In this playful adaptation of one of Rudyard Kipling’s beloved Just So Stories, young Cyrus bakes a magnificent spice cake that attracts a rude Rhinoceros. After the Rhinoceros steals the cake, Cyrus devises a gentle plan involving cake crumbs and the Rhinoceros’s temporarily discarded skin to teach a lesson about consideration. The resulting itchy situation leads to genuine friendship, wrinkly rhinoceros skin, and many shared cakes under the stars.

Far away and long ago, an island in the Red Sea was home to a boy named Cyrus. Cyrus’s family were Parsis, keepers of traditions from an ancient place called Persia. He loved to tell stories about his ancestors and their journey across the sea to find a new home.

Cyrus had three very special things: a shiny hat that his grandmother had given him, a sturdy knife for cooking, and a stove that he treated with great care.

Cyrus loved to cook a special cake filled with fruits and spices. The delicious smell would waft across the island, making everyone’s mouth water.

One sunny day, Cyrus decided to bake the most giant, delicious cake ever. He hummed a happy tune his mother taught him as he mixed the ingredients. The cake, when finished, was as enormous as an elephant’s footprint and smelled like a dream come true!

Suddenly, out of the jungle came a big, gray Rhinoceros. This wasn’t your typical zoo rhino – oh no! Back then, the Rhinoceros’s skin was tighter, more like a superhero’s costume. He had fewer wrinkles and absolutely zero manners.

This particular Rhinoceros was known throughout the island for his impatience and grumpiness. The monkeys would whisper about how he charged through their favorite fruit trees without a care. The birds told tales of how he’d splash through peaceful ponds, sending water everywhere. Even the insects buzzed about his habit of stomping on their carefully built homes.

“Why should I wait?” the Rhinoceros would snort. “Why should I go around when I can go through? Why should I ask when I can take?”

Cyrus, being the friendly person he was, called out, “Hello there! Would you like to join me for some cake?”

The Rhinoceros swung his large head toward Cyrus, his small eyes widening at the sight of the magnificent cake. He didn’t reply. Instead, he charged straight for the cake, his tiny eyes fixed on the delicious treat.

“I see cake. I want cake. Cake is mine now,” the Rhinoceros thought to himself, not bothering with pleasantries or permission.

Surprised by the Rhinoceros’s bad manners, Cyrus quickly climbed up a nearby palm tree to safety. From his perch, he watched as the Rhinoceros knocked over the special stove with his horn and sent the cake rolling across the sand.

“Oh dear,” Cyrus sighed, “That’s not how we treat other people’s things.”

The Rhinoceros didn’t seem to care. He scooped up the entire cake on his horn and gobbled it down in one big gulp! Then, without so much as a “thank you,” he swished his tail and wandered back into the jungle, leaving a mess behind.

“Next time make two cakes!” the Rhinoceros called over his shoulder. “One for you and one for me. But make mine bigger!”

Cyrus climbed down from the tree, brushed off his clothes, and set his stove right again. He wasn’t angry, but he did feel a little sad that the Rhinoceros hadn’t learned about kindness and sharing.

“Hmm,” Cyrus thought, “Maybe there’s a lesson to be learned here.” He thought for a bit, then came up with a little rhyme:

“When we take without asking,
Or forget to be kind,
We might miss out on friendships
And good times we could find.”

And let me tell you, those words had more power than you might think. Something very strange was about to happen to that cake-stealing Rhinoceros!

As the days passed, Cyrus continued his daily routines—gathering fruits, telling stories, and occasionally baking smaller cakes that he shared with the island’s friendlier creatures. He often wondered about the rude Rhinoceros but hadn’t seen him since the cake incident.

The days grew very hot. Everyone, including Cyrus and the animals, looked for ways to cool off. The monkeys fanned themselves with large leaves. The birds soaked their feet in shallow puddles. Even the insects sought shade under the broadest leaves they could find.

One particularly scorching afternoon, Cyrus decided to take a refreshing swim in the sea. The water looked like sparkling blue glass, inviting and cool. As he was walking to the beach, his woven bag of swimming things over his shoulder, he spotted a familiar gray figure lumbering through the trees ahead.

It was the Rhinoceros! To Cyrus’s surprise, the Rhinoceros was doing something extraordinary – he was taking off his skin!

Yep, you heard that right. The Rhinoceros unclasped three big buttons at his belly, slipped right out of his skin as if it were a tight suit, and waddled into the water, leaving his skin neatly folded on the sand.

“Ahhhh,” sighed the Rhinoceros as he splashed into the cool waves. “Nothing better than a swim without that hot, tight skin!”

Cyrus watched, fascinated. He had an idea. He didn’t want to be unkind, but he did think the Rhinoceros could use a gentle reminder about manners.

Cyrus went back to his camp and gathered up some of the cake crumbs left from his most recent baking. He brought them to the beach and carefully sprinkled them inside the Rhinoceros’s empty skin. He made sure not to use too many – just enough to be a little itchy.

“Sometimes,” Cyrus mused, “we learn best when we can feel what others feel. Maybe a little itchiness will help the Rhinoceros understand why being considerate is important.”

Then Cyrus climbed up a palm tree to watch what would happen next.

Feeling nice and cool from his swim, the Rhinoceros came lumbering out of the water. He shook himself like a dog, sending droplets flying in all directions.

“Nothing like a good swim!” he trumpeted to no one in particular. “Now back to looking for something tasty to take.”

He grabbed his skin and pulled it on, buttoning up those three big buttons at the bottom. But as soon as he did, he felt something wasn’t quite right.

It started as a tiny tickle. Then, a bigger tickle. Then suddenly – ITCHY ITCHY ITCHY!

The Rhinoceros started to wiggle and squirm, trying to scratch every part of himself at once. He bounced around like popcorn in a hot pan.

“What is happening to me?” he bellowed, twisting his neck to try to bite at an itch between his shoulders. “I’m itchier than a mosquito convention!”

Then he had an idea. He flopped down onto the sand and started to roll. He rolled this way and that way like a beach ball caught in the wind. But every time he rolled, those pesky cake crumbs just tickled him more and more!

The Rhinoceros spotted the palm tree and ran over to rub his back against the tree trunk. He rubbed and rubbed and rubbed some more. He rubbed so hard that his skin started to stretch and fold!

A big fold appeared over his shoulders. Another fold popped up where the buttons used to be (oops, he rubbed those right off!). Even more, folds wrinkled up over his legs. The poor Rhinoceros looked like he was wearing a baggy, wrinkly suit that was way too big for him!

From his spot in the palm tree, Cyrus watched with a mix of amusement and sympathy. He hadn’t meant to make the Rhinoceros so uncomfortable, just to teach him a little lesson.

Finally, the itchy Rhinoceros spotted Cyrus in the tree. “Oh, hello there!” he called out, still scratching. “I remember you! You’re the one who made that delicious cake. I’m so sorry I ate it all without asking. I don’t suppose you have any idea what’s making me so itchy, do you?”

Cyrus climbed down from the tree. “Well,” he said gently, “I might have sprinkled a few cake crumbs in your skin while you were swimming. I thought it might help you understand how it feels when someone does something inconsiderate.”

The Rhinoceros looked thoughtful, even as he kept scratching. “I see,” he said. “I guess I didn’t think about how you felt when I ate your cake without asking. That wasn’t very nice of me, was it?”

Cyrus smiled. “We all make mistakes sometimes,” he said. “The important thing is that we learn from them. What do you say we go back to my camp, and I’ll help you clean out those itchy crumbs? Then maybe we could bake a new cake together – one we can share.”

The Rhinoceros’s small eyes brightened. “You’d do that? Even after I was so rude to you?” He stopped scratching for a moment, surprised by the offer of kindness.

“Of course,” Cyrus replied. “That’s what friends do. They forgive each other and help each other do better next time.”

So Cyrus and the Rhinoceros became friends, and from that day on, they often shared cakes and stories on the beach. Cyrus taught the Rhinoceros about his family’s recipes, and the Rhinoceros showed Cyrus the best spots on the island to find the juiciest fruits for their cakes.

The Rhinoceros, who once charged through the jungle taking whatever he wanted, now asked politely before entering others’ homes. He even started using his strength to help smaller creatures build their nests and shelters.

And while the Rhinoceros’s skin stayed a bit wrinkly (a reminder to always be considerate), his heart grew three sizes with kindness and good manners. And if you listen closely on a quiet night, you might just hear the distant sound of a Rhinoceros and his friend laughing and sharing a slice of cake under the stars.

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