The sky had been dark for 3 days now, she had to find a shelter and a partner or else she would run out of time. So she went down to the river where everybody else was, and she asked the lion, the leader of her group, “What is going on?”
“We don´t know but you can´t be alone, you must find a group, so you can go to Noah”
“Can I go with you?”
“Of course, we accept every mammal.”
And so the platypus went with the lion and the other mammals, she felt protected and part of the group, that night they had a huge dinner to celebrate the new member of the group. But suddenly the platypus started to throw up all over the place.
“Didn’t you like the food we made for you?” asked the lion.
“It’s not that, I’m just not feeling well”
“Maybe you should have some rest”
And the platypus went to rest but she knew there was only one explanation for this, she was pregnant. And when the time came to deliver, she laid 3 baby platypus's eggs.
“What are those?” asked the lion
“These are my baby eggs”
“But mammals do not lay eggs! You can´t be here, you are not a mammal!”
Suddenly it started to rain, the sky was even darker, panic was growing among the mammal group and the poor platypus could not continue the journey with them. If she wanted to survive she had to go to Noah with her eggs all by herself. She knew it was going to be very difficult, and the rain would not stop, it became heavier and heavier.
In her way to Noah, she found an owl who asked her, “What are you doing all by yourself lady platypus?”
“I was with the mammals but they threw me out because I'm not a mammal.”
“Oh but you are my dear, it's just that you are special”
“But mammals do not lay down eggs, can go with you and the other birds instead”
“I´m sorry but we can't accept you, you can´t fly” replied the owl, “you must hurry, Noah is planning to sail the day after tomorrow.”
And the owl went flying under the heavy rain with the other birds.
The lonely platypus, rejected by everyone, arrived to Noah the next day, but when she was going to go up the ark, Noah said:
“Where is your group little one?”
“I don't have one” answered the platypus, “I´m alone”
“Nobody is ever alone, come with me I will take you to your group”
The platypus followed Noah up the ark and for her surprise she found herself surrounded by other platypus. And then a weird noise came from the platypus´s purse, crack! The eggs were hatching! One by one, the little platypuses came out from their mother´s purse, and she started to breastfeed them. And when the lion, who was already in the ark, saw this, he told the platypus:
“How is that you are breastfeeding you children Mrs. Platypus? If you are not a mammal.”
“I am a mammal! But I´m special!”
“We are sorry we kicked you out, we thought you were not a mammal.”
The platypuses and the other mammals went together and became friends. And so Mrs. Platypus was never alone again.
That is the story of how the platypus came from the old world on a journey to the new one, but like the platypus, many other misunderstood species were rejected, species not as lucky as the platypus.
The moral of the story is persistence and self-esteem. You must believe in yourself and keep going like the platypus did on the story and not stay depressed like many other species now unknown to men.