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The following story is an adaption of “How the Rhinoceros got his skin” from “Just so Stories” by Rudyard Kipling.

Once upon a time, on a sun-drenched island by the Red Sea, lived a group of animals and a wise Parsee Man. They all worked together, gathering food to last them through the summer’s drought, all except for one: a very, very lazy rhinoceros. This rhino preferred lounging in the shade to helping his friends, his knobby legs sticking out from under his sizable belly.

The Camel, known as the wisest animal in Egypt, approached Rhino one day, flanked by the Horned Viper. “Rhino, shouldn’t you help us gather food? We all need to work together to survive the summer,” Camel advised. But Rhino just laughed and shooed them away, much to the dismay of Giraffe, who consoled Camel, “Don’t mind him; he’s not worth the trouble.”

The Parsee Man, noticing the animals’ gloom, offered to make his special cake to energize them for their task. This delighted everyone, and they all pitched in, excited for the treat. Meanwhile, Rhino boasted about his smooth skin by the water, unconcerned with the hard work of his peers.

As the Parsee Man baked the most splendid cake, Rhino’s curiosity got the better of him. He sneaked over to the celebration and, seizing an opportunity, stole the rest of the cake while the animals were distracted. The Parsee Man, seeing this, devised a clever plan for revenge.

After enjoying the stolen cake, Rhino decided to take a dip in the sea, leaving his skin by the shore. The Parsee Man seized this chance, filling Rhino’s skin with cake crumbs and extra currants to teach him a lesson about his pride and laziness.

When Rhino returned to wear his skin, he found it uncomfortably itchy and wrinkly. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t smooth it out or relieve the itch. From that day forward, every rhinoceros has had wrinkly skin and a notoriously bad temper, all thanks to the Parsee Man’s clever retaliation.

The Parsee Man, sitting atop his palm tree, watched Rhino struggle and announced, “And that, my dear friends, is how the Rhino got his skin.” This tale of mischief and consequence became a legend among the animals, reminding them of the importance of community, hard work, and the folly of laziness and pride.