Bibliography: This story is originally written by A. L. Shelton as The Tiger and the Frog
There was once a very old shark that was making its way to the reef to fill its stomach. The shark had not eaten in a couple of days and felt very weak indeed. As the shark was gliding through the sparkling blue waters a baby seal up ahead saw him and became very frightened. The seal quickly came up with a plan as the shark drew near.
The shark was about to pass by when the seal squeaked, "what are you up to?" The shark slowly turned around and said, "I am in search for food. I have not eaten in two days and I feel very weak. You would be a good meal but you are very small." The seal made sure to puff out its chest when it said, "I am the king of seals. I am strong. To test this lets see who can make it across that trench the quickest." The shark accepted this trial and made to burst off across the the trench. Before the shark sped off the seal grabbed onto the shark's fin. When the shark turned around the seal was waiting right next to the shark. "How did you get over here so fast?" questioned the shark. The seal grinned and said, "I am the king and I am faster than any shark. Just yesterday I beat a shark and took its dinner.
The shark was frightened by this noticing its own empty stomach and sped off immediately. As the shark was swimming along it saw a manta ray and told it about the seal and how fast it was. The manta laughed and said, "That seal got you! It just did not want to be eaten. You could've snatched it up in an instant, especially a baby seal!" The shark needed to prove the manta wrong so he convinced the manta to come along to find the seal. The seal saw the shark and the manta arriving and puffed up its chest again. "I was just finishing up the rest of that other shark's meal, excuse me." The shark then looked at the manta and was afraid the seal would think the manta was the shark's meal and try to steal it too. In the shark's fear it swung around and darted off with the manta.
The baby seal smiled as it thought to itself how clever it was to scare off such a frightening predator. The seal would have to think of what it would come up with next to save its skin.
Author's note: In the original tale there was a tiger and a frog but I thought it would be fun to make it underwater instead so now there is a shark and a seal. The story is very similar but of course I changed things around to make them ocean like. The river the animals had to cross became the trench and such.
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| Seal escaping jaws of shark |
The shark was about to pass by when the seal squeaked, "what are you up to?" The shark slowly turned around and said, "I am in search for food. I have not eaten in two days and I feel very weak. You would be a good meal but you are very small." The seal made sure to puff out its chest when it said, "I am the king of seals. I am strong. To test this lets see who can make it across that trench the quickest." The shark accepted this trial and made to burst off across the the trench. Before the shark sped off the seal grabbed onto the shark's fin. When the shark turned around the seal was waiting right next to the shark. "How did you get over here so fast?" questioned the shark. The seal grinned and said, "I am the king and I am faster than any shark. Just yesterday I beat a shark and took its dinner.
The shark was frightened by this noticing its own empty stomach and sped off immediately. As the shark was swimming along it saw a manta ray and told it about the seal and how fast it was. The manta laughed and said, "That seal got you! It just did not want to be eaten. You could've snatched it up in an instant, especially a baby seal!" The shark needed to prove the manta wrong so he convinced the manta to come along to find the seal. The seal saw the shark and the manta arriving and puffed up its chest again. "I was just finishing up the rest of that other shark's meal, excuse me." The shark then looked at the manta and was afraid the seal would think the manta was the shark's meal and try to steal it too. In the shark's fear it swung around and darted off with the manta.
The baby seal smiled as it thought to itself how clever it was to scare off such a frightening predator. The seal would have to think of what it would come up with next to save its skin.
Author's note: In the original tale there was a tiger and a frog but I thought it would be fun to make it underwater instead so now there is a shark and a seal. The story is very similar but of course I changed things around to make them ocean like. The river the animals had to cross became the trench and such.
Hi Lindsi! I just had a few questions about your story. "...You would be a good meal but you are very small." My thoughts while reading this was that the shark is hungry enough to settle for a lesser meal, so I am confused that a tiny seal would make a good meal. Along with those thoughts, wouldn't the shark believing the seal is king make the shark want to eat him more? What motivates the shark to race the seal if it already weak from hunger?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the under-water spin that you took on this story. I read the original and it was fun to see how exactly you changed it up. I really like the picture that you chose as well, it’s kind of scary but it suits the story well. I am curious as to why the manta left with the shark in the end, it only happened that way in the original because the tiger and fox were tied to one another. Maybe change the manta to an octopus to have the same effect?
ReplyDeleteHey Lindsi!
ReplyDeleteI love this retelling! Your writing style is very smooth and paints a wonderful picture for the reader. The dialogue in this story is also very well done and makes the interactions between the sea creatures engaging and exciting. The line at the end left me wondering what the baby seal would think of next; clearly he has used other clever strategies to escape being a meal before, since the manta ray knew about him being a trickster. Excellent work and can't wait to read more of your stories!