Ralph Redding - What Really Matters!

Only Matilda had truly gotten to the heart of the issue and had the best answer of all. Thinking about his encounters that day had given Zeke a better appreciation of all his special qualities as a friend. With improving confidence and self-esteem, Zeke has learned that What Really Matters is who he is in terms of kindness, friendship, and helpfulness rather than the color of his skin.

Copyright 2013 by Dr. Ralph A Redding MD.

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America

Publication date: 04/24/2013.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013938523

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Martin Luther King Jr.

I have a dream speech on August 28, 1963

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character

No story develops in a writers mind without exposure to significant events followed by inspiration. In my case, reading stories to the young children at Oaks Road Elementary School in New Bern, NC inspired this animal allegory. Many of these students are from one parent families and represent a most diverse spectrum of students in America. So I owe a debt of gratitude towards the teachers and children of this school. In addition I was fortunate in belonging to a wonderful supporting circle of friends and relatives who critiqued many drafts of this small piece of work culminating into what it is today. Thanks especially to my wife Beverlee, who was my constant critique, but also to Evelyn, Eugene, and Bryan for your contributions. The addition of my grand-daughters illustrations made this experience that much more enjoyable. Any remaining defi cits in this piece are my responsibility alone. Please allow me this slight writers license to omit the scientifi c fact that the color of Zebra skin has already been found to be black!

It was a bright new morning, but still cool as Zeke, the Zebra, trotted up to the African savanna. The open grasslands of the savanna lay next to the dark shadows of the trees and vines of the nearby jungle forest. This was the perfect setting for Zeke and his friends to play tag. Zeke was a young Zebra almost grown up, but still loved the game of tag because he could run faster than most of the other Zebras. After an hour or so of fun racing around, Zeke became quite hot and thirsty. He decided to walk down to the nearby pond to get a drink.

As he put his head down to sip the cool clear water, Zeke noticed his reflection in the pool. Gazing at the still pool surface, was for him like looking in a mirror for the first time! Why, he wondered am I two colors when most other animals are usually just one? As he gazed at himself, another thought popped up!

So am I a black Zebra with white stripes or a white Zebra with black stripes? He kept thinking about this question over and over as he drank. Because an answer did not come easily, he decided to ask some of his animal friends their opinion about this question.

The first friend he saw as he raised up his head was Sylvia, a snowy white swan swimming in the pond. Zeke called out to her. Hello Sylvia, its nice to see you again. Remember me? My name is Zeke.

I do remember your kindness when you helped many times to usher my baby swan cygnets safely from the meadow down to the pond. Thanks to you they were able to grow up and fly away to start their own families responded Sylvia.

Zeke asked Can you help me solve a question that Ive been thinking about all morning, Sylvia? Do you think I am a white Zebra with black stripes or a black Zebra with white stripes?

The swan took a few minutes to carefully examine Zekes black and white coat. Then she glanced at her own reflection in the pond before answering. Sylvia then said You are obviously a white Zebra because white is the most beautiful of all colors. That color is pure and bright and reflects all of the colors of the rainbow. The arch of your neck and back make white your dominant color! You are definitely a white Zebra with black stripes!

Zeke thanked Sylvia for her opinion, but was not satisfied with just one answer. So he headed back up to the savanna to enjoy eating some of its sweet smelling grass, and perhaps meet other friends.

Soon after he arrived, he noticed Pel, the panther, lying in the shaded grass half asleep. Zeke had known Pel for some time. Once several weeks earlier when Pel had cut his front paw on a sharp rock and could not climb trees, Zeke had stayed nearby to warn him of any danger. He was not at all afraid as he approached Pel. Hello there, Pel. Do you mind if I ask you a question that has been bothering me all morning? asked Zeke.

Okay! Ask? said Pel, yawning and slowly waking up. Zeke then asked the same question he had asked Sylvia. Do you think I am a white Zebra with black stripes or a black Zebra with white stripes?

Pel also became silent for a few minutes as he licked and cleaned his glossy black fur before answering. I think you are mainly a black Zebra, because you look strong and muscular like me. See how confident I appear in my black fur coat! I can slink around at night and nobody can see me! And black is known to be the most powerful color of all because it absorbs all of the other colors of the rainbow. I think black is your main undercoat. You are definitely a black Zebra with white stripes.

Now Zeke had two answers that were quite different from each other, making him a little uneasy and unsure about either. Because he was still hungry, he decided to stay awhile longer on the nice green pasture of the savanna and continue eating.

As he continued to graze he came across Preston, the peacock, strutting back and forth and preening his bright tail feathers. He had met Preston only once before when he helped untangle the peacocks tail feathers caught up in some of the jungle vines. Maybe Preston can settle this dilemma for me, he thought. But before he could pose his question, Preston exclaimed Hey dude, whats up?