Carl the Terrifying Capybara
8 pages · 6 min · ages 5+
“You look like a cozy couch, Carl,” said Monkey. Carl spat his green leaf into the air, caught it neatly with his teeth, and shook his stout head. “I want to be truly terrifying tonight,” said Carl. He wanted to win the Golden Pumpkin stuffed with sweet river figs, but everyone always thought capybaras were just cuddly cushions. “A capybara cannot be scary,” said Reginald, bowing his polite green snout. Carl felt a rumble of pure determination deep in his whiskers. Carl chewed his leaf slowly. “Hm.”
Carl puffed his stout tummy to look spooky. He pulled a long white bedsheet over his ears and gave a tiny hiss into the warm breezy air. “Is that a giant marshmallow?” asked Monkey from the riverbank. “It feels wonderfully squishy,” said Tuck, tapping the soft cotton fabric with his lime-green toe. Carl knew he was supposed to look like a phantom, not a sofa. Before he could stomp away, Monkey hopped right onto his back, and Tuck wobbled up next. “Are you spooky yet?” asked Monkey. Carl twitched his nose. “Hm.”
Carl puffed his stout tummy to look spooky. He shook off the sheet, tied a shiny red cape around his neck, and popped two plastic vampire fangs over his teeth. “Behold my dark power,” Carl muttered through his crunchy river leaf. “My word, what wonderfully pointy teeth!” said Reginald, blinking his polite yellow eyes. Carl thought this was finally his golden moment to frighten the whole riverbank. He reared up on his hind legs, flapped his cape in the cool evening wind, and opened his mouth wide to let out a ferocious vampire roar.
Carl’s green leaf tickled his stout nose, and instead of a roar, he made a giant sneezing snort. The vampire fangs flew through the air and landed with a soft plop in the damp mud. “Oh, how marvelous, an acrobat!” said Reginald with a polite clap of his claws. “Give us a ride, vampire!” shouted Monkey, jumping back onto Carl’s red cape. Reginald carefully stepped up behind Tuck, making the wobbly stack three friends high. Carl felt the heavy green crocodile balancing gently on his stout rump. “Are we scary now?” asked Tuck. Carl sniffed the mud. “Hm.”
Carl puffed his stout tummy to look spooky. He picked up an enormous hollow pumpkin with jagged carved eyes and shoved it right over his head. He swung his stout body from side to side so the pumpkin clattered like a wooden monster on the crunchy gravel. “That is huge!” chirped Pip, fluttering down from a palm tree. Carl thought nobody could possibly call him cuddly inside this dark, hollow shell. He marched down the path, growling as loudly as a peaceful capybara could growl. “Who is in there?” asked Pip. “Boo,” said Carl.
Pip flew straight through the carved eye hole and began arranging dry river grass into a cozy nest. “What a lovely birdhouse!” chirped Pip, sitting on Carl’s head while Monkey, Tuck, and Reginald stacked themselves even higher on his back. Carl stopped under the glowing lanterns; his friends were a towering, giggling mountain, and he was not scary at all. Carl felt a tiny pinch of disappointment in his stout chest until he looked at the huge white sheet lying on the grass. “Do not move,” said Carl, his calm eyes lighting up. “Are we quitting?” asked Monkey. Carl chewed his leaf. “Hm.”
Carl puffed his stout tummy and made his big move. He tossed the enormous white sheet right over the whole wobbly tower of friends. Pip peeked through the top hole, Monkey poked four arms through the sides, Reginald swung his green tail below, and Carl stomped firmly along the muddy trail. They marched into the parade together as a ten-foot-tall, multi-legged jungle phantom. “Run, it is the Mega-Swamp Monster!” cried the river parrots, dropping their feathers in fright. Carl knew right then that his grand plan had worked. “Take the prize!” shouted the judge.
The jungle crowd cheered wildly as the giant sheet slipped down, revealing the wobbly pile of smiling friends. Reginald placed the Golden Pumpkin gently on Carl’s stout brown head. The sweet smell of river berries filled the cool night air, and Tuck nibbled a crunchy fig. Carl felt the warm glow of victory beneath his thick fur. “You are the most terrifying creature in the entire jungle, Carl!” cheered Monkey, patting Carl's ear. Carl took one slow, delicious bite of a juicy berry and chewed his leaf. “Hm.”