Story 14: The Ring-Tailed Lemur’s Dance (A Story from Madagascar)
On the amazing island of Madagascar, where baobab trees stood like upside-down giants and chameleons changed colors in the blink of an eye, lived a little ring-tailed lemur named Lemi. Lemi had a beautiful, bushy tail with black and white stripes, which he loved to hold high in the air as he walked.
All the other lemurs in his family were excellent at something. His brother was the best fruit-finder, sniff-sniff-sniffing out the ripest mangoes. His sister was the fastest climber, whoosh-whooshing up the tallest trees. Lemi, however, felt a little bit ordinary. He wasn’t the fastest, nor the best at finding food.
Lemi loved to dance. When the sun rose, he would sway and spin. When the wind rustled the leaves, he would twirl. He loved to leap and bound, his striped tail a blur, but the other lemurs were often too busy with important lemur things to notice.
One season, a great sadness fell upon the lemur community. The sun had been shining too brightly, and the usually green forest began to feel dry. The juicy berries were shrinking, and the sweet leaves were turning crunchy. Everyone was worried.
The Chief Lemur called a meeting. “We need new ideas!” he chattered. “Our usual ways aren’t working. The forest is quiet, and our hearts are heavy.”
Lemi, usually shy, decided to try something. He stood up on a low branch, took a deep breath, and began to dance. He spun and leaped, his tail waving like a flag. Swish, twirl, jump! He moved like the wind through the trees, like the water flowing in the river.
The other lemurs stopped their chattering. They had never seen Lemi dance like this! His movements were so joyful, so full of energy, even though they were all feeling sad.
As Lemi danced, he remembered the places where the sun was too harsh. He remembered the plants that looked thirsty. His dance became a story of the forest’s needs. He twirled toward the driest patch of berries, he jumped toward the shadiest leaves.
His movements were so infectious that soon, one tiny lemur started to tap its foot. Then another started to sway its tail. Soon, the whole family of lemurs was dancing with Lemi! Swish, swish, hop!
As they danced, their happy energy seemed to wake up the forest. The gentle rustle of their movements stirred up the air. The joy in their hearts seemed to call to the clouds.
A little rain began to fall. Pitter-pat, pitter-pat! Not a big storm, but enough to refresh the leaves and plump up the berries. The forest began to hum with life again, and the lemurs cheered!
The Chief Lemur looked at Lemi, his eyes wide with admiration. “Lemi,” he chattered, “we thought we needed the strongest climber or the best fruit-finder. But you, with your joyful dance, reminded us how to be happy and to move together. Your dance woke up our hearts and woke up the forest!”
From that day on, Lemi was no longer just “ordinary.” He was Lemi, the dancer, whose joyful spirit brought happiness and life to the forest. He learned that everyone has a special talent, and when you share your unique gift with others, it can bring the greatest magic of all.
Review The Magic Passport Story 14.