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Horton Hears A Who by Dr. Seuss
On the 15th of May, in the Jungle of Nool, in the heat of the day, in the cool of the pool, he was splashing… enjoying the jungle’s great joys… When Horton the elephant heard a small noise.
So Horton stopped splashing. He looked toward the sound. “That’s funny,” thought Horton.
“There’s no one around.” Then he heard it again! Just a very faint yelp as if some tiny person were calling for help. “I’ll help you,” said Horton. “But who are you? Where?” He looked and he looked. He could see nothing there but a small speck of dust blowing past through the air.
“I say!” murmured Horton. “I’ve never heard tell of a small speck of dust that is able to yell. So you know what I think?... Why, I think that there must be someone on top of that small speck of dust! Some sort of a creature of very small size, too small to be seen by an elephant’s eyes…
“… some poor little person who’s shaking with fear that he’ll blow in the pool! He has no way to steer! I’ll just have to save him. Because, after all, a person’s a person, no matter how small.”
So, gently, and using the greatest of care, the elephant stretched his great trunk through the air, and he lifted the dust speck and carried it over and placed it down, safe, on a very soft clover.
“Humpf!” humpfted a voice. ‘Twas a sour kangaroo. And the you kangaroo in her pouch said “Humpf” too. “ Why, that speck is as small as the head of a pin. A person on that?... Why, there never has been!”
“Believe me,” said Horton. “I tell you sincerely, my ears are quite keen and I heard him quite clearly. I know there’s a person down there. And, what’s more, quite likely there’s two.
Even three. Even four. Quite likely…
“…a family, for all that we know! A family with children just starting to grow. So, please,” Horton said, “as a favor to me, try not to disturb them. Just please let them be.”
“I think you’re a fool!” laughed the sour kangaroo and the young kangaroo in her pouch said, “Me, too! You’re the biggest blame fool in the Jungle of Nool!” And the kangaroos plunged in the cool of the pool. “What terrible splashing!” the elephant frowned. “I can’t let my very small person get drowned!” I’ve got to protect them. I’m bigger than they.” So he plucked up the clover and hustled away.
Through the high jungle tree tops, the news quickly spread: “He talks to a dust speck! He’s out of his head! Just look at him walk with that speck on that flower!” And Horton walked, worrying, almost an hour. “Should I put this speck down?...” Horton thought with alarm. “If I do, these small persons may come to great harm. I can’t put it down. And I won’t! After all a person’s a person. No matter how small.”
Then Horton stopped walking. The speck-voice was talking! The voice was so faint he could just barely hear it. “Speak up, please” said Horton. He put his ear near it. “My friend,” came the voice, “you’re a very fine friend. You’ve helped all us folks on this dust speck no end.
You’ve saved all our houses, our ceilings and floors. You’ve saved all our churches and grocery stores.”
“You mean…” Horton gasped, “you have buildings there, too?” “Oh, yes,” piped the voice.
“We most certainly do… “I know,” called the voice, “I’m too small to be seen but I’m mayor of a town that is friendly and clean. Our buildings, to you, would seem terribly small but to us, who aren’t big, they are wonderfully tall. My town is called Who-ville, for I am a Who and we Whos are all thankful and grateful to you.”
And Horton called back to the Mayor of the town, “You’re safe now. Don’t worry. I won’t let you down.”
But, just as he spoke to the mayor of the speck, three big jungle monkeys climbed up
Horton’s neck! The Wickersham Brothers came shouting, “What rot! This elephant’s talking to Whos who are not! There aren’t any Whos! And they don’t have a mayor! And we’re going to stop all the nonsense! So there!”
They snatched Horton’s clover! They carried it off to a black-bottomed eagle named Vlad, Vlad-i-koff, a mighty strong eagle, of very swift wing, and they said, “Will you kindly get rid of this thing?” And, before the poor elephant even could speak, that eagle flew off with the flower in his beak.
All that late afternoon and far into the night that black-bottomed bird flapped his wings in fast flight, while Horton chased after, with groans, over stones that tattered his toenails and battered his bones, and begged, “Please don’t harm all my little folks, who have as much right to live as us bigger folks do!” But far, far beyond him, that eagle kept flapping and over his shoulder called back, “Quit your yapping. I’ll fly the night through. I’m a bird. I don’t mind it. And I’ll hide this, tomorrow, where you’ll never find it!”
“I’ll find it!” cried Horton. “I’ll find it or bust! I SHALL find my friends on my small speck of dust!” And clover, by clover, by clover with care he picked up and searched them, and called, “Are you there?” But clover, by clover, by clover he found that the one that he sought for was just not around. And by noon poor old Horton, more dead than alive, had picked, searched, and piled up, nine thousand and five.
Then, on through the afternoon, hour after hour… till he found them at last! On the three millionth flower! “My friends!” cried the elephant
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