Lush green, almost pulsating in the heat. Far up, lonely ol' Koala sits, watching. There's a smell of smoke in the air.
"Mr. Koala," a quick-witted greenbacked lizard said, "why does it smell like something is burning?"
"Climb up and find out, my curious little friend."
So up the little lizard climbed. Up, past the short little baby-sprout-trees. Up, past the kookaburra nests. Up, up, up so high he thought he was flying instead of climbing.
Once he got to the top, he sat down next to Mr. Koala. And Mr. Koala told stories of bars and funny animals that walk on two legs and have far apart eyes. And how they liked to think they were watching him, keeping him inside, when in reality, the bars were keeping them out, and the funny animals were HIS entertainment. And he also told stories about the day he was taken out of the bars, and how he came to live here, in this big jungle. One with funny paths that had strange moving things, with the funny animals inside...
Through all of the stories, and ramblings, the little lizard did not interrupt. Mr. Koala noticed his silence and asked him, "Have you not liked a single thing I told you about?"
"Oh, Mr. Koala. Your stories fill me to the brim with thoughts of strange things, but I could not help but get distracted sometimes. The smell of burning tickled my nose, and I think the sun has gotten to me, but I feel as if I could fly!"
The old Koala, wise and tricksy, just chuckled. "What you are smelling is something the funny animals throw outside the moving things. I watched them put it to their lips, and give it to another funny animal... So when they threw it down, I decided to find out why the funny animals enjoyed themselves so freely.."
"Smoking, my dear lad, smoking." And with that, Mr. Koala showed the lizard a white stick with red on the end.
Together, they smoked and laughed and had very intelligent jungle conversations. But eventually, the little lizard who has a much faster metabolism, and is much smaller than Mr. Koala, was overcome by the driest mouth he had ever had!
"Mr. Koala," he said, "I think I'm going to go get a drink from the river..." And down the little lizard went, laughing all they way to the river.
When he tried to get a drink, he was laughing too hard, and he fell in. And just as he was climbing onto the shore again, rough old Croc came up to see what all the commotion was about.
"I've been SMOKING with Mr. Koala," cried the lizard. "It is the strangest thing I have ever felt! I thought my mouth was going to dry out and fall off though," the lizard said with wide-eyed innocence.
"Well," Croc said, "Since you seem to be having such trouble getting a drink, climb onto my tongue, and I'll help you stay above water so you may have some water."
And the intoxicated little lizard jumped right in. And he was never seen again.
BUT! We all know that crocodiles do love to eat, so he decided to go find Old Mr. Koala...
Not very long after he set out, Croc started to smell something strange... And as he was looking, he spotted a puff of smoke coming out of a tree trunk.
In his best small voice, Croc called out to Mr. Koala-- "Mr. Koala, Mr. Koala, can you help me up the tree?
"Of course, m'boy, of course!" Koala said, through a very smiley mouth, and very squinty eyes.
He didn't even notice Croc, sitting there at the bottom of the tree.. And he didn't notice that the ground felt funny, almost wet and squishy... And he didn't notice the grumble coming from a few feet away...
But he DID hear two loud jaws snapping together.
And ol' Mr. Koala was never seen again.
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This story has three morals:
1: Don't smoke what others throw onto the ground.
2: Don't smoke pot around people you don't know.
3: Don't tell people who your dealer is.
