“Yeah!” teased the second, a boy.

  “ Please, don’t listen to them!”  the third one was speaking now.  “They’re  mean and ignorant.”

“No, we aren’t!”  chorused the first and second swans.  They then sped out of sight.

“Good, now they’re gone," sighed Hippie.

“No, that’s their  little trick!” exclaimed the third swan, Melissa.  “Duck under the surface, hurry!”

Hippie ducked underwater and swam downstream, following Melissa.  Finally, she lunged out of the water, gasping for breath.

“Wow, you stayed underwater for six whole minutes!” exclaimed Melissa.

  “Thanks.”

“Hey, where are we going?” asked Melissa.

Hippie told the story from beginning to end, the lion carrying her away such a long time ago and everything from there to where she was right now, in the middle of a strange, mysterious place in “Everlasting” Africa.

  “Oh, maybe I can help you find your way back to  your pod,” inquired Melissa.

“Well…first of all, my tummy is becoming enraged with me!” said Hippie, climbing up out of the water.

“What’s your name?” asked Melissa.

“Hippie.”

“Nice name.”

“Thanks.”

The two, River Hippopotamus and Swan, talked for a while and then headed back to swimming.

“Where did you live?” Melissa asked, eagerly.

  Soon, after 95 tiring miles, they were sweating and panting.

“This is arduous!  Never get lost again, Hippie!”

“I’ll try not to.  How many more miles now?”

“26,” replied Melissa bluntly.

  “We can do this!” exclaimed Hippie.

  The two of them started speed swimming and instead of traveling 121 entire miles, they traveled even farther, adding up to around 172 miles.

  “We’ve traveled 172 miles, more than our goal!” shouted Hippie.

“Celebrate!” Melissa yelled.

  “The only problem is, where will we stay the night out here in this deserted place?” asked Hippie.

“Lodging,” read Melissa from her I-pod touch, “The Horned Moose, na, odd name and bad reviews, Hilton, we can stay there!”

  They swam through a small, cozy town, Hippie spotted the Hilton Garden Inn, checked in and walked to room 207.  They swung open the door and Hippie immediately launched herself onto the comfy sofa.

“North of the Big Dipper.”

“Well, according to my amazing I-pod touch, the Big Dipper is way ahead, about three-hundred miles,” stated Melissa.

“That’s really encouraging,” grumbled Hippie.

  The two were getting tired, so  they camped under a large rock.

“Where are we?” asked Hippie.

“Good, we’ve traveled sixty miles so far!” exclaimed Melissa.      

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