Stanley the Snake Is in a Knot

8 pages · 7 min · ages 5+

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“Watch this!” Stanley the snake tied himself into a pretzel. Then he untied himself and tied himself into a bow. Then he made a wobbly letter S. “Watch this! Watch this!” squawked Mango the parrot, who said everything twice. Lola the sloth, hanging upside down from her branch, slowly opened her mouth. “Stanley…” she said. Then she stopped to rest. Tonight was the Jungle Talent Show, and the winner would get the Golden Coconut. Stanley's grand finale was going to be the Triple Twisty Pretzel Bow. No snake had ever done it. “When the sun touches the river, I'll be on that stage,” said Stanley. “Watch this!”

Stanley began to practise. “Loop!” He made a loop with his tail. “Twist!” He twisted his middle. “Through the hole!” He pushed his head through the loop. “Loop! Twist! Through the hole!” He did it again, and again, faster and faster. “Loop! Twist! Through the hole!” shouted Mango. “Loop! Twist! Through the hole!” Then Stanley tried to move. He could not. His head was here. His tail was there. His middle was everywhere. It did not hurt one bit. It was just very, very inconvenient. “Uh-oh,” said Stanley. “Uh-oh! Uh-oh!” said Mango.

“I'll wiggle out,” said Stanley. He wiggled. He jiggled. He wiggled a jiggle and jiggled a wiggle. The knot went tighter. Now his tail was right under his nose, tickling it. Stanley started to giggle, and every giggle made the knot a tiny bit tighter. “Watch this,” said Stanley, much more quietly. “Watch this! Watch this!” said Mango. Up on her branch, Lola took a slow, slow breath. “…that…” said Lola. The sun was already halfway down the sky.

“A big roll will shake me loose,” said Stanley. He rocked himself to the top of the hill, and he rolled. Bumpity-bump, bumpity-bump, down the hill he went, round and round like a green wheel, faster and faster, all the way to the bottom and into the river. Splash! Stanley bobbed up again. He was still a knot. Now he was a wet knot. A frog climbed on top of him and sat down, as if he were a little green boat. “Ribbit,” said the frog. “Watch this! Watch this!” said Mango.

“Pull!” said Stanley. “Mango, pull my head! Lola, pull my tail!” Mango grabbed Stanley's head with both feet and flapped as hard as he could. Lola reached down from her branch, took hold of his tail, and began to pull, extremely slowly. “Harder!” said Stanley. They pulled harder. The knot squeezed smaller, and smaller, and rounder, and rounder, until Stanley was a tight green ball, no bigger than a coconut. Mango let go. The ball dropped to the ground. Boing. Boing. Boing. Boing. Lola watched it bounce. “…is…” said Lola.

The ball rolled to a stop by the river. Far away, drums began to play. The Talent Show was starting. The sun was almost touching the water. Stanley looked at the orange sky. “I'm going to miss it,” he said in a small voice. “I'm going to be a ball forever.” Mango landed next to him. He was bored, so he did what he always did. “Loop! Twist! Through the hole!” said Mango. “Loop! Twist! Through the hole!” Stanley stopped being sad. Loop. Twist. Through the hole. That was how he got in. So the way out was…

“Watch this,” said Stanley. “Backwards!” He pulled his head back out of the hole. “Hole the through!” He untwisted his middle. “Twist!” He unlooped his tail. “Loop!” Pop! Stanley shot out long and straight, like a green ribbon. “Hole the through! Twist! Loop!” shouted Mango. “Hole the through! Twist! Loop!” Stanley zoomed through the jungle faster than he had ever zoomed and slid onto the stage just as the sun touched the river. The crowd gasped. Up in her tree, Lola was still watching. “…a…” said Lola.

Stanley did the Knot and Back Again. He tied himself into a knot in one second, and out again in one second. Loop, twist, through the hole! Hole the through, twist, loop! The crowd went wild. The toucan judge gave him the Golden Coconut. Stanley held it up with his tail. “And now,” he said, “my next trick. The Quadruple Twisty Pretzel Bow! Watch this!” “Watch this! Watch this!” shouted Mango. Stanley looped. Stanley twisted. Stanley went through the hole four times. And at last, very slowly, Lola finished her sentence. “…very… bad… idea,” said Lola.