Lila always wanted to be the best

In the savannah lived Lila the giraffe.

Lila was tall, very tall.

She ran fast, could see very far, and loved learning new things.

But most of all...

Lila loved to win.

When she won a race, she was happy.

When she found something before the others, she was even happier.

And when someone told her:

"Well done, Lila!"

Then she was really, really happy.

One morning, Malo the monkey came running up.

"Who wants to race to the big baobab tree?"

Samy the lion, Nino the little elephant, and Lila agreed right away.

Everyone lined up behind a branch placed on the ground.

Malo raised his arms.

"Ready... set... GO!"

Samy started off very fast.

Nino ran behind, making the ground shake.

And Lila moved forward with her long legs.

One stride.

Two strides.

Three strides.

She passed Nino.

Then Samy.

And she arrived first at the baobab.

"I WON!"

Lila hopped around the tree.

"Did you see? I was the fastest!"

Samy arrived just behind her.

"Yes, you won."

Lila smiled.

"Let's do it again?"

Malo shook his head.

"No, now we're going to do something else."

They went near the river.

Nino drew a big circle in the dirt.

"We each throw three little pebbles. Whoever gets the most in the circle..."

Lila came closer right away.

"Wins!"

Nino nodded.

Malo threw his first pebble.

Missed.

His second.

Missed again.

His third rolled into the circle.

"One!" shouted Malo.

Samy got two in.

Nino too.

Then it was Lila's turn.

First pebble.

In the circle.

Second.

In the circle.

Lila picked up the third.

She aimed for a long time.

A very long time.

She threw.

The pebble bounced off a stone...

And went out of the circle.

"Two!" announced Nino.

Lila looked at the pebble.

Then at the circle.

"Wait."

Everyone looked at her.

"That one was farther than the others. So it counts for two points."

Samy frowned.

"Since when?"

Lila thought for a second.

"Since now."

Malo burst out laughing and said:

"That's not how it works!"

Lila sighed.

"Fine... then I'm tied with Samy and Nino."

Nino smiled.

"Exactly."

Lila didn't look very satisfied.

---

A little later, Jojo the hippo joined them.

"Want to play guess the sounds?"

Everyone sat down.

Jojo started.

"What animal goes... RIBBIT RIBBIT?"

Malo raised his hand.

"A frog!"

"Right!"

Lila straightened up.

"I was about to say that."

Jojo continued.

"What animal goes... HOOT HOOT?"

Samy answered:

"An owl!"

"Yes!"

Lila stretched her neck.

"I knew that too."

Then Jojo asked:

"And what animal goes... BUZZZZZZ?"

Nino answered:

"A bee!"

Jojo clapped.

Lila looked at everyone.

"Okay, now I'll ask the questions. They'll be harder."

She thought.

Then she asked:

"What animal is the tallest here?"

Malo looked at her.

"Lila..."

"Yes?"

"It's you."

Lila smiled.

"Good answer!"

Malo slapped his forehead gently.

---

At noon, Baya the elephant brought a big watermelon.

Everyone settled in the shade.

Baya cut several pieces and gave one to each.

Malo bit into his.

"Mmmmm!"

Lila looked at her piece.

Then at Samy's.

Then at Nino's.

She raised her piece.

"Whoever finishes first wins!"

Nino stopped chewing.

"Wins what?"

Lila thought.

"Well... wins."

Samy shook his head.

"I prefer to eat slowly."

Jojo agreed.

"Me too."

Lila looked around.

No one wanted to race.

So she ate her watermelon normally.

For almost ten seconds.

Then she looked at Malo.

"I still finished before you."

Malo looked up.

"Congratulations."

But this time, he wasn't even laughing.

---

After the snack, Malo suggested:

"Want to build something?"

They gathered branches, big leaves, and some pieces of wood.

Nino had an idea.

"We could make a big hut!"

Everyone thought it was a great idea.

Samy brought big branches.

Malo climbed trees to get leaves.

Jojo pushed the pieces of wood.

Nino carried several branches with his trunk.

And Lila used her long neck to place the leaves at the very top.

Little by little, the hut took shape.

It wasn't perfect.

It leaned a bit to the left.

One branch stuck out way too far to the right.

And Malo had put a giant leaf that fell in front of the entrance like a curtain.

But everyone was having fun.

Then Lila stepped back to look.

"My part isn't high enough."

Samy put down a branch.

"It's not your part, Lila. It's our hut."

But Lila had already picked up another branch.

She placed it at the very top.

Then another.

And another.

Malo looked up.

"It's getting very high."

Lila smiled.

"Exactly!"

Nino looked at the branches moving.

"Lila... I think that's enough."

"Just one more."

She added a big branch.

The hut tilted.

CRRRACK.

Everyone stopped.

Samy raised a paw.

"Lila..."

"It's holding!"

Lila grabbed one last branch.

"And now, this will be the tallest hut in the whole savannah!"

She placed the branch.

Silence.

A small leaf fell.

Then another.

A branch slipped.

CRACK.

Malo stepped back.

"Uh..."

And suddenly...

CRASH!

The whole hut collapsed.

Branches.

Leaves.

Wood.

Everything was on the ground.

A huge leaf landed on Jojo's head.

Malo came out of a pile of branches with a twig stuck on his back.

Nino looked at what was left of the hut.

No one was laughing.

Lila, for her part, stood still.

"We can start over."

Samy looked at the branches on the ground.

"We were almost done."

Malo sat down.

"I don't feel like building anymore."

Jojo took the leaf off his head.

"Me neither."

Nino nodded slowly.

Lila looked at her friends.

For the first time that day, no one wanted to play.

She looked at the destroyed hut.

Then at all the branches she had added.

"I just wanted it to be the tallest..."

Samy replied:

"We just wanted to build a hut together."

Lila said nothing.

She gently pushed a branch with her hoof.

Then she asked:

"If I help you put everything back... would you want to start over?"

Malo looked at Samy.

Samy looked at Nino.

Jojo sighed.

"Okay."

Malo raised a finger.

"But no contests."

Nino added:

"It doesn't need to be the tallest."

Samy smiled.

"Or the biggest."

Lila nodded.

"Okay."

---

They started again.

This time, Lila didn't try to do better than the others.

When Samy placed a branch, she helped him hold it.

When Malo put a leaf crooked, she didn't say she could do better.

She just helped him straighten it.

And when Nino suggested an idea, Lila listened to the end.

A little while later, their new hut was finished.

It wasn't very tall.

It wasn't perfectly straight.

And Jojo still had a leaf that fell on his head when he went in.

But everyone was laughing.

They settled inside together.

Malo looked around.

"It turned out pretty well."

Nino replied:

"Yes."

Lila looked at the roof.

Then at the walls.

Then at her friends.

She smiled.

"And no one won."

Samy replied:

"No."

Lila thought.

Then she added:

"But... it's still a tiny bit taller on my side."

Everyone turned to her.

Silence.

Lila waited two seconds.

Then she burst out laughing.

"I'm joking!"

Malo threw a leaf at her.

And a few seconds later, the whole hut was filled with laughter.