Once upon a time, there was a baby panda named Beliktal.
“Mommy, mommy! Look! We have a letter!” he shouted, jumping up and down.
“Ah yes, and this letter is for you, my little panda,” his mom said, smiling. “It has your name on it.”
This was Beliktal’s first ever letter. His eyes were wide, his paws shaking. He tore it open and—oh, the excitement! But in all this excitement, he didn’t notice the naughty baby wolf peeking in through the window, ears twitching and eyes sparkling with mischief.
“I wonder what it says,” the wolf muttered under his breath. “Everybody gets letters… but I never do. Hmph!”
Beliktal read aloud, “Guess who’s coming to the forest? A balloon cellar bear? No. A clown parrot? No. An iceman giraffe? Hooray, hooray, hooray!”
So yes, an iceman giraffe. Everyone in the forest was buzzing with curiosity.
When the sun was high overhead, the baby animals who had been dreaming about ice cream gathered near the bamboo trees, chattering and giggling, waiting for the iceman giraffe.
But no one came.
“I’m tired of waiting,” one bunny huffed. “When will he come?”
Beliktal checked the letter again. “It says here… the place is right here. We’re in the right place. Right?”
After a while, the iceman giraffe appeared. Tall, kind eyes, but… sadly, no ice cream cart.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he said, sighing. “My cart got lost this morning. I packed strawberry, cocoa, and vanilla, and I hit the road. I wanted to rest by an apple tree, and I ate the apples… and then… well… my cart disappeared.”
“Oh no!” gasped Beliktal. “Don’t be sad, Iceman Giraffe. We’ll help you find it!”
The baby animals scampered off toward the apple tree. Unbeknownst to them, the naughty baby wolf had spotted the cart and dragged it to his den. Inside, he was happily devouring the ice cream, smearing it everywhere.
“All mine! No one will touch it!” he cackled.
Beliktal and friends followed the tire tracks, magnifying glass in paw.
“Here are the ruts! Come on!”
The tracks led through tall grass and then… a swamp. The sweet smell of strawberry disappeared, replaced by mud.
“Well,” said Beliktal, squinting at the ground, “we’ve come this far. Now what?”
“I smell something…” one of the bunnies sniffed. “Strawberry?”
A smear of ice cream on a tree trunk confirmed it. They were on the right path. But soon, the mud tracks revealed paw prints too. Wolves. Oh no.
The baby panda’s heart thumped. They reached the wolf’s den. The fox, waiting nearby, whispered, “One of you has to go in. But…”
“I’m too scared,” squeaked a rabbit.
“Me too,” the others chorused.
Beliktal took a deep breath. “I’ll go,” he said.
Inside, the wolf barked, trying to sound scary.
“Who’s there? Stay away! I’ll eat you!”
Beliktal saw him trembling, coughing, a little pale. “You’re sick, aren’t you?”
“No! I’m fine! And these ice creams… they’re mine!”
Beliktal didn’t argue. He gently coaxed the wolf out, and when the other animals and the giraffe saw him, they were shocked. The wolf was shivering.
Quickly, they seated him on a sun-warmed stone. One offered hot fruit tea, another bamboo soup, a third a long scarf.
“You would have been warm and happy if you shared the ice cream,” said Beliktal. “Instead, you’re cold and sick.”
The wolf looked down, ashamed. “I… I didn’t get a letter,” he muttered.
The crocodile pointed to a branch above. “Your letter must have gotten caught here. Look, the postman stork always delivers letters carefully. See your name?”
From that day, the baby wolf became thoughtful. He never forgot that friendship and solidarity mattered more than ice cream or greed. And the forest was a little warmer, a little happier, and a lot more full of laughter.
Beliktal smiled. Sometimes, a little patience and courage can save more than just ice cream—it can save a friendship.
