Here are two quote cards from the first chapter.
Friday, July 15, 2016
Thursday, July 14, 2016
The Zebra Prince
In the kingdom of Zapalinia, a lonely zebra prince named Zer wanted more than anything to play with all the other zebras who lived outside the castle walls. His parents,King Zokeras and Queen Zafarina told him that a zebra like him could never play with any zebras that didn’t have noble stripes.
One day Zer looked out the window from the castle and saw a distant group of zebras his own age playing some sort of game. Due to curiosity, he decided to join the other zebras, but he needed a disguise. He took some paint and added a basic black texture to his stripes to conceal his royalty.
Zer snuck out of the castle and found his way to the field where the other zebras were playing that strange game.
“What is that you are playing?" Zer asked one of the zebras.
“We’re playing zoo-zap," she said. “Haven’t you ever heard of zoo-zap?”
“No,” said Zer.
“That’s odd. Everyone in this land knows of this game. Even the pigs of Pagamonia know how to play. You’ve heard of Pagamonia, right?”
“Of course,” said Zer who had heard of the nearby kingdom ruled by pigs, as his private tutors in the castle taught him all about geography. However, no one uttered any mention of such games as zoo-zap in the castle.
“My name is Zaba. What’s yours?”
“Uhh…. Zupid, yeah that’s right“.
“Zupid? That’s a silly name.”
“Silly?” questioned Zer.
“Yeah,” said Zaba. “You’re not from Zapalinia, are you?”
“Why do you think that?”
“Well, you obviously don’t know a thing about this kingdom for one thing. Plus your stripes look strange to me too.”
The other zebras stopped for a moment with their match of zoo-zap and stared at Zer.
“You know his stripes do look rather funny,” said one of the other zebra players.
“He looks rather nervous,” said another zebra. “How do we know he’s not one of those zebras from the island of Zazavozia?”
They stared at him and trotted towards him. Some of the zebras snuck up behind Zer and grabbed him and tied him to a tree. They ripped out pieces of mud with their hooves and threw them at Zer.
One of the guards at the castle glanced over at the site and galloped towards the angry mob of zebra players. The evening clouds expanded and went darker. As the zebras were teasing and throwing mud at Zer, the rain poured down on them.
Just as the rain fell, the castle guard arrived and ordered the other zebras to stop. The guard looked at Zer tied to the tree and studied his face and identified him as Prince Zer.
“Prince Zer!” cried the castle guard. “What are you doing out here?” The guard then sneered at the zebra players. “What have you been doing to our prince?”
“The prince?!” said the zebras.
Not only had the rain washed away all the mud, but it also removed the painted details of Zer’s stripes. As the other zebras looked at Zer, they saw Zer’s true blue stripes.
"I am so sorry," said Zaba.
"I think your apology is a little too late," said one of the guards.
Zer had now seen the cruelty and the tyranny a mob of zebras could do to someone. Zer went back to the castle and decided to stay there for the foreseeable future. Zer did hope that one day he would find happiness outside the castle walls and see the world from an even greater distance.
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Question: Can zebras change their stripes?
One day Zer looked out the window from the castle and saw a distant group of zebras his own age playing some sort of game. Due to curiosity, he decided to join the other zebras, but he needed a disguise. He took some paint and added a basic black texture to his stripes to conceal his royalty.
Zer snuck out of the castle and found his way to the field where the other zebras were playing that strange game.
“What is that you are playing?" Zer asked one of the zebras.
“We’re playing zoo-zap," she said. “Haven’t you ever heard of zoo-zap?”
“No,” said Zer.
“That’s odd. Everyone in this land knows of this game. Even the pigs of Pagamonia know how to play. You’ve heard of Pagamonia, right?”
“Of course,” said Zer who had heard of the nearby kingdom ruled by pigs, as his private tutors in the castle taught him all about geography. However, no one uttered any mention of such games as zoo-zap in the castle.
“My name is Zaba. What’s yours?”
“Uhh…. Zupid, yeah that’s right“.
“Zupid? That’s a silly name.”
“Silly?” questioned Zer.
“Yeah,” said Zaba. “You’re not from Zapalinia, are you?”
“Why do you think that?”
“Well, you obviously don’t know a thing about this kingdom for one thing. Plus your stripes look strange to me too.”
The other zebras stopped for a moment with their match of zoo-zap and stared at Zer.
“You know his stripes do look rather funny,” said one of the other zebra players.
“He looks rather nervous,” said another zebra. “How do we know he’s not one of those zebras from the island of Zazavozia?”
They stared at him and trotted towards him. Some of the zebras snuck up behind Zer and grabbed him and tied him to a tree. They ripped out pieces of mud with their hooves and threw them at Zer.
One of the guards at the castle glanced over at the site and galloped towards the angry mob of zebra players. The evening clouds expanded and went darker. As the zebras were teasing and throwing mud at Zer, the rain poured down on them.
Just as the rain fell, the castle guard arrived and ordered the other zebras to stop. The guard looked at Zer tied to the tree and studied his face and identified him as Prince Zer.
“Prince Zer!” cried the castle guard. “What are you doing out here?” The guard then sneered at the zebra players. “What have you been doing to our prince?”
“The prince?!” said the zebras.
Not only had the rain washed away all the mud, but it also removed the painted details of Zer’s stripes. As the other zebras looked at Zer, they saw Zer’s true blue stripes.
"I am so sorry," said Zaba.
"I think your apology is a little too late," said one of the guards.
Zer had now seen the cruelty and the tyranny a mob of zebras could do to someone. Zer went back to the castle and decided to stay there for the foreseeable future. Zer did hope that one day he would find happiness outside the castle walls and see the world from an even greater distance.
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Question: Can zebras change their stripes?
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