The Hippo Who Had the Hiccups

The sun was dipping low over the dusty grass, turning the sky the color of a ripe peach. Down by the waterhole sat Rafi, wearing his favorite wide straw hat. Rafi loved the evening. It was the time when the dragonflies went to bed and the cool mud squished between his bare toes.

Right in the middle of the pool floated Hubert the hippo. Hubert was round, gray, and usually very peaceful. But tonight, Hubert had a problem.

HIC!

The sound bounced across the water. A great circle of ripples rolled outward, sloshing right up to Rafi’s ankles.

"Oh dear," Hubert rumbled, his ears twitching. "Excuse me."

HIC!

This one was even bigger. The water sloshed again, waking three little weaver birds who fluttered into the acacia branches with surprised chirps.

Rafi stood up and tilted his straw hat back. "Hubert," he called out kindly, "do you have the hiccups?"

"I certainly do," Hubert groaned, sinking his nose beneath the surface. HIC! A spray of bubbles burst into the air.

Tall branches rustled, and Barnaby the giraffe poked his long spotted neck through the leaves. "I know just what to do," Barnaby said in a gentle voice. "You have to hold your breath, Hubert. Count all the way to ten!"

Hubert clamped his big pink mouth shut. He pinched his nostrils tight. He squeezed his eyes closed. Rafi counted along: "One, two, three, four..."

HIC!

Hubert’s belly gave a mighty bounce. Water splashed over the banks, soaking Barnaby’s front knees. "Well," Barnaby murmured, shaking one hoof, "holding your breath didn't work at all."

Just then, a chatter came from the fig tree. Pippa the little monkey swung down by her tail. "You're doing it all wrong!" Pippa called out, waving a half-eaten plum. "You have to hang upside down! That turns your tummy over and shakes the hiccups right out."

Hubert looked doubtful. Still, he paddled toward the bank, rolled onto his thick back, and tried to kick his heavy legs into the air. He looked like a giant, wobbly gray balloon.

HIC!

Hubert rolled right back over with a huge splash, sending water into Pippa’s tree. "Hmm," Pippa said, scratching her ear. "Upside down was much too splashy."

Next, a long green snout drifted quietly through the reeds. It was Barnaby's friend, old Colin the crocodile. "There's only one true cure," Colin hissed with a wide, toothy grin. "A fright! Someone must jump out and shout BOO!"

"No, thank you," Rafi said quickly, taking a step closer to the water. "Nobody likes being frightened, especially at bedtime."

Hubert gave a miserable nod. Hic!

Rafi looked at Hubert’s tired eyes, then down at his own wide straw hat. It was made of tightly woven river reeds, thick and sturdy. Rafi smiled. "I have a gentler idea," he said.

Rafi dipped his hat into the clear edge of the waterhole, lifting it out full of cool, clean water. He waded in until he reached Hubert's nose.

"Take slow, tiny sips," Rafi whispered. "And listen."

Hubert lowered his big chin and took a small sip. Then another.

Rafi began to hum. It was a slow, sleepy tune his mother always sang when the stars came out. He patted Hubert's slick shoulder in time with the song. Sip, swallow. Sip, swallow.

Hubert’s shoulders dropped. His round sides relaxed.

hic...

The hiccup was just a little one now, no louder than a popping bubble.

Rafi kept humming. Another slow sip. Another gentle swallow.

One second passed. Then five. Then ten.

Not a single hiccup came. The water grew completely flat, shining like a clean silver mirror.

"They're gone," Hubert murmured, his voice velvety and deep. "Thank you, Rafi."

Pippa curled up in a fork of the fig tree. Barnaby rested his chin among the leaves. Rafi climbed back onto the warm bank, setting his dripping hat beside him.

Hubert let out one long, contented breath and rested his chin upon the still mud.

The last pink light faded away. Around the quiet pool, everyone closed their eyes, fast asleep.