Danny the donkey lived on the edge of the forest. He was kind but often felt overlooked. “If only I were as grand as the lion,” he sighed.
One day, Danny spotted something fluttering in the breeze. It was an old lion’s skin left behind by hunters. His eyes twinkled with mischief.
“If I wear this, everyone will think I’m the king of the jungle!” he brayed happily.
And so, Danny pulled the skin over his back. He looked in the pond’s reflection and nearly scared himself!
The Forest Fright
The next morning, Danny trotted into the forest, pretending to be brave. The rabbits froze. The deer bolted. Even the cheeky monkeys scrambled up the trees.
“Wow! This disguise really works,” Danny thought, puffing out his chest.
Everywhere he went, animals bowed or hid. Danny strutted proudly, imagining himself giving royal speeches like a true lion.
The Silly Slip-Up
But Danny had one little problem: he was still a donkey underneath.
When a fox nervously approached to ask for the lion’s permission to cross the path, Danny tried to roar. Instead, out came a loud, ridiculous “Hee-haw! Hee-haw!”
The forest went silent. Then came the laughter. The rabbits giggled, the monkeys clapped their hands, and the fox smirked.
“That’s no lion, that’s just Danny in a costume!” shouted the parrot.
Lesson in Laughter
Danny’s ears drooped as the animals rolled with laughter. But then, something surprising happened.
“You may not be a lion,” the fox said kindly, “but you made us laugh harder than ever before. That’s a talent too!”
Danny realized he didn’t need a lion’s skin to be special. From that day on, he became the forest’s entertainer, braying funny songs and making even the grumpy owl chuckle.
Sometimes, being yourself was far more powerful than pretending to be someone else.
The End !
