Muffy's Mischievous Challenges

DeeIsMe

Humphrey the hippo wasn't just happy; he was ecstatically, ridiculously, ear-to-ear grinning happy. The source of his joy? A triple-decker watermelon smoothie, brimming with whipped cream and a cherry bigger than his nose.


Humphrey, being happy, hopped. He hopped with a surprising lightness for a creature of his considerable girth. He hopped over lily pads, around sunbathing turtles, and past a grumpy crocodile who just wanted a nap.

Then, it happened.

A gurgle, a rumble, a miniature earthquake in his belly. Humphrey stopped mid-hop.

'Hic!'

He hiccupped. The residual watermelon smoothie sloshed in his stomach. He hopped again, trying to shake it off.

'Hic!' Louder this time, accompanied by a spray of watermelon juice that painted a nearby heron pink.

A happy hippo hopped and hiccupped. And with each hop and each hiccup, the grumpy crocodile's eye twitched a little more. Humphrey, oblivious in his hiccuping, watermelon-fueled joy, just kept hopping. He was a happy hippo, and nothing, not even the most persistent hiccups, could change that. Well, maybe a fourth-decker watermelon smoothie could, but he'd save that for later.