Have you ever wondered where sloths come from.........
Ring! Ring! Ring! The bells of Woodland Hills Elementary sounded! All the teachers are aligned in the hallways waiting to meet their new students. I happen to be one of those teachers. I go by Mrs.Pointer. This year I am teaching 4th grade. I hope this year goes a little more smooth than last year. The kids were very unruly. They simply did not listen. I opened the door to the classroom and the kids took their seats. It is always funny to see them trying to sit next to their friends. The class suddenly became really loud and I tried to quite them down but it was not working. In my mind I thought to myself, can I have a peaceful year of work? Then suddenly the little wiseman appeared. He said,"I hear your wish. Would you like me to grant your request? How about a landscaper? Plants are not unruly." I was excited to become a professional landscaper. Plants do not disrespect you.
I found peace in planting flowers. As a kid I always loved to garden with my grandmother. Every season we would have a new set of flowers to plant. I began to start on a new landscape project and I became very thirsty. I looked in the truck for water and there was none. I figured I could tough it out and wait until I was finished with the project. While I was planting, I thought to myself, I never had this problem as a teacher. Can I be a fish and live in water? I will never go thirsty then. The little wiseman appeared on a flower pedal. He said, " I hear you wish to be a fish in the sea. A fish, you will be!
Instantly, I became a fish. I looked behind me and there was the biggest shark I had ever seen behind me. I did not think about fish being a sharks best meal. I began to swim as fast as I could and I screamed, "Wiseman! Wiseman! Where are you? I want to live in peace and no fear! Please save me" The wiseman said, "What might you want to be?" "Anything! I can be sloth! It doesn't matter!" I replied.
Where did my scales go? I have fur! Wait, I have fur? Woooaahh, I am a Slooottthhhhh. This is not bad at all. This is peaceful and my home is a tree. I can hang here with no cares in the world. However, this is a little boring. I thought to myself, I need some excitement in my life. Can I be ..... No! No! No! The little Wiseman interrupted my thought and said, "I don't want to hear it!" You wished to be many things and you will remain a sloth in a tree!
Author's note: This story is remade from Origin Stories: The Moon. The man in the moon story specifically. I thought this story was greatly written. I kept the plot the same. I changed the character's and had the teacher turn into a sloth. In the original story he started out as a blacksmith and then turned into the moon. The wiseman granted all of his request. Similar to the way the wiseman granted the requests of the teacher in my story. The teacher ultimately turned into sloth.
"The Man in the Moon" from Laos Folk-Lore by Katherine Neville Fleeson. Origin Stories: The Moon
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