In the sandy dunes of the desert, there was a vulture named Hungry who was famous for being always hungry and never smiling. He had a frown that could scare away the sunniest of days!
Hungry was perched atop a cactus one windy day, looking extra grumpy. The desert animals were having a Silly Sing-Off, and the sounds of their off-key warbling floated up to his perch.
“Singing? Bah!” grumbled Hungry, “I’d rather eat a cactus than sing.”
But as he listened to the howls and hoots, something wiggly and giggly started bubbling inside him.
“Maybe… just maybe, I could try singing… but only to show them how it’s done,” he thought.
So, Hungry swooped down to the Sing-Off with a gruff “CAW!” and announced,
“I will sing a song so grand, it will make the sand dance!” The animals giggled and whispered, “This we have to see!”
Hungry cleared his throat, puffed out his chest, and opened his beak. But instead of a song, out came the silliest sounds the desert had ever heard! Squawks, squeaks, and bizarre booms echoed across the dunes.
Hungry was trying to sing, but it sounded like a donkey playing the drums!
The animals couldn’t help it; they burst into laughter. Even the tumbleweeds rolled around as if they were chuckling.
Hungry stopped, surprised. He had never heard such laughter before.
Looking around at all the happy faces, Hungry felt the wiggly, giggly feeling grow. And then, for the first time ever, a smile cracked across his beak. It was small, but it was there.
“Maybe singing isn’t so bad,” he chuckled, “especially if it makes everyone laugh!”
From that day on, Hungry became the star of the Silly Sing-Off.
Not because he was the best singer, but because he was the funniest! And every time he sang, his smile grew a little bit more.