Walrus Joins In
1
What will Walrus do?
Everyone at the North Pole was very excited.There was going to be a show and ANYONE could be in it.
鈥業(yè) will do skating,鈥 said Arctic Fox.鈥業(yè)鈥檓 good at that!鈥橖br/>鈥業(yè)鈥檒l do tumbling,鈥 said Polar Bear.鈥楴o one tumbles quite like me!鈥橖br/>鈥業(yè)鈥檒l do singing,鈥 said Seal.鈥楨veryone says I have a very fine voice!鈥橖br/>鈥楾hen I鈥檒l do diving,鈥 said Whale.鈥業(yè) won a prize for diving at school,you know!鈥橖br/>They all looked at Walrus.鈥榃hat will YOU do?鈥 they asked.
But Walrus was not good at anything.
He wasn鈥檛 good at skating,and he wasn鈥檛 good at tumbling.
He was terrible at singing,and when he tried to dive,he always got water up his nose.
He sat and chewed his whiskers sadly.
鈥楴ever mind,鈥 said Arctic Fox.鈥榊ou can watch us.鈥橖br/>Arctic Fox and Polar Bear and Seal and Whale practised hard for the big show.
Walrus hid behind a snowdrift and watched,and chewed his whiskers.
He wished he was good at something.
2
The big night
At last,the big night arrived.Everyone sat down and waited for the show to begin.Walrus sat in the front row.He was very excited.
Fox came onto the ice and bowed.Everyone cheered.
Then Fox began to skate.Fox skated forwards and backwards and sideways.She skated in perfect circles and figures of eight.She was elegant and amazing!
Walrus watched and he loved what he saw.Fox made it all look so easy.
Walrus was sure that if he really tried he could skate just like Fox.
He couldn鈥檛 stop himself.He just had to leap onto the ice and join in with Fox.鈥淚 can skate,鈥 he cried.鈥淟ook at me!鈥滭br/>But Walrus couldn鈥檛 skate at all.He could only trip up and fall over.
He bumped into Fox,and Fox went flat on her face.FLOMP!
Fox was very upset.鈥淲alrus has RUINED my act,鈥 she wailed.
Next,it was Polar Bear鈥檚 turn.He rolled out across the ice like a big,white snowball.Everyone clapped wildly.
Then Polar Bear began to tumble.He did jumps and spins and somersaults,and stood on his head.
Walrus watched and he loved what he saw.Polar Bear made it all look such fun.Walrus was sure that this time,if he really tried,he could tumble just like Polar Bear.
All of a sudden,Walrus just couldn鈥檛 stop himself,and he leaped onto the ice.
鈥淚 can tumble too,鈥 he cried.鈥淟ook at me!鈥滭br/>But Walrus couldn鈥檛 tumble at all.He could only trip up and fall over.He tripped up Polar Bear,who came down with a WALLOP!
Of course,Polar Bear was pretty angry.鈥淲alrus has RUINED my act,鈥 he wailed.
3
From bad to worse
It was Seal鈥檚 turn next.She gave Walrus a don鈥檛-you-dare stare,and then she started to sing:
鈥淥,how many heart rejoices when I see the Northern Lights.
My ear is filled with voices sweetly singing in the night!鈥滭br/>Walrus listened.What a beautiful song!Surely if he really tried,he could sing as beautifully as Seal?Oh,dear.Walrus just couldn鈥檛 stop himself again.
鈥淚 know that song,鈥 he cried.鈥淚 can sing it too!鈥滭br/>He leaped up and started singing along with Seal.
But Walrus couldn鈥檛 sing!He sounded terrible.In fact,he sounded like a rusty old bucket.
Seal stopped singing and burst into floods of tears.
鈥淲alrus has RUINED my song,鈥 she wailed.
Wale was last.He was pretty certain that Walrus could not ruin his act.
Whale leaped high out of the water.Then he fell back with an enormous splash!
Walrus watched.He wished that he could dive like that.His flippers began to twitch,and his whiskers bristled with excitement.He tried and tried his very best not to join in.
But then he had a brilliant idea.
鈥淚鈥檒l hold my nose when I dive,鈥 he thought.鈥淭hen the water won鈥檛 go up it!鈥滭br/>Walrus just couldn鈥檛 stop himself.He had to join in.
鈥淓verybody,look at me!鈥 he cried,as he leaped into the water.鈥淚 can dive too!鈥滭br/>But just at that moment,Whale was getting ready to spout a big jet of water.
WHOOSH!
Whale spouted Walrus high into the air!
Everyone was watching Walrus now.They clapped and cheered as Walrus landed back in the sea with a SPLOSH!
Whale was furious.鈥淵ou are a meddling,incompetent BUFFOON!鈥 he roared.鈥淵ou have RUINED my act.Now GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!鈥
Whale was pretty scary when he was angry.Walrus turned tail and fled.He hid behind a snowdrift,feeling sad and very sorry.
4
The show will go on!
The show was over.Fox and Polar Bear and Seal and Whale stood in a line,blushing and wishing that Walrus had not ruined everything.
But everyone was cheering like mad.
鈥淲ell done,Polar Bear,well done,Seal!Well done,Fox and Whale!鈥 they shouted.鈥淏ut where鈥檚 the clown?Why isn鈥檛 he here?Where鈥檚 Walrus?鈥滭br/> Behind is snowdrift,Walrus heard the cheers.Were they really cheering for him,too?
Yes!They were!
He shuffled up to Fox and Polar Bear and Seal And Whale.
鈥淚鈥檓 very sorry,鈥 he said.
鈥淪o you should be,鈥 said Fox.
鈥淎t least everyone thought you were part of the show,鈥 said Polar Bear.
鈥淚 suppose,鈥 said Seal,鈥渋f Walrus was really part of our next show,it couldn鈥檛 be any worse.鈥滭br/>Walrus was overjoyed.鈥淢e?鈥 he cried.鈥淭ruly?Can I be part of the show?Can I join in next time?鈥滭br/>鈥淵es,鈥 said Whale.鈥淚t will be
a lot safer that way.You can be the clown.As long as you do it properly.鈥滭br/>Walrus practiced hard and became a very good clown indeed.Now he is so good that Fox,Polar Bear,Seal and Whale are glad he is taking part.
Sometimes,when Walrus is clowning around,they really just can鈥檛 stop themselves.They have to join in too!