Hello, my young listener. I am a tale about animals that speak different languages. Now you will learn why cats don't chirp like birds, and dogs don't moo like cows.
Listen carefully and remember well... Oh, but you don't have a moustache! Then-then... Keep it in mind! Although no, don't keep such a small good nose. Let's just say, you simply remember why all animals speak differently. Agreed? Well, listen.
Once upon a time, long, long ago, all animals communicated in one language. Yes-yes! I don't even remember anymore how it sounded to the human ear. Maybe, "blum-blum" or "purli-churli." Or "dyshchik-kabydyshchik." Or even in a sing-song: "pu-u-uchiki-puchiki, pu-u-uchiki-lapuchiki." It was so long ago that no one remembers exactly.
The main thing is — everyone understood each other. For example, a bear walks through a field, with big paws going "thump-thump," and a bee shouts:
Watch out! Move azzide! I'm collecting nectar here!
And he — whoops! – moved his paw away, didn't step on the flower with the bee. Or another example: a little bunny was playing, got lost. He approached the river and asks a carp:
Ex-excuse me, p-please. Which way is my g-green hill with d-daisies?
The carp answers:
The bub-big hill is behind the bub-nearest oak tree. Bubble don't get lost again!
You've probably been told that animals love to come to the water. To drink, to bathe, and just to admire the river or lake. It's very healthy and pleasant! And so relaxing that sooner or later, they start discussing their secrets in the warm water.
At the time when different animals spoke the same way, fish knew everything about everyone. And they themselves loved to chat. So they started giving away others' secrets.
One day they told the wild boars what they heard from the wolves about where they would go hunting. The next day they blabbed to the squirrels what they heard from the boars about where to gather lots of acorns. Next time they gossiped to the owls what they heard from the squirrels about how they camouflage their tree hollows.
Day after day — and the animals had no secrets left. All the hidden nests and burrows stopped being secret and could no longer protect their owners. All the little-known clearings with berries and nuts were quickly trampled. Disorder began to happen, hostility settled everywhere.
And the animals became most angry at the fish. They declared:
There's no peace because of your gossip, chatterboxes! You should swallow your tongues and never gossip again!
The fish were offended that they were being scolded. They went — and swallowed their tongues! And to this day they don't talk to anyone.
But the animals no longer trusted anyone. And they decided to invent secret sounds for themselves. Mice started squeaking so no one would guess where the new burrows were made. Birds started chirping, whistling and singing so others wouldn't know what they were chattering about. Foxes only snorted at those around them and quietly yapped among themselves.
Soon everyone forgot how they used to communicate with each other. Now only frogs understand croaking, and wolves — wolf howling. And fish just wave their fins and tails, but don't say anything out loud. That's how because of others' gossip the animals quarrelled and lost their common language.
It's too late to judge who was more at fault. Maybe they shouldn't have discussed their business in the presence of strangers. Maybe they shouldn't have revealed others' secrets to everyone around. In any case, both are now considered bad form.
I hope, my young listener, you'll firmly remember what unnecessary gossip leads to. Think carefully before you say something. Otherwise you'll lose common ground with friends and loved ones — and you'll be sorry later.
Well, I'm very tired, I'm going to sleep. Good night!
