Befriend Or Not?

Pat-Pat was a little duckling. One sunny morning, as he waddled along the riverbank, he saw something very unusual: a big, green crocodile sitting on a rock, sobbing with huge, wet tears splashing all over the stone.

"Hey, what's the matter? Why are you crying?" asked Pat-Pat, paddling a little closer.

The crocodile looked up, its eyes red and puffy. "Nobody... nobody wants to be my friend," it wailed. "They all think I'm scary. Can we... can we be friends?"

Pat-Pat's heart went out to the lonely creature. "Of course! Let's be friends," he chirped happily.

"Oh, wonderful!" the crocodile sniffled, a wide, toothy grin spreading across its face. "Come on over, little buddy! Let's talk about everything under the sun!"

The crocodile opened its jaws just a tiny bit too wide, and Pat-Pat saw all the sharp, pointy teeth inside. His little duckling brain suddenly put everything together. The crocodile wasn't sad; it was hungry! It wanted to trick him into coming closer!

Quick as a flash, Pat-Pat turned and paddled away as fast as his webbed feet could carry him. He swam and swam until he was safe on the other side of the river. He watched the crocodile, who now looked very grumpy and not sad at all.

Pat-Pat learned an important lesson that day. Sometimes, not everyone who cries is truly sad, and it's always good to be a little bit careful, even when you're making a new friend.