Joffo was a giraffe. He lived in the zoo at the edge of town in a comfortable house surrounded by a very high fence. The fence was high because Joffo was such a tall animal. He had long, spindly legs, a wispy tail, and a funny-looking face like a camel’s. He had big, soft, brown eyes and knobby horns. But the most remarkable thing about Joffo was his long, long, long neck. This neck often helped Joffo and others, but sometimes it got him into trouble, as we shall soon see.
Amanda Brown loved Joffo, and he knew it. Amanda was a little girl with a very sweet disposition who lived in the town near the zoo. She visited Joffo almost every day. Joffo could always tell when she was coming, long before he could see her, because Amanda (who had learned to whistle at an early age) always whistled a pretty tune that reminded Joffo of the song the kooki bird used to sing in his native Africa.
Amanda would bring Joffo wonderful treats like petunias from her mother’s garden, fresh huckleberries from the woods near the zoo, and tender, young green leaves from the trees. Joffo ate these treats with great pleasure, as they were a welcome change from his usual zoo food. To thank her, Joffo would bend his great neck low to lick Amanda’s hand with his soft, brown, and black-spotted tongue. Then Amanda would pat his funny old head and stroke his knobby horns.
But one day, Amanda stopped coming to see Joffo. After three days passed without a visit, Joffo became very worried. He tried to ask the zookeeper to let him out of his high fence so he could search for Amanda, but he couldn’t make the zookeeper understand. Finally, Joffo decided he would have to get out by himself.
Joffo noticed the latch on his gate was on the outside. He had an idea: he would stand on his feeding box next to the fence, stretch his long neck over, and unfasten the latch with his teeth. It worked like a charm. He lifted the latch with his strong teeth, and the gate swung open.
Joffo walked through the gate and away from the high fence. It was the first time he had been outside his enclosure since arriving at the zoo from Africa. He sniffed the air with his funny nose. It felt strange to be free, but he knew he had to find Amanda.
He soon reached the city. How odd it seemed! Joffo had never been in a city before. There were straight lines, tall buildings, and hard, flat places to walk. Few green things were growing. Instead, he saw many people with worried looks, hurrying to and fro – for reasons Joffo couldn’t guess.
As he wandered down the street, Joffo heard a faint meowing sound. Looking around, he spotted a small gray cat stuck high up in the branches of a tall tree in a park. The poor cat was clinging to a branch, too scared to climb down, while a worried group of people gathered below.
Joffo thought, “If I could reach the latch on my gate, maybe I can help this little cat down, too!”
With a gentle stride, Joffo approached the tree and stretched his neck up to the branch where the cat was trembling. The cat looked at Joffo, seeming to understand his kind intentions, and slowly stepped onto Joffo’s head, settling between his knobby horns. Carefully, Joffo lowered his head, allowing the cat to climb down safely to the ground.
Some nearby children clapped and laughed, and some even offered Joffo treats as thanks. Joffo felt proud, knowing he had brought joy and relief to the people of the city.
Feeling encouraged, Joffo continued his search for Amanda, wandering further into the city. Soon, he reached the town hall, where he saw another commotion. A large banner meant for the town’s big celebration had come loose from the roof and was flapping dangerously in the wind. Without a ladder tall enough to reach the rooftop, the townspeople worried they couldn’t fix it in time for the evening festivities.
Joffo thought, “If I could help that little cat, maybe I can help with this banner, too!”
Gently, he walked over to the town hall and stretched his neck up to where the banner was flapping. With great care, Joffo caught the loose end in his mouth and held it steady while a worker climbed up to secure it in place. Once the banner was safely tied down, the crowd cheered happily, thrilled that Joffo had saved the day.
But he couldn’t shake the feeling that he still hadn’t completed his mission. He lowered his head and continued down the street, searching for Amanda.
By now, Joffo was beginning to feel worried. He didn’t know where to look next. As he wandered down yet another street, he passed a red brick house, and just then, he heard the familiar sound of a soft whistle.
Joffo turned and saw Amanda’s face in the window, waving weakly from her bed. She had been sick with a sore throat and had been missing Joffo just as much as he missed her. Amanda’s eyes sparkled as she saw Joffo outside, his big eyes shining back at her with relief and joy.
“Oh, Joffo, I knew it was you,” Amanda whispered, smiling as she hugged him around his neck. “I’ve been sick in bed. That’s why I haven’t been to see you.”
Joffo understood and felt sorry for her because he’d once had a sore throat. And when a giraffe has a sore throat, that’s really something! He gently nuzzled her with his soft, brown, and black-spotted nose.
Just then, a police car arrived. Some of the people who had seen Joffo wandering the streets had called them. The policemen were getting stout ropes out of the car, intending to take him back to the zoo. But Joffo didn’t care; he had found Amanda and knew she would visit him again soon.
As the policemen put a rope around Joffo’s neck, another car drove up. It was a long limousine. Out came an important-looking man in a black suit – the mayor himself!
One policeman said, “Why, Mr. Mayor, what are you doing here?”
Mr. Oliver Bagby Pettygrove, the mayor, replied, “Stop what you’re doing. I’m here to honor this brave giraffe. Kindly remove that rope you’ve got around his neck.”
The mayor stood up on the limousine and made a little speech. “Mr. Giraffe, we have all seen how you risked your own safety to help a cat, save our celebration banner, and bring joy to a little girl in our community. Therefore, I hereby award you the city’s Medal of Honor.”
Joffo bent his head low, and the mayor placed a bright red, white, and blue ribbon with a large gold medal around his neck. The medal read, “To Joffo the Giraffe, for Bravery Above and Beyond the Call of Duty.”
Then, the mayor announced, “The police car and my limousine will now escort our noble giraffe back to the zoo.”
Joffo put his head once more into Amanda’s window. Amanda hugged him tightly and whispered into his ear how much she loved him. Joffo licked her hand with his soft, brown, and black-spotted tongue, his heart filled with joy. Then, with his head held even higher than usual, Joffo proudly led the procession back to the zoo.
