Once upon a time there was a cute nanny-goat who lived in the zoo.

One day she had a dream.

Her dream was to celebrate her birthday with her friends.

The nanny-goat finished her dinner, brushed her teeth, changed her clothes and went to bed.

She was thinking of having a beautiful birthday with all her friends.

Around midnight, the goat had a dream. She dreamed that she was happy walking around the zoo, looking for her friends.

She saw the beautiful tall giraffe eating some leaves.

The nanny-goat asked:

-Hello giraffe, do you want to come to my birthday party?

The giraffe said:

– I’m sorry nanny-goat. I’m very busy, and I won’t be able to make it to your party.

– Okay giraffe, maybe next time! – the nanny-goat said.

In her dream the goat was walking down the street and suddenly she saw a mare-zebra playing with her brother.

– Hello, mare-zebra! Do you want to come to my birthday party? – said the nanny-goat.

The mare-zebra laughed nervously and said:

– Sorry nanny-goat, I have to clean the house.

The nanny-goat said:

– Okay, mare-zebra, maybe next time.

The nanny-goat also saw the little female pup enjoying a bone.

The nanny-goat said: -Hi little female pup, excuse me, but do you want to come to my birthday party?

The little female pup stopped eating her bone and saw the nanny-goat standing in front of her.

The little female pup: -I’m sorry nanny-goat, I have to make dinner for my family, that’s why I can’t go to your party.

The nanny-goat said: – Okay little female pup, maybe next time.

In the dream the nanny-goat looked up to the sky and saw that the clouds were gray. It started to rain and the nanny-goat walked back to her house.

The nanny-goat woke up hearing the sound of a loud thunder.

The nanny-goat sat on her bed feeling sad because her friends couldn’t come to her birthday party.

She walked slowly to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Then she washed the clothes and cleaned the house.

The weather changed, it became a beautiful sunny day.

She turned on the radio to listen to music. At around four in the afternoon she heard a knock on the door.

The nanny-goat opened the door and saw all her friends.

She saw the giraffe, the mare-zebra, and the little female pup standing there with gifts, balloons, and a nice birthday cake.

They all shouted: – SURPRIIIIIIIISE! Happy birthday nanny-goat!

The nanny-goat was so excited to see all her friends. She asked them to come in and realized she wasn’t dreaming. Thus, the nanny-goat enjoyed the party with her friends, playing games, eating, and dancing.

Moral: Dreams are not always a reflection of reality.

Media Attribution

• Illustrations by Shihara Canagaratnam