Читать книгу The Hidden Kingdom - Tracey Hecht - Страница 5

The Parched Pangolin

Tobin gazed up. Perched high on a tree branch was his friend Bismark, a sugar glider—a tiny marsupial similar to a flying squirrel. Like Tobin, Bismark was nocturnal: awake by night, asleep by day. And, like Tobin, Bismark was hungry and thirsty.

The sugar glider spread his flaps—the stretchy skin that connected his arms and legs. Then, with a graceful leap, he glided down from his tree and joined his friend on the ground. “Have you seen what the drought has done to my poor pomelos?” he asked. Bismark opened his paws, revealing a lumpy fruit with a dark, shriveled rind.

Tobin shook his head. This was very upsetting. The grapefruit-like pomelos that grew on his friend’s tree were usually plump and juicy.

“And it’s not just my favorite fruit that has withered,” moaned Bismark. “Look at me! Never has my soft, gray fur been so drab, so dreary, so dry.” With an impatient shove, the sugar glider pushed Tobin aside. “Out of the way, pangolino!” he ordered, jumping in front of the crack in the rock. “I need water, too!” Then he closed his eyes, opened his mouth, and tilted back his head. As a droplet of water fell onto his tongue, Bismark shuddered in delight. He spread his legs wide and dug his tiny heels in the ground, positioning himself for the ________

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